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What could be a run-of-the-mill crime thriller is made unique by an interesting twist in Five Down, a debut novel from Tom Sibson.

I picked this up because I am a big fan of crosswords and acrostics. Actually, just about any kind of puzzle, especially those involving wordplay. You know from the blurb how the plot plays out. It’s a fantastic hook into the investigation.

I could go on and on about the plot, but where would the fun be in that? You’ll have to read it for yourself to see how the author lays everything out.

Let’s just say that there is a killer on the loose. And they’re trying to make things difficult for the police. It’s not enough to have to investigate crimes that already occurred.

But because of the killer’s taunts and riddles, the police also have to try to solve the next murder before it happens. To do that, they need to unravel clues sent to them by the killer.

It makes for a clever cat and mouse game where the mouse is taunting the cat with every step. In some ways, it also turns the hunters (the police) into the hunted, as the killer seems to anticipate their movements.

Or at least they think they know what the police will do.

The author does a great job of keeping the reader guessing while also laying out the clues in a way that allows the reader to try to solve the mystery of who the killer is before the police do. Every person comes under suspicion.

It all reminds me of the Zodiac. He was a serial killer who sent cryptic clues and weird puzzles to the San Francisco Police Department in the late 1960s. He was never caught, and only recently have some of his puzzles been (possibly)solved.

Fortunately for the reader, the killer in this book isn’t as elusive. Even if the reader doesn’t figure it out before the police, Five Down is still an engaging crime thriller. I certainly look forward to reading more from Tom Sibson.

Author Bio 

Born in Yorkshire, Tom Sibson spent his earlier career in a variety of scientific research and engineering roles. Now in middle age hopes to share his love of the city of York with his readers — albeit via somewhat dark, intriguing, and mind-teasing scenarios.

When not writing crime novels, Tom loves researching true crime, modern history, running, playing the guitar, listening to all genres of rock and solving cryptic crosswords with a particular penchant for the one in Private Eye.