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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.

I like it when an author creates a location that is as much a character as the people. That is certainly the case with the town of Gothic in Point Last Seen, a new thriller by Christina Dodd.

Nestled between the Coastal Range and the Pacific Ocean somewhere along the California coast, Gothic is difficult to get to. Perfect for the inhabitants of the town, who all seem to be seeking isolation for one reason or another.

There’s a tortured artist, a former movie star, a transgender psychic (more on that later), and a whole host of other quirky characters. At times they verge on being cartoonish, but once I realized how the author was crafting the story, it didn’t really bother me.

The plot is pretty straightforward. as much as it tries to be a thriller, there is too much given away near the beginning to make it too enthralling. There are some moments of “what will happen” but not as many as expected.

In fact, the whole book reads more like a romance with some suspense instead of a straight-out thriller. I think if you go into the book with that perspective, you will enjoy it more. As a thriller, it is a little disappointing.

However, the romance is not that strong either. It is difficult to believe that a person with amnesia who was dead for all intents and purposes is suddenly more focused on her rescuer’s body and what she can do with it.

There are more than a few parts that are jarring like that. They left me thinking, “sheesh, this woman must be really frustrated.” If you know the publisher is Harlequin, I guess readers can just expect it?

The villains are not very evil. So, there is no suspense from them. And as to the transgender psychic, it appears as if there is some misgendering along the way. It seems to be an odd choice anyway because it really doesn’t add anything to the story itself.

I suppose if you’re going to try to be timely and include a character to show diversity, you should probably make sure you’re correct in all aspects of that character’s beliefs. I couldn’t care less about it, but I know that it is important to a portion of society.

Anyway, as I said at the outset, the town is atmospheric on its own, and that’s not because of the characters. It just seems like a cool place to visit. Point Last Seen is a good story, and I’ll definitely read more from Christina Dodd.

Author Bio:

New York Times bestselling author Christina Dodd writes “edge-of-the-seat suspense” (Iris Johansen) with “brilliantly etched characters, polished writing, and unexpected flashes of sharp humor that are pure Dodd” (ALA Booklist). Her fifty-eight books have been called “scary, sexy, and smartly written” by Booklist and, much to her mother’s delight, Dodd was once a clue in the Los Angeles Times crossword puzzle. Enter Christina’s worlds and join her mailing list at www.christinadodd.com.