Serial Killer Archives

I don’t know how she does it!

This is becoming a common refrain, because DK Hood just keeps churning out the Kane and Alton series. BUT (and I can’t stress this enough), the series still manages to feel fresh and exciting.

You’d think that at book 11 (holy moly) that things would be stale, or run-of-the-mill.

You’d be so wrong.

This time around, cheerleaders are disappearing and meeting terrible ends. It would be easy to insert a joke in here about easy targets or something, but it would be too flippant. The author manages to take a cliché and turn it into a serious case.

If you’ve read any of the books, you already have a feeling for how Kane and Alton work together, and this case is no exception. There’s something to be said for familiarity.

But again, that doesn’t mean it’s boring. I found myself confident in the characters enough that I was actually able to see other things that I might have missed if these were “new-to-me” characters.

Amazon: https://geni.us/B08PZFYS6RCover
Apple: http://ow.ly/qdGD50CGFNc
Kobo: http://ow.ly/KY0s50CGIUf
Google: http://ow.ly/RQkZ50CKuIa

Does that make sense? I guess I was able to pay attention to smaller details because I wasn’t hyper-focused on the main characters. Maybe other readers will understand what I’m trying to say.

I really enjoy the relationship that they have built with each other. I will say as with any male/female partnership, there is some push-pull as to whether the female can “hang” with the guys. This might irritate some readers.

At this point Jenna has more than proved herself, however, and I feel strongly that any “male dominance” is tempered by her wit, her ability, and her savviness.

Plus, you know, there’s that ending.

Anyway, it’s another solid entry in the Kane and Alton series. I’m sure it will continue just as strongly.

Oh, and yes, it can be read as a stand-alone. But with this number of books in the series, you’d certainly do yourself a load of favors by starting at the beginning. There’s a lot of backstory, and some attitudes/conversations will make more sense if you have a history of the characters.

Hands down, this is one of the most lushly described, detailed, creepy, and hauntingly beautiful serial killer stories I have ever read.

And those are words I never thought I would put together into a sentence.

Honestly, though, I can’t remember a time that an author paid so much attention to the criminal, and the story is so much better for that attention. It elevates this book beyond a normal serial killer/crime procedural.

The author even manages to make the reader (well, at least this one!) sympathetic to the killer. That’s a tough road to go down, because it could make a person turn against the plot and dislike the book.

Not the case here.

Amazon: https://geni.us/B08D6R29XMSocial Apple: http://ow.ly/WFoZ50AIIhB
Kobo: http://ow.ly/BntR50AIIfd Google: http://ow.ly/Qdye50AIIjD

Adam obviously has some deep seated issues, but tracing his journey from sweet boy on his grandmother’s knee reading fairy tales to psychopathic killer who (for all intents and purposes) stalks his victims is fascinating.

In fact, I found myself more intrigued with Adam’s story than that of his main target, Laura’s. Not to say that she wasn’t interesting in her own right. The character study of her grief is the perfect backdrop for not being totally aware of the impending events.

I particularly liked how the author used flowers and their “language” (i.e. Wood sorrel: Maternal tenderness) as each chapter heading. It was a unique indication of a focus or point of importance of the chapter.

I highly recommend this book. But be warned: it is not one that you can just rush through. This one takes its time setting the stage and slowly entwining the characters (not unlike ivy or some other flowering vine). That’s not to say that it’s boring because it’s nowhere near that. But the action does accelerate to a thrilling finish.

The only other warning I can give is that you might find yourself wondering what’s wrong with you that you are feeling for (and maybe even rooting for) Adam’s misguided vision of love and protection. But don’t worry, you won’t be alone in that feeling.

Facebook: AuthorBarbaraCopperthwaite
Twitter: @BCopperthwait
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Website: www.barbaracopperthwaite.com

Author Bio:
Barbara is the Amazon and USA Today bestselling author of psychological thrillers INVISIBLE, FLOWERS FOR THE DEAD, THE DARKEST LIES, and HER LAST SECRET.

More importantly, she loves cakes, wildlife photography and, last but definitely not least, her two dogs, Scamp and Buddy (who force her to throw tennis balls for them for hours).

Having spent over twenty years as a national newspaper and magazine journalist, Barbara has interviewed the real victims of crime – and also those who have carried those crimes out. She is fascinated by creating realistic, complex characters, and taking them apart before the readers’ eyes in order to discover just how much it takes to push a person over a line.

When not writing feverishly, she is often found hiding behind a camera, taking wildlife photographs.