Category: Crime, Thriller, Mystery

The LAPD, together with the FBI, use everything at their disposal to electronically trace the transmission down, but this killer is no amateur, and he has covered his tracks from start to finish. And before Hunter and his partner Garcia are even able to get their investigation going, Hunter receives a new phone call. A new website address.  A new victim. But this time the killer has upgraded his game into a live murder reality show, where anyone can cast the deciding vote.

My Review: I have to say that after reading the previous books in this series I was pretty sure I knew what was coming in terms of the shock factor and gore. I was wrong! The opening of this book alone was enough to make my skin start crawling and the book only got more graphic and descriptive as time went on. I don’t say this as a negative as in my opinion it adds to the fear factor which always gets my heart racing. That aside, people who aren’t fans of this type of thing may not want to read this series.

Detective Robert Hunter of the Homicide Special Section is back and this time a killer like no other is out on the prowl. He calls Robert Hunter and asks for his help. All Robert has to do is choose Fire or water, a seemingly simple decision. However, when it becomes clear that the killer wants Robert to choose the victims method of death the story takes a serious and nasty turn.

The story starts to unravel and the killer becomes bolder with each victim and pretty soon the kills are being seen live on the internet. Hunters partner Garcia is a favourite of mine too and he becomes more involved than usual in this latest story. The plot is cleverly crafted and the suspense is at the highest I imagine you get with a book like this. The book takes you down a very dark and twisted road that layers plot threads as the story progresses. I found myself feeling every type of emotion possible when reading it.

In addition to the excellent writing and story line Carter has created characters I care about. By the end of this book I felt my heart sink as repercussions for the next book could go either way. I am so pleased that I have managed to get up to speed with the series, meaning I can get ready for the next and most recent installment of the series, An Evil Mind which was released 31st July 2014.

 A student nurse has the shock of her life when she discovers her patient, prosecutor Derek Nicholson, brutally murdered in his bed. The act seems senseless – Nicholson was terminally ill with only weeks to live. But what most shocks Detective Robert Hunter of the Los Angeles Robbery Homicide Division is the calling card the killer left behind. 

Just as Hunter and his partner Garcia reckon they’ve found a lead, a new body is found – and a new calling card. But with no apparent link between the first and second victims, all the progress they’ve made so far goes out of the window. 

Pushed into an uncomfortable alliance with the confident Alice Beaumont, Hunter must race to put together the pieces of the investigation . . . before the Death Sculptor puts the final touches to his masterpiece.

My Review: I am on a roll with the Hunter series by Chris Carter and started this immediately after I finished the previous one. Having said all of that, these books can still be read stand alone, but where’s the fun in that? The latest release starts with (in true Chris Carter style) a particularly gruesome and bloody scene. A student nurse finds her patient brutally murdered. By the time Robert Hunter and his colleague Carlos Garcia get there they realise that the calling card alone singles out this latest psychopath as somebody they need to catch…and quickly.

One thing that makes this series great is both Robert Hunter as well as the recurring characters we see. His partner Garcia is absolutely brilliant, and although he isn’t as clever as Hunter (who is, the guy has a Mensa level IQ) he makes their pair complete. Throw the descriptive and sickening death scenes and you have yourself a classic Carter novel. The killer continues his killing spree and the case quickly becomes more and more complex.

These books have been an absolute pleasure to read and they continue going from strength to strength. This latest book didn’t have quite the oomph that the last one did, but I guess you just tend to set the bar really high when you enjoy a series of books. The book was still a fantastic read and kept me turning the pages well into the night. Another corker from Mr Carter, and as usual I cannot wait so am moving straight onto the next book in the series ‘One by One’

 Synopsis:  An unidentified female body is brought into the Los Angeles County morgue. The cause of death is still unclear. Her body bares no marks; except for the fact that her most intimate parts have been stitched shut. But what shocks the pathologist the most is that the killer had left something inside her. Something so monstrous Detective Robert Hunter, of the Los Angeles Homicide Special Section, has to be pulled off a different case to take over the investigation.

Within days a new body surfaces. Like the previous victim, she’s also been stitched shut and something has been left inside her. Something as ingenious as it is grotesque. And the killer isn’t done yet, not by a long shot.

When his inquiry collides with a missing persons’ case being investigated by the attractive, razor-sharp Whitney Meyers, Hunter suspects the killer might be keeping several women hostage. Soon Robert finds himself on the hunt for a murderer who is much more monstrous than he ever could have expected; a predator whose past hides a terrible secret, and who won’t stop until each of his victims has brought forth the awful truth that lies hidden deep inside them too.

My Review: Well, well, well! Mr Carter has been a treat I have been depriving myself of that’s for sure. It’s been a while since I last read a Chris Carter and I decided with his most recent release that it was high time I caught up. Robert Hunter is the main lead in this series along with his partner Garcia. Having read the two previous books, although Hunter is the clear leader I’m beginning to love his partner Garcia just as much. When this story kicks off it involves a body being brought into the morgue although her cause of death is unclear. It doesn’t take long to realise though that this woman had suffered horrendously as certain parts of her body has been stitched shut. The first thing I must say is that as a reader if you are squeamish then maybe these aren’t the books for you.

Within a few days another body appears and although the stitches are there, her method of death is something else. I have a pretty strong stomach but I must say Mr Carter has an ingenious way with grotesque descriptions that literally have your stomach churning. When Carter’s investigation crosses with a missing persons case an investigator by the name Whitney Myers comes into play. I always kind of hope that Robert may get the chance to have a personal life, but sadly is seems there are too many psychos and not enough time for the man.

The story itself was intriguing and had numerous plot layers going on. The suspense is ratcheted up with each body that is discovered and the pace in turn picks up too. I felt myself experiencing more than one emotion whilst turning the pages from fear to loathing and then back to fear. By the time I had finished my heart was in my mouth and I went straight onto book 4 in the series. I really do feel like Chris Carter is a bit of an unrecognised author. There certainly isn’t enough press about the guy but I am certain that his book deals will continue to get bigger and better until every last reader out there knows about him. A brilliant book that had me gripped and highly recommended.