173. The 7th Victim by Alan Jacobson

The 7th Victim by Alan Jacobson
A Karen Vail Mystery, Book 1

Pages: 420
Finished: Nov. 4, 2008
First Published: Nov, 2008
Genre: crime thriller
Rating: 5/5
Reason for Reading: Received a Review Copy from the author.

First sentence:

"Dispatch this is Agent Vail."

Comments: FBI Profiler Karen Vail is on the case of a serial killer who follows a ritualistic routine in his violent and gruesome murders of young brunettes. Karen also has some personality clashes with members of the squad and troubles in her personal life. She is recently divorced from a bitter, angry man and her son does not want to visit at his father's home anymore. She also must finally deal with the fact that her mother's Alzheimer's has reached the point where she needs constant supervision.

This murder case is taught and tense. The writing is gripping and it is evident the author has done his research. The characters are incredibly real and the plot is intense. Jacobson pulls no punches and twists and turns the plot until the reader is shocked with the ending results. Plus the author stuns the reader by solving the mystery just a little too far away from the end of the book making the reader wonder what could possibly happen next but this is where he then throws in his penultimate twist. I dare any reader to figure out "whodunit" before the final reveal.

One of the best stand-alones in this genre that I've read in quite some time. If you enjoy psychological suspense thrillers I can't recommend this book more highly. I am certainly intrigued enough by Jacobson's work here to go back and read his two previous books, False Accusations and The Hunted, and look forward to his next book.