Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
cop's worst nightmare, 7 Aug 2009
It's got to be a cop's worst nightmare. Just when he was finally starting to put behind him the long, harrowing investigation into a vicious serial killer that almost led him to breaking point two years before, Detective Robert Hunter is plunged once again into the nightmarish game of cat and mouse with a sadistic murderer that could cost him his sanity, his life or quite probably both. The original horrific killing spree of seemingly random victims, all linked by the trademark double-crucifix symbol carved onto the victims' bodies, finally ended when a man was caught, sentenced and executed. Despite the collective sigh of relief in the media and the community, Detective Hunter always secretly thought they had got the wrong man. Now, a new series of sadistic, horrifically theatrical murders are being discovered and, once the trademark double crucifix marking is uncovered, he knows he's up against the gruesome psycopath nicknamed The Crucifix Killer once again, this time with a brand new rookie partner in tow.
The book is sometimes vaguely reminiscent of the film "Seven", seemingly playing on the seven deadly sins theme. We have the overly vain woman who spends a fortune on miracle face creams skinned alive, and I'll let you guess which body part is chosen as a trophy for the married man who secretly attends "extreme sex" parties with his gay lovers ! But there are many red herrings and false trails so you won't work out who the real killer is until the very end.
I have a few very slight niggles. Firstly, some of the characters are a bit one-sided - you'll be hard-pressed to find a female character who isn't simply a prostitute or a wife figure, and the racial stereotypes seem a bit overdone too (do black people really call each other "Nigga" outside of films ?). I was also a bit disappointed that crucial information was withheld until the end, when Hunter finally pieces it all together - this meant that for the reader, it was impossible to pick up the clues along the way and "beat the detective".
Overall, it was still a great read. The murders are wonderful in their gruesomeness and theatricality and the killer is chillingly manipulative. This is the first in a series of novels depicting Detective Robert Hunter and I'll definitely be reading the sequel to see what happens to him next.
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7 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Cliche-ridden, 26 Jul 2009
Two years ago Robert Hunter caught the Crucifix Killer who'd tortured and killed 7 people connected only by the double-crucifix mark carved into their necks. After the killer's trial Hunter's partner and favourite cousin died in a freak boating accident; ever since Hunter has been on a downward spiral fuelled by insomnia and alcohol. The spiral begins to reverse when he meets Isabella after a one-night-stand and gets a new partner, Carlos Garcia, who's just transferred to Hunter's division.
When Hunter and Garcia are called out to a derelict cottage in LA's National Forest they find the mutilated body of a woman bearing the Crucifix Killer's mark. Is this the work of a copycat killer or did Hunter convict the wrong person 2 years ago, leaving the Crucifix Killer free to resume their reign of mayhem?
A former wunderkind criminal profiler whose Phd thesis became a training manual for the FBI, Hunter is haunted by past mistakes - notably John Spencer, a man who Hunter helped convict for murdering his wife, only to discover after Spencer's suicide that another man was responsible. Hunter likes whisky, sleeping around and is plagued by insomnia.
Garcia is the fresh-faced newbie detective desperate to make an impression on the squad. When the Crucifix Killer strikes again, he finds himself drawn into the case, unable to let go despite the pleas of his wife, Anna. Isabella is barely developed beyond being sexy and Carter quickly loses interest in developing the relationship between her and Hunter. Indeed the female characters in this book are mainly wives or prostitutes, most of whom give "sexy winks" to Hunter and Garcia.
The Crucifix Killer is a walking cliche - using an electronic voice disguiser to phone up Hunter and taunt him, setting cruel games for Hunter to complete if he wants to save victims and ultimately striking those Hunter cares about to make things more personal.
Despite its powerful opening, the book meanders. Dialogue is stilted and jokes fall flat. Red herrings are obvious and play out for too long and the identity of the Killer is telegraphed from their first appearance. Carter defers giving key information as to how Hunter works out the killer's identity until the final 50 pages - cross-referring to earlier scenes that don't contain all of the information described.
There's a set up for a series but I won't be reading on.
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5 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliantly, icky!, 1 Aug 2009
The Crucifix Killer starts with a fast paced teaser and hook, moves back to five weeks earlier where we are drawn into the lives of experienced Homicide Detective Robert Hunter and his rookie partner, Carlos Garcia, and their involvement with a sick killer who methodically plans and savours slow torture and mutilation in some delightfully enterprising yet grotesque ways. But the murderer, nicknamed The Crucifix Killer because of the double edged cross he carves on the neck of each victim as his modus operandi, has already been captured and executed. Did they catch the wrong person or are lives being taken by a copycat killer?
Assigned to the case again, Hunter, becomes the target of the killer's games; each time a murder is about to happen the killer phones him personally with a riddle to solve in order to save the next victim's life. Under pressure from the bosses, and against the clock, Hunter and Garcia diligently search for clues to the killer's identity and motives, but he's clever, always one step ahead of them and finding concrete evidence proves to be an impossible desperate task.
Through his characters, Chris Carter really involved me; I felt the detectives frustration as time began to run out, and despaired when another seemingly "impossible to overcome" obstacle got in the way. Hunter, has his share of problems; alcoholism, a dead ex-partner, and fears of the possibility that his new girlfriend, Isabella, could become a target. Young Garcia struggles to keep the required balance between his demanding new job and his relationship with his wife.
Even a secondary character, D-King, big-time pimp and drug dealer, will have you rooting for something that is illegal and imorral. It is claimed that Chris Carter can easily rival similar writers of this genre, such as Deaver (for plot) and Reichs (for tension), to me this is not just hype. The author is as sharp as his killer's blade and provides well-written evidence of a true storyteller; great plot twists, subplots and high-tension through multi-layered characters. Plus ingenious redherrings to throw the reader off course, as does the killer with Hunter and Garcia. When the killer's identity was finally revealed, I didn't see it coming. In addition, Carter studied psychology and criminal behaviour, and it shows in the cleverly entwined details. If you like to be taken by surprise and held tight, unable to stop reading or sleep well until the killer is caught, then this is the story for you. Brilliantly, icky.
Sassy Brit
July 2009
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