OBSESSION (Faces of Evil) [Kindle Edition]

Agent Jess Harris is laying low while on a forced leave from the FBI. Police Chief Dan Burnett enlists the help of his old friend Jess, now a famous FBI profiler, to help him track down the person - or persons - responsible for the disappearance of several local young women. Dan isn't sure the disappearances are all connected, but the girls are more or less of a type: attractive, intelligent and from morally upstanding homes. Although she hasn't been back to Birmingham in years, Jess leaps at the chance to leave the accusations that she botched the nabbing of a serial killer behind her and heads south to help her friend. Except Dan isn't just a friend, he's an ex-lover she left with no explanation. Dan is conflicted about contacting Jess, but his connection to one of the missing girls pushes him to corral the most talent he can to hopefully find her and the other girls alive.

This taut new thriller from Debra Webb combines several story elements she handles exceptionally well: suspense, well-developed characters, romantic tension and the South. Webb writes about the South as only a native can and I appreciated her use of Birmingham, AL - not an oft-used location - as the setting for 'Obsession.' The main story is a study of the dark side of seemingly "normal" people and lives and Webb paints a chillingly detailed portrait of just where love and grief can take otherwise decent people. But the real treat is the story of the serial killer percolating under the surface. The romantic element of the story is nicely handled and does not intrude on the suspense plot. There is also a romance brewing between some great secondary characters, who I hope we'll see again.

The main story is tied up in a most satisfactory way, but the ending will leave you breathless and hungry for more. The seeds of the next book have been firmly planted and I can't wait to see what happens next. I just hope we won't have to wait too long!

Do not start this book if you have anywhere you need to go in the next 24 hours! Obsession takes the reader on a wild ride in Birmingham, with just the right level of suspense to keep you turning the pages, but not so much that you want to keep the lights on all night. I intended to read this over the course of a week. Good thing I started it on a Friday because I finished it at 2am!! Obsession introduces us to Dan and Jess, the protagonists of Webb's new 12 book series. They remind me of Rick Castle and Kate Beckett, so if you love the emotional tug of war you see on Castle, you'll enjoy Dan and Jess' relationship. I can't wait to read the next installment in the series!

Wow, wow, wow...what a bargain basement price for an unexpectedly great surprise read and all for the low, low price of .99 cents. I got waaaaay more than I bargained for with this offering from Debra Webb. I would have paid 10x times that amount.

Obsession reminds me of the works from some authors who are auto-buy authors for me: Karen Rose, Lisa Gardner and Tess Gerritsen. If you enjoy the suspense/thriller genre with edge-of-your-seat action then you won't want to miss out on Obsession. I've already purchased the second book in the series Impulse and after checking the author's website - color me excited to learn she has a total of 12 books planned in this Faces of Evil series. I can only hope each and every book is as good as Obsession was.

FBI profiler Agent Jess Harris is at a bit of a crossroads in her career. After a stellar record for 12 years at the FBI, her record as a behavioural analyst is perfect except for her latest case involving the maniacal killer The Player. She played right into the hands of a cunning sociopath who set her up and now thanks to Jess`s work on the case, he is about to go free.

Answering the call from an old friend and lover, Police Chief Dan Burnett, Jess who's on administrative leave from the FBI heads home to Birmingham to assist in a particularly troubling case involving missing, young girls. A case in which Dan has a personal stake as one of the missing girls is actually his teenage step-daughter Andrea.

I liked that Dan and Jess were more mature characters (both are in their forties), well established in their careers and yet they have some pretty serious history dating back to when they were teenagers and college lovers. They both still obviously have strong feelings for each other, but solving this case is their top priority and for the most part they try desperately to ignore the lingering feelings between them. Obviously with more books in this series, I expect their relationship will grow over time.

In Obsession the race is on discover a link between the missing girls and find them before it's too late. We are treated to the POV from the kidnapped girls and can you say...creeeeeeepy!

To further complicate and muddy the waters is the release of Eric Spears aka The Player, a sadistic serial killer. Jess knows beyond all doubt that he is the man who committed numerous, heinous crimes - she just wasn't able to prove it and now her career is in ruins because of it. Eric has become fascinated with Jess...in fact Obsessed if you will. And he is far from done with playing games with Agent Harris. I'm sure Eric will be a "Player" in a number of upcoming books - I can't see Webb making him go away any time soon. With so many possibilities and 12 books in the making, I expect him to be around torturing Jess for some time. Masterminds like The Player know how to commit crimes and get away without leaving a trace.

Fair WARNING: You are going to want to have book two in this series Impulse ready and waiting for when you are finished. The ending...O.M.G. I started Impulse immediately upon finishing Obsessive even though it was late and past my bedtime. Don't say I didn't warn you!