jjares reviewed on 10/4/2016 + 3316 more book reviews

Having read most of David Rosenfelt's Tara stories (which are great), I've decided it must be hard to leave a tried-and-true group of characters to try stand-alone mysteries. I haven't found all of the Rosenfelt individual stories to be winners; however, this one is. Perhaps it made a difference that I was listening to it on tape (from the library). The narrator kept the break-neck pace up till the end.
Chris Turley, son of an imminently famous journalist (now deceased), is at a small New Jersey newspaper. A stranger starts calling Chris, sending him to places that just happen to have fresh bodies. At first, Chris is looked upon as a hero; but as the body count rises, national attention turns negative. It soon becomes clear that the caller has a serious agenda that includes Chris' suicide/murder.

Because of Chris' natural fear and wariness, he's a perfect foil for this deranged killer. The very randomness of the crimes makes them all the more heinous and frightening. Rosenfelt avoids the obvious problems with a thriller. He deftly gives each law enforcement group realistic motives and actions. The thing that didn't ring true was the speed with which Chris got involved with his love interest. It just seemed too fast and forced.

This is another one of those books where I'd find myself sitting in my hot car, listening for just a few minutes more of a gripping story.

Stand Alone Novels of David Rosenfelt
Don't Tell a Soul (2008)
**Down to the Wire (2010)
On Borrowed Time (2011)

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