Every now and again a daft scheme plays out in your favour. This is my second "E" book in this sweep, and it is an absolutely fantastic book to read. (Yes I am well aware of how odd that sounds when the central theme is about a serial killer). This isn't, however, one of those inside the head of the serial killer books - which we're all well over by now - but it's about the investigation side, and a glimpse into the life of a man who survived an attack years before. So far it's wonderful, and the book that I can blame this week's disrupted sleep on. It's proving very hard to put down.
From the Blurb:
Twenty years ago John Costello's life, as he knew it, ended.
Opening Lines:
For a long time John Costello tried to forget what happened.
Perhaps pretended that it had not.
Twenty years ago John Costello's life, as he knew it, ended.
He and his beautiful girlfriend, Nadia, became victims of the deranged 'Hammer of God' killer who terrorised New Jersey City throughout the summer of 1984. This murderer went after young courting couples in an attempt to 'save their souls'.
Nadia was killed by the first blow of the hammer. John survived, but was physically and psychologically scarred to an extent that few people could comprehend. He withdrew from society, hid in his apartment and now only emerges to work as a crime researcher for a major newspaper. Damaged he may be, but no one in New York knows more about serial killers than John Costello.
So, when a new spate of murders starts - all seemingly random and unrelated - John is the only one who can discern the complex pattern that lies behind them. But could this dark knowledge be about to threaten his life?