He calls himself, "The Groom," but the press refers to the cases as the Bride Murders. The police know that every July 6, for the past 4 years, a young woman had disappeared. The 5th woman, however, is not missing -- the body of Nadia Carren is found on the railroad tracks She'd been tortured, branded and her throat was slit. Lt. Jake Carrington and his partner, Sgt Louie Romanelli, are in charge of the investigation for the Wilkesbury, CT, police. It seems that in the mind of the sick psycho who is apparently kidnapping and killing these women, he's substituting them for someone in particular -- the woman who jilted him at the altar. This case is going to stretch them to the breaking point as other professional and domestic issues arise. It's going to take an incredible team and strong leadership to see it through...NO SPOILERS.
OK I do like this series, but I truly wish that Jake and Louie would concentrate more on police work and less on their romantic liaisons. I really hate that so much of the pages are wasted on "love" and sex. The details of the investigation are quite good and exhibit just how difficult it is to track and find a killer of this ilk. There are many characters in the book and some have a larger role than others but it sometimes hard to keep everyone straight. Jake Carrington is the protagonist and I run hot and cold with my feelings about him. Obviously he's a good detective and an effective boss, but he's got some serious flaws as well. Louie is a hothead but is Jake's right hand man. They have a long, strong friendship as well as an effective working relationship. Their women mostly annoyed me. The case is complex and the web is pulled tighter very slowly to the ultimate conclusion. Since the narrative flips in point of view and includes the killer's voice, it's not a surprise who has done the deeds, more a procedural of the painstaking work required to narrow down a huge list to the suspect.
After the first one, I wasn't sure I'd enjoy this, but I did -- even though I skipped number 2. I surprised myself by putting the 4th on my TBR as I do like the author's methods of demonstrating the workings of a case squad and the politics of the job. In my opinion, the series would be even better with LESS of the romance and probably appeal to a wider audience.
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing Corporation for the e-book ARC to read and review.
This is the third in series. Read in order if possible.
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