"He loses his power when we know his face."
Former social worker, Elle Castillo, now hosts a successful podcast, JUSTICE DELAYED. Her true crime investigations are popular and she has managed to solve a couple of cases. Now, her current focus is on an old, unsolved case -- The Countdown Killer (TCK) -- who murdered girls using a numerical pattern, the significance of it has never been answered. The mystery of why TCK suddenly stopped killing begs to be solved and Elle is just the person do delve into those historical crimes and bring the villain to light. NO SPOILERS.
Believe it or not, this began as a solid 4 stars for me and by the last half was barely earning the "it's OK" rating. I was so disappointed at how fast it went from good to meh. I loved the style of the podcast transcripts interspersed with the narrative as those were the most interesting aspects of the story. Unfortunately, I really didn't like Elle (why are women so often depicted as hot messes in this genre), and the plot was so predictable that I had everything figured out long before the protagonist and the police. I liked the Minnesota setting, but had to laugh at the idea of law enforcement calling Elle to be a consultant on an active police matter and involved in ongoing investigations. I know this was a debut, and I might be willing to try another book by this author, but this one just never hit the mark as a thriller and all the intended twists, turns, and surprises were signaled well in advance. Ultimately, a good premise with disappointing execution and a conclusion that was a let down. It was a quick, easy read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for this e-book ARC to read and review.
This is a standalone and not part of any series.
Genre - crime thriller
No comments:
Post a Comment