Huntress Moon (The Huntress/FBI Thrillers Bk 1) I received this egalley from NetGalley; originally published in 2012, Huntress Moon and Blood Moon (Book 2) are being republished this month.
FBI Agent Matthew Rourke watches the undercover agent he is supposed to meet killed by a truck as he crosses the street. Something about the death doesn't sit well with the agent, even though the truck driver is as horrified by what happened as everyone else. It is the woman who followed directly behind his undercover agent that bothers Rourke.
Rourke puts out some internet feelers with law enforcement and discovers two other cases where a woman matching the description has been seen near two other "accident" scenes.
Is the woman a serial killer? If so, she is a genuine rarity. What about the men who were murdered or had fatal accidents? Although not readily apparent, it seems each of them had committed despicable acts. Is the woman a vigilante?
As Rourke continues his investigation, he discovers the woman's identity and her tragic background--and a strange connection he shares with her. The plot also has a supernatural element.
The writing is less than stellar, the characters are thin, used to propel the story but lacking any genuine depth, the pacing is uneven, and the plot is pretty unbelievable. That said, most of the reviews are extremely positive. Go figure.
And go figure that I read the whole thing and then read the sequel.
NetGalley/Thomas & Mercer
Suspense/Paranormal. Print length: 372 pages.
Blood Moon (The Huntress/FBI Thrillers Bk 2) The Huntress is still at large. More background is revealed.
Who was/is The Reaper? Someone was murdering entire families twenty-five years ago then the murders stopped abruptly. The murderer was never identified. Now, the killings have begun again.
The Huntress (Cara) was five when her family was killed and is the only one who survived The Reaper. In the other families, neither parents nor children were left alive.
Of course, this second book in the series has no conclusion, but the third book should be published soon.
For whatever reason, I didn't find the books nearly as good as many others did, but they did keep me entertained for several hours. Although I love crime and mystery novels, this is a sub-genre that really didn't grab me enough to look for the third book.
NetGalley/Thomas & Mercer.
Suspense. Jan. 15, 2015 (first publication, 2013). Print length: 318 pages.
I was tempted to request these from NetGalley, but decided against it. I have read some of the more positive reviews, but am glad to have yours for balance. I'm still on the fence. Thinly developed characters and issues with the writing are certainly distractors. I think you and I have discussed before the issue of believably. We can believe almost anything if the author does it right; and so when they don't, it stands out so much more.
ReplyDeleteI think it is a matter of personal preference, but although it appears that many loved the books, I wasn't that engaged with either of these. At the time, I was interested enough to finish the two I'd had sent to my Kindle, but not pleased enough to continue the series. The author didn't do it right enough for me. :)
DeleteI never heard of Alexandria Sokoloff, but the first one by her looks interesting. Too bad the second didn't meet your expectations, though. I might give her a try if given the opportunity, thanks.
ReplyDeleteIt is always worth a try! I only read the second one because I received them both from NetGalley.
DeleteThese sound interesting, but I can understand that the subgenre isn't really your cup of tea. I do like the cover art.
ReplyDeleteThe books didn't provide what I look for in a series--mainly because the characters were so one-dimensional and because the writing couldn't convince me to suspend my disbelief about events. The covers do convey an eery atmosphere.
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