Eclipse

December 24, 2012
Norman’s sixth outing for Det. Sam Becket of the Miami Beach Violent Crimes Unit (after 2011’s Hell) features a hunt for a serial killer that’s too familiar to be satisfying. The psycho in question, dubbed “Black Hole,” has just struck for the fourth time. In each case, the murderer sedates his female victim before shooting out her eyes. This grisly story line isn’t improved by subplots that prove no more compelling, such as one that involves Becket’s child psychologist wife, Grace, who’s attending a conference in Zurich and befriends an odd young man after saving his life. Most readers’ antennae will be quivering from the outset, and their patience will be increasingly tested by Grace’s slowness at figuring out that something is amiss with her new friend. An even duller diversion is provided by Mildred, Sam’s stepmother, whose fear of cataract surgery eventually proves relevant to the plot only in a contrived manner, unfortunately typical of the entire novel.

January 15, 2013
A South Florida police detective chases a serial killer with a strange M.O. Detective Sam Becket (Hell, 2011, etc.) is a worried man. The Black Hole killer, who leaves each victim laid out neatly on her own bed with two gaping cavities where her eyes had been, is inching closer to Miami. There's never a sign of forced entry, so how does the killer persuade these attractive young women to let a stranger into their homes? And where is Sam's young friend Billie Smith, co-starring with him in an amateur production of Carmen, who has disappeared between rehearsals? When Sam's wife, Grace Lucca, attends a conference in Zurich, a handsome young Frenchman strikes up a conversation with her. Suddenly, he seems to be everywhere: at her hotel, in front of the cafe where she lunches and, after her return home, in Miami. Sam's dad, David, has his worries too. His second wife, Mildred, after years on the street, has finally settled into a comfortable domestic routine. Now that's disrupted by the news that she needs cataract surgery and must confront her pathological fear of having her eyes examined. Dr. Ethan Adams is supposed to be the best, but something about him puts Mildred off. How can she overcome her fear when all of Miami is abuzz with news of a killer who targets women's eyes? Norman weaves multiple strands with ease, building tension to a climax that doesn't disappoint.

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Starred review from February 1, 2013

Det. Sam Beckett has his work cut out for him in Miami Beach. A serial killer dubbed "Black Hole"--known for shooting his victims' eyes out with a pistol--has surfaced nearby. Across the ocean, his wife Grace is at a conference, not realizing that a sinister gaze is trained on her. As the bodies begin to stack up, the search for Black Hole narrows and someone from Beckett's personal life is affected. Will he bring the killer into his sights before another life is lost? VERDICT The sixth entry in Norman's series (after Hell) grabs readers from the first page and doesn't let go. Featuring multiple storylines tied together by one dark theme, this dark psychological thriller is packed with plenty of action and enough twists to keep even dedicated fans guessing. Highly recommended.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2012
Eyes are the theme of Norman's latest Detective Sam Becket thriller. A deadly serial killer is on the loose in Florida. His modus operandi: to drug his female victims, shoot out their eyes, and cover the empty sockets with tape, sleep masks, or lace doilies. Meanwhile, Sam's mother-in-law, Mildred, needs cataract surgery, but she's irrationally terrified of anything to do with her eyes. Meanwhile, Sam's wife, Grace, is at a professional conference in Europe, where she is stalked by a young Frenchman. When he follows her back to Florida, she fears the worst, but she knows she needs to focus on her latest counseling case: a terrified teenager with a phobia about her eyes. Then there's Sam's role in the upcoming South Beach Opera production of Carmen and the flattering but unsolicited attentions of the young woman singing the lead role. With so many disparate plotlines, the book might have been a disorganized hodgepodge, but Norman manages to weave a cohesive story from the multiple threads, adding plenty of bizarre twists to the mix. Two thumbs up for this shivery, keep-'em-guessing mystery.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)