Spectrum

September 15, 2014
Jacobson's intriguing sixth Karen Vail novel (after 2013's No Way Out) chronicles the first case that his heroine handled as a rookie NYPD patrol officer. In 1995, Vail views her first murder victim, a woman savagely attacked in a Manhattan brownstone. Sgt. Carmine Russo, a seasoned homicide detective, acts as Vail's mentor in what develops into a serial killer case. The killings continue over the years, always with the same telltale MO and lack of meaningful evidence. Meanwhile, in a tragic story that parallels Vail's rise to successful FBI profiler, a fight at an Astoria, Queens, bowling alley in 1973 starts a downward spiral that eventually crushes two immigrant Greek families and colors the childhoods of brother and sister Cassandra and Dimitri and their friend Niklaus. Readers will have little trouble figuring out the killer's identity, but series fans will appreciate the extensive background information that details Vail's growth as an investigator. Agent: Joel Gotler, IPG Literary Agency.

October 1, 2014

In her sixth outing (after No Way Out), FBI profiler Karen Vail finds herself working on a case that has haunted her since she was a NYPD rookie cop investigating a young woman's murder back in 1995. The serial killer known as Hades has eluded Vail for three decades, even as her life has taken surprising directions. While she pursues the investigation, the novel goes back in time even further to the early 1970s, when a family is caught in turmoil. A man simply defending himself becomes a pariah, and even though he's found innocent in a court of law, the judgment of his peers costs him his job and respect. The tragedy that follows will echo into our protagonist's history as well. VERDICT Jacobson takes the reader into the past so we can follow Vail's life in law enforcement up to the present, providing a more enriching profile of his series heroine. The final result is a compelling and chilling thriller that continues to showcase the author's talent for great characters and plots.--Jeff Ayers, Seattle P.L.

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.