Pattern of Wounds

May 9, 2011
Det. Roland March returns in this gritty and chilling mystery. A woman is conspicuously killed in a Houston suburb and the killer's "creativity" brings back memories for March. Ten years before, a bestselling book detailed a murder he worked on that is all too similar to the circumstances surrounding this woman's gruesome death. Is it merely a coincidence or is a copy cat on the loose? As the bodies begin to pile up, March even begins to wonder if he put the wrong guy away a decade ago. Bertrand (Back on Murder) gives readers wise-cracking detectives, creepy homicide particulars, and clever clues; however, the book often reads more like a television script than a novel. Die-hard detective story fans will most likely recognize and appreciate the book's familiar plot-driven style. Christian readers in particular may enjoy the religious elements that Bertrand shrewdly sprinkles throughout the book.

June 15, 2011

Ten years ago Det. Roland March put a killer behind bars. His involvement in that case won him national attention when it was reported in a true crime book. Now a young woman has been stabbed to death, and the details of the crime seem eerily similar to the previous murder. Is a copycat serial killer on the loose? Did March put the wrong man behind bars? VERDICT This follow-up to Back on Murder is full of carefully drawn details and further develops March's character. Fans of River Jordan and CF readers who don't mind their mysteries gritty will enjoy this entry.

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