Chosen to Die

June 15, 2009
In this thin and clumsy thriller, a serial killer captures Det. Regan Pescoli, the smart, strong-willed star of 2008's Left to Die
. The “Star-Crossed Killer,” plague of Montana's Bitterroot Mountains, kidnaps injured women, tends them until they are healthy again, then photographs them and leaves them to die of exposure. With time, it becomes clear that he is spelling out an obscure message with the women's initials. After a slow first third, the book settles down somewhat and focuses on Pescoli's efforts to escape her captor's maze-like lair and survive the deadly cold outside, with glimpses of her partner, Det. Selena Alvarez, attempting to track her down. Jackson spends too much time outlining the complicated plot and too little exploring the mind of the generic B-movie antagonist or the smarts and strengths of her heroines.

The Star-Crossed Killer has abducted Detective Regan Pescoli, and the race is on to rescue her before the killer claims another victim. As the story unfolds, the rich cast of characters helps to create a web of intriguing subplots. Alan Nebelthau narrates this suspenseful mystery with gusto. His skilled narration seamlessly moves from the strong female characters to a variety of other key characters, including some local eccentrics, and to the first-person point of view of the killer. The inflection of evil that Nebelthau brings to the killer helps to create a portrait of a deranged psychopath. Nebelthau's pace is perfectly timed, successfully balancing action and moments of tension. K.J.P. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine