Eight months after her cop husband’s death, Susan Pulaski, a Las Vegas police detective,is spinning out of control–just as her detective colleagues start searching for a serial killer who methodically stalks his female victims and plunges them into an orgy of terror. When a violent incident earns Pulaski a pink slip from the LVPD and a trip to detox, she’s out of the hunt altogether, so she begins to desperately try to regain her job, her reputation, and custody of the niece she’s been raising on her own. It seems hopeless–until Pulaski meets Darcy O’Bannon, her boss's son, a twenty-five-year-old autistic savant. White-knuckling her way to the center of the case, she becomes the key player in a desperate hunt for a killer who believes he has found divine inspiration in the works of Edgar Allan Poe. This was pretty good - it had my usual favorite qualities - fast-paced, suspenseful and for the most part, credible. There were a couple of really unpleasant scenes of child abuse. Also, I'm tired of every other main character being alcoholic. It is a very over-used plotline - time for authors to find another way to give their characters character. That said, the good way outweighed the bad and I would definitely read more in the series.
I really enjoyed this book though I had to wonder how the author thinks of the different ways to have people tortured. A psycho killer is on the loose and he always seems to be a few steps ahead of the detective and the psychological profiler who are after him. I thought that the way the characters were woven together and the flaws that they each had was very compelling. Susan, the main character, was fighting addiction and throughout the book she is constantly struggling. During the case she was introduced to a young man, the son of her captain, who is autistic and sees the world in his own way. They become close and he helps with her work.I was very busy while reading this novel so it took me longer to read then normal. It was very good and I didn't want to put it down, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good suspense.
What do You think about Dark Eye (2006)?
My understanding from the author is that Strip Search is a sequel with the same characters. William Bernhardt is speaking at our library this week about both books, and the characters of Susan and Darcy.
—Grace
After reading the first chapter of this book, I honestly could not put it down. Character after character showed promising depth, brilliantly written and easy to relate to. Had my heart racing the entire time.I'm finding it extremely hard to describe how beautifully crafted the killer's character was. Every detail was on point, and even his back story made my skin crawl. I don't think I have ever came across an antagonist that was so complex and odd that he made me stare into nothingness for a few minutes just to understand how fucked up he really is. The only thing I don't get is why the hell isn't this book getting the attention it deserves?
—Marien Tan
