Police dramas can be rewarding, intriguing and enlightening or they can be dry, tedious and an obvious opportunity for the author to relive their police days in excruciatingly minute detail--this book was the latter. Incorporated in this basic plot of a serial killer stalking a police chief for unknown reasons (and not a very interesting reason either) is a police screwup that results in an investigation and officers getting suspended and the other daily routines of cops. Maybe there are those readers that thrive on the inner workings of police I am not one of those and all the characters that are introduced every other page are cliched and boring--theres the police chief with a heart of gold determined to save his family, a tough female in a man's world determined not to take no mess and countless other detectives, agents, investigators that occupy space and have little input in the story. There are actually two people on the force with the names Sid and Sal and though it was a short read when you finally find out who the serial killer is and his motive you are disappointed, and if you are like me just a litte frustrated you wasted two days on this snoozer. Recommended for those that want to learn what a police officer does during the day and a murder mystery that is not fast moving or intriguing. Even the serial killer was lame..
Moved along at a good pace. This has been my favorite so far in the series of Kevin Kerney, Police Chief of Santa Fe, N.M. In this chilling novel, a calculating killer is leaving bodies in his wake with notes attached that Kerney and his family are next. Just as Chief Kerney and his wife Sara start a 2 week vacation to await the birth of their first son, the bodies start falling. The scramble to identify the killer and to keep his family safe keeps us turning those pages. Perhaps because this was such a personal case to Kerney and his crew, and the crimes a bit more graphic, it kept us riveted - my husband read it first, but I flew through it real quick - only 2 more left in the series.Author McGarrity - I hope you are working on a new one for 2010 - we don't see any word of it on your website. We love Chief Kerney and his family and hate to see the series end.
What do You think about Everyone Dies (2003)?
Looking at some of the lukewarm reviews of this book, I discovered that I evidently liked it better than many readers. Truth is I haven't disliked any of the volumes in the Kevin Kerney series. This story, number eight in the series, opens with a brutal killing in downtown Santa Fe. It soon becomes clear that a serial killer is at work and that Kerney as well as his family are the ultimate targets. The police procedural aspects are covered in great detail while the tension mounts as Kerney's horse, Soldier, is killed and dead rats are left on his doorstep. Eventually the killer calls Kerney directly while the body count is rising and both local and state police try to identify who could be on a mission of revenge. The sub-plot involving Kerney's relationship with his very pregnant wife, Col Sara Brannon, drags in spots but also shows how external forces can affect people. The action moves all around New Mexico before returning to Santa Fe as those working on the case close in on the perpetrator. McGarrity does a good job of shifting between Kerney and the killer. That way we can get a sense of what's going on in the killer's twisted mind.There's enough background detailed in the book that a reader would not be disappointed dipping into the Kerney series here.
—Ed
