What do You think about The Fifth Victim (2003)?
The Fifth Victim was an engrossing and very suspenseful book. I really enjoyed the two main characters and the sweet romance that develops between them. The fairly explicit descriptions of the violent acts committed by the villain would be too rough for some readers. I found this first book in the Cherokee Pointe Trilogy well worth reading, and will definitely read the other two.Special FBI agent Dallas Sloan is on a personal quest to find the monster who brutally murdered his teenaged niece in what appeared to be a sacrificial killing. Dallas has found a pattern in other murder cases across the south. It appears that the killer has committed twenty murders - five in each of four different geographical locations during the last eight years. Now Dallas is contacted by the sheriff of Cherokee County, Tennessee due to a murder there that shares the characteristics of the other twenty. Dallas hurries to Tennessee, runs off the road during a snowstorm, and ends up in the cabin of Genny Madoc. Genny, cousin of sheriff Jacob Buler, has the gift of a "sixth sense." It was her vision that made local law enforcement aware of the murder in their area and led them to the body. Dallas is stranded at Genny's cabin for the night, and she experiences a vision alluding to another murder while he is with her. Dallas is extremely skeptical, and does not believe in psychics of any kind, but he soon finds out that the rest of the community gives credence to Genny's gift. As the murders continue, Dallas and Jacob Butler search for clues to the killer and organize a task force, while Genny continues to experience visions and begins to connect telepathically with the murderer. Soon, it becomes apparent that the killer has included Genny in his evil and gruesome plans. While Dallas works to both protect Genny and find the killer before he continues with of his satanic practices, he begins to trust in her psychic gifts. As Dallas and Genny acknowledge their love, they begin to experience a telepathic connection to one another. Before they can have a future together, Dallas must save Genny from the brutal serial killer.This book was intense, and I was riveted almost from the beginning. There were quite a few characters in the story which kept the identify of the villain from being obvious from the start. Readers who are put off by graphic descriptions of murder might not like the manner in which the sacrifial killings were portrayed. I enjoyed the fact that the hero and heroine surrendered quickly to their deep feelings for one another. This book contained quite a few paranormal occurences between the heroine and other characters, as well as a few between the heroine and animals. If you love suspense, and are looking for a fast paced book that includes a good dose of touching romance, you should enjoy this story.
—Christa
There were good points to this book, and bad points. I didn't exactly like it all that much, but I didn't really dislike. Mostly, I just thought it could have been written better.Plot-wise, it was a good book. I enjoyed the storyline and the main characters; a fairly typical good vs evil / serial killer story. Barton did an excellent job of keeping you guessing about the bad guy. She gives you a number of suspects and I could never quite figure out which on it was because none were overly obvious. It kept you into the book and kept you wondering. The main secondary characters of Jazzy and Jacob were good too. I enjoyed the friendship between Jazzy, Jacob, and Genny.The down side of this book was that - in my opinion - Barton spent too much time on the other numerous characters, at a sacrifice to Dallas and Genny. There were just so many characters she dumped into the book, some entirely inconsequential, and some as potential bad guys. Some were necessary, but Barton still spent too many pages on them. Because of that, I didn't feel like Dallas and Genny got enough attention. There wasn't much discovery time with them. It was like there entire romance was built on an intangible connection that both felt. I wanted more quality getting-to-know-you moments with them. All the asides just made the book a bit scattered and my attention kept wandering.So all in all, The Fifth Victim is an okay read, something you wouldn't mind taking out from the library, but not something to rush right out and get. There are 2 connected books, but as yet, I haven't decided if I'm going to read them.
—jenjn79
Having been recommended this book due to my growing love for crime novels, I was left sorely disappointed. The book had a whole host of characters that were fleshed out almost as soon as you met them and I struggled to keep track of who was who. With characters being introduced half way through and revealing side stories that seemed completely irrelevant to main plot.Every character in the book seemed to be having an affair or was just plain creepy with the exception of the two main characters whose love story seemed so forced and faked it was difficult to swallow (e.g. the character meeting this 'bizarre' woman and deciding in a mere hour he would 'give his life for hers' which is something he tells her pet dog...). Not to mention there being what felt like pages and pages dedicated to depicting a sex scene instead of anything that even continued the storyline. The plot itself did have some strong points but eventually it just threw in twists and turns that, without them, would have left the ending less predictable than it became. Instead of finishing the book with a sense of satisfaction, I was left thinking 'Is that it?'I recently became aware that this is part of a trilogy but would not read any more of the books as this one failed to grasp me as a reader.
—G W
