Genre: Mystery
Age Level: 14 and up
# of Pages: 376
RAC Book: Yes
In this chilling tale a group of four murderers get together and form a club. In this club each killer bids for who he or she wants to kill and then the others watch tapes and listen to stories about the torture the others inflict on their victims. Sophie Anderson of the FBI happens to be vacationing with a friend when the murders start. Her friend, who is a cop, learns of the first one and it intrigues both of them. Some details match a known killer and others are different. As each murder occurs some details are the same, while others vary.
The murderers in this book are very clever, which makes for an interesting story. The president of the club especially has thought of everything to prevent them from getting caught. The details the police use to piece together the murders are believable, but they also get some interesting twists to help them along. The ending is a bit predictable, though, and avid mystery readers will see it coming quite awhile before it is revealed.
If the story were not intriguing it would be difficult to finish this book due to the writing style. The author chooses to talk down to the reader by explaining every term, thought, and intended meaning of everything. The author obviously holds no faith in her readers that they will be able to understand sarcasm or innuendo or even that they know anything about this genre. By explaining terms and processes in the criminal field in such a way makes the reader feel bored and unappreciated. The story is interesting and unique, but it would’ve been better if the writer would just trust her readers to know what she is talking about.
Young Adult Book Reviews 