Review: A chilling and intimate thriller with an unconventional use of trained dogs
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 5, 2012
***I read a galley proof version of this in exchange for honest feedback.***One can never know what makes a sadistic psychopath twitch, but Ms Raggio does a chilling job of putting you in the head of a monster in love with the retching sounds of a dying woman. This psychological murder mystery casts a net so sticky and horrific, it will twist you up in nightmares. You don't know who the killer is, where he is, or who he's after next, and this not-knowing madness keeps you guessing until the end.Brilliantly crafted though the investigative viewpoints of detective Cassie and her would-be-could-be lover / FBI agent Rick, the mounting sense of dread really becomes menacing when the killer starts targeting the female investigators.Few books have come close to capturing such an intimate portrait of a serial killer. The trips through his unhinged mind as he acts out his perverse desires are carried out in the same spirit as Buffalo Bill tucking his junk and dancing in his woman-skin suit. Shudder.Then there's the killer's weapon choice. Bred and trained for one goal, his savage pack of dogs inflate his advantage to macabre proportions. I will never look at a large dog in a park the same. Any horror or crime buff might tell you the short-term emotional backlash of reading such a gritty thriller is a few lost nights of tossing in sweat-drenched sheets, but the long-term effect is the payoff. This book will leave you pondering the thought-provoking crime case and unforgettable characterization for a very long time.