Review: Only ok because..
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 09 22, 2013
The writing is fine but the story would be better if it is 50 pages shorter..There were parts which I like but more parts which I didn't. Beck and Zach started off  interesting enough. I like the emotions entanglement they have with persons important to them. For Beck it was the wife and 2 kids of Beck's dead partner and for  Zach it was his ex. So it was such a let down when I don't get the same convincing emotional development in the relationship between Zach and Beck. Some of the sex scenes should have been replaced with personal revelations of each man's past traumas, which still haunt them in the present. Sure the writer injected a little bit of angst in the form of a misunderstanding near the last 20% of the story but it was more like a manufactured misunderstanding to pave the way for the action packed part of the plot where these guys finally confronted the culprit. And here lies the biggest problem, which is the culprit. I do not favor the revelation of the villain so early in my crime mystery story. Even more I do not like stories with the villain's views, especially when it serves nothing in the plot except to emphasize what a sociopath he was. The villain really came across very mechanical and his action in the last part of the plot did not make much sense. I also find the weaknesses in both men overboard. Beck with his flashbacks and Zach with his phobia. Credibility issue too as Beck's supervisor allowed the guy back in the field while Beck was still seeing the police force psycharist. Surely the psycharist knew Beck was not ready! As for Zach, how could the FBI still want his service when this psycharist obviously had not recovered from his ordeal. And what did Zach's confrontation with the serial killer really served? Very likely the set up for the next book. Also I did not get how Zach's role as a profiler assisted in the solving of the crime. I kept waiting for Zach to make the connection, which gets to be more frustrating when the reader already know the  culprit and said villain was wrecking a bit of havoc in their lives. So in summary I do not regret reading this one but it could be better. Most likely there is a sequel. If not then that Zach's confrontation with the incarcerated serial killer was a waste of plot space. So do I want another book about these two. Yes if the writer does not give another story with the villain's viewpoints and there is more emotional connection between the MCs to justify those three words at the end of this book.