Killing Sacred

by Nancy O'Hara

After One Hand Killing comes Killing Sacred

Desperate to put some distance between herself and New York City and to recover from a freak bicycle crash, NYPD Detective Alex Sullivan flees to Albuquerque. As soon as the wheels of her plane touch down, the bodies begin to drop.

Far from the sanctuary she was seeking, Alex finds herself isolated in a hot, desolate landscape surrounded by scorpions, rattlers and all things venomous. Under the ferocious sun of New Mexico’s endless deserts, Alex is tested by the hellfire of a sinister cult and her head injury makes chasing bad guys a high-risk gamble. How in the world will she survive the heat?

Alex Sullivan, NYPD Homicide Detective, was first introduced in One Hand Killing and returns here in Killing Sacred to continue her battle with demons: both the ones within and the ones that find her on whatever mean street she’s walking.

Genres: Mystery

286 pages, Paperback

First published July 18, 2014

About the author

Nancy O’Hara is a meditation teacher, a life coach, and the author of six books on meditation & mindfulness practice + two Zen mystery novels. She lives in the Hudson Valley with her perfectly imperfect husband, a river and mountains outside her windows and wildlife as her neighbors.

Visit Nancy:

On her website: http://nancyohara.com/

On FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/NancyOHaraAuthor

And on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ZenMysteries

Reviews

[Graeme Woodcock · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read.

I won this through the website and the author was kind enough to send it to me with a hand written personal message.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Killing Sacred" by Nancy O'Hara which I won through Goodreads Giveaways is a fast-paced, action thriller which begins in Albuquerque with the death of a man with no identification,a shaved skull and the tattoo of a wild, red faced creature with angry eyes on his back.

When NYPD Detective Alex Sullivan is injured in a motorcycle accident, she decides to escape to Albuquerque to visit her friend Katie, not only for a well-earned vacation but to sort out her thoughts on future career opportunities and her feelings for her boyfriend Guy Hawkes. What she doesn't expect is to get drawn into a murder investigation that takes her to a desert monastery where the monks are not as peaceful as they look.

The plot is well-written and mesmerizing as Alex Sullivan faces not only a sinister master manipulator bent on attaining supernatural power, but the demons from her past that continually haunt her. From the first page to the last, the story reverberates with mystery, suspense and intrigue. The action never stops as the body count mounts and Alex struggles to unravel a pattern to all the killings; her only clues, a fiendish tattoo, an ancient gong, a picture of one of the victims and a missing monk. The only break in a narrative filled with violence, heartbreak and pain are Alex's flashes of self-discovery and her tender, romantic moments with Guy.

Like the plot the characters are well-developed and complex especially Alex Sullivan who's been scarred by tragedy and suffers from a commitment phobia. She's stubborn, tough, independent and at times ambivalent. In contrast Guy Hawkes, Alex's partner and her anchor when trouble strikes, is patient, witty and good-hearted. Cautious in expressing his feelings for Alex, he treads lightly wanting her love and loyalty. Kate, plagued by an abusive ex- husband is a dogged police office with keen instincts. Once bitter and angry she found love in the arms of a younger man, only to lose it. Muin, Alex's friend and former lover is a Buddhist monk who exemplifies love, forgiveness and compassion. Of the antagonists in the story Renku Roshi is the Zen Master at the desert monastery who masks his power-hunger, insanity and nastiness behind a kind, non-threatening, gentle demeanor. The nun Enjou, Renku's conspirator is a merciless, cold-blooded killer without any humanity. All these characters and more add spice, power and drama to this captivating story.

I liked "Killing Sacred" and recommend it to all those that enjoy a chilling crime thriller that captures your interest with every twist and turn in the case.

[Hannah · Rating 4 out of 5]

so this one is a little faster than the first one, but then in my opinion sequels are a lot easier, we all go into these books knowing the characters, so that saves you three chapters of introductions, and its straight to the action!
SO this instalment finds Alex fleeing from the New York City into the loving embrace of Albuquerque, ( I'm not even American, but that seems daft ) recovered from a bike crash and generally not hearting New York anymore, although I heart Albuquerque doesn't sound right does it? lets go with I Adore Albuquerque, but I digress.. isn't Albuquerque spelt weird?!
so 'far from the sanctuary she was hoping for' she finds herself surrounded by the grossness that is sand, heat, scorpions and well, grossness. She is chasing an evil cult, but she has a head injury to worry about! Calm down Alex, your a girl!
grounded by her partner Alex has to connect the dots left by the rapidly raising body count and discover the meaning of the nasty tattoo.
so without spoilers, why did this book lose one star? well.. not enough detail with some parts, and way too much with others, things that didn't matter I could picture easily, where as a key plot point was just described in a by the way fashion.
All in All worth a read, but read the first one first. and enjoy them both!

[Sharon Benham · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoyed this second installment in the Alex Sullivan books.

Alex finds herself on 'vacation' after she has an accident on her bike.

Things begin to get complicated as bodies begin turning up. She is staying with her friend, Kate, who is also a cop.

Her old monk friend, Muin, has asked her to drop something off at a monastery in New Mexico while she is there. But after her visit she is sure something is not right. Is the monastery connected with the murders?

This is a great follow up book to One Hand Killing.

I look forward to reading more books with Detective Sullivan. It was good to have new characters, but I must admit I found myself missing the folks back home and Setsu Roshi and the other monks from her own Zen monastery.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Killing Sacred was definitely well worth the wait. I simply could not put this book down, and was kept in suspense until the end. On the edge of my seat, thrill ride. A big fan of Nancy O’Hara’s books, both fiction and non-fiction. Looking forward to the next book in the Alex Sullivan Zen Mystery series.

I received this book from Goodreads! Thank you!

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good read, had plenty of action. It was well written and kept me entertained. I would give it 3 1/2 stars. Only thing I thought could use some more cohesiveness was the death in the motel room early in the book and wrapping that up in the end of the book. It is explained but should have gotten a little more coverage as I felt it was an important part of the basis of the book.

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this novel, but it could have been better. The first about 3/4 was well written and in a normal narrative with normal conversations by the characters. The last portion was written in street slang which made the characters sound ignorant which obviously they weren't. Please change the book cover, it was a very small part of the story.