Eight in the Box: A Novel of Suspense

by Raffi Yessayan

In this swiftly paced, breathlessly suspenseful debut novel, the bizarre rampage of an elusive serial killer sends shockwaves through Boston, igniting a harrowing police manhunt and resounding at the highest levels of the criminal justice system. Drawing on eleven years’ experience as a Boston assistant district attorney–and as chief prosecutor with the elite Gang Unit–Raffi Yessayan renders a stark, realistic, and gripping portrait of law enforcement professionals on the job, and under the gun, in a city at the mercy of a madman.

The scene is perplexingly always the the home of a single woman, no signs of forced entry, no evidence of an intruder, and no victim–only a bathtub filled with blood.

Newly promoted homicide detective Angel Alves wants to make his mark in the department and a difference on the streets. But juggling the needs of a family and the demands of a relentlessly driven partner tests the young cop’s commitment as sorely as tracking the killer challenges his skills. Meanwhile, assistant DA Conrad Darget has his own hands full–mentoring an ambitious young law student, whom he is also dating, rallying his fellow attorneys in their daily courtroom battles, and striving to win true justice in an imperfect system. With each new attack the twisted mystery only deepens, and the hunger for answers–and action–intensifies. No sane mind could comprehend the dark design behind it all. And no one can anticipate the final fateful strokes that will lead to a shocking endgame.

From its chilling first pages to its heart-stopping home stretch, Eight in the Box thrills at every turn and surprises at every opportunity–racing at an ever increasing velocity to deliver a climax that pays off in devastating style.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Suspense, Ebooks, Legal Thriller, Mystery Thriller

288 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[karen]

the much-anticipated biography of greg's mom - now available!!!

[Dennis Fischman · Rating 1 out of 5]

What I liked about this book: the setting (an accurate portrait of Boston) and the knowledgeable look at legal procedure.

That's all.

The characters: what characters? The motivation: what motivation? (None that made any logical sense.) The attitudes toward human beings in general were cynical and unforgiving, and the treatment of white liberals and black conservatives was gratuitously awful.

I am surprised this author got a second book published.

I picked it up from a Little Free Library, and it was worth what I paid for it.

[Tina Hilbert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderfully written story of a serial killer. Suspenseful to the end.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a nice easy read, perfect for the beach with its short chapters and fast pace. It starts with a chapter from the perspective of the killer himself (called Richter, which readers later find out is what they call jurors in Germany). Then you meet a large cast of characters: Angel Alves, a new Homicide detective; Connie (short for Conrad) Darget, a prosecutor in the DA's office; Andi, a law student who is dating Connie; Sgt Mooney, Alves's boss and a good police; Brendan Sullivan, Mitch Beaulieu and Nick Costa, Connie's coworkers; Monica Hughes, the newest member of the DA's office - and more. The narration is 3rd person omniscient, so readers get to hear a little about everyone. It's a little haphazard at times but it does a good job of moving the story along at a good clip.

I saw the ending coming perhaps before Yessayan planned, since I didn't think it was Mitch because he hadn't mentioned any kind of grandparent in his life before. I thought it was Brendan for a while, especially since he was described as strong and he'd left Boston to go to college back in the day - readers find out that the killer went to University of Arizona and killed a girl there.

But then when Alves discovers that the shoe print found outside of Susan McCarthy's house was a fit for Mitch's, I remembered that Connie said he had Mitch's gym bag from before she was killed, and I figured he had to be Richter. That and the fact that the police profile said that the killer was probably impotent matched up with us knowing that he and Andi hadn't gone beyond kissing. Plus, after having been careful all those times before, it seemed hard to believe that the evidence against Mitch wasn't a set-up.

I was left dissatisfied by Connie's motivations, and I found Mitch's suicide to be out of line with what we knew of him (the story about how his adopted dad killed himself seems to have been meant to foreshadow). It seemed like a handy plot device to tie things up. As for Connie, I thought his killing people and preserving the bodies so he could have a fake jury ("eight in the box") in his newly fixed-up basement was a shock (although if you flip back, you'll see a line in the beginning about how Connie was a handyman and had finished his basement to make the house really "his"), but him killing 8 people to practice his opening arguments seems extreme given what we knew of him. (And props to Yessayan since I realized with about 10 pages left that I knew very little of Connie's past, despite having spent a good amount of time with him.)

Overall, a good story, especially since it takes place in Boston, although the ending was highly ridiculous. I would love to read his second book to see how Yessayan grows as an author.

[Carol]

Looking forward to reading this book by a former colleague of mine from back in 1996 -- when we both worked at the District Attorney's Office together in Roxbury, MA.

Raffi was a prosecutor. Born and raised in West Roxbury, of Armenian heritage. Fun-loving, sweet fellow. I had no idea he moonlighted as a writer -- which is wonderful to know -- about how diverse and with hidden talents, many of the friends around us have.

The book is set in a fictional city - resembling where we worked in the Boston metro area.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book came with high recommendations, so I was looking forward to reading it. I was not impressed. It did read like a newbie author, with very little character development and too many characters running in and out without me getting a clear visual/mental picture of what they all looked like.
The author casts suspicion on a few characters, but when the bad guy is finally revealed, it didn't ring true. What was the motivation?
Don't waste your time.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The tracking of a serial killer - it'sthe author was in the DA's office for years and obviously knows a great deal about the legal system; however, it was easy to figure out the perpetrator very early on, which took a lot of the fun out of the book for me...

[Tori S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eight in the Box by Raffi Yessayan is a mystery crime thriller that takes place in Boston. The main character, Angel Alves, newly promoted to homicide detective for the Boston Police Department, is tasked with tracking down a murderer on the loose. Eight in the Box offers the perspective of many supporting characters, as well as the murderer himself. The crime scene is always the same: the home of a single woman with no signs of a break in, and a bathtub filled with the victim’s blood. No body is recovered from the scene. There are twists and turns in almost every short chapter of this book, and it provides an interesting and easy read. The end leaves much room for a second book, perhaps a sequel, which I think I would enjoy.
I did like reading Eight in the Box. The twists and turns as well as the changes in character perspective kept my interest throughout the book. The overarching themes of this book would be that no secret can be kept completely hidden, and that you can never truly know what is going on inside someone else’s head. I do have a few critiques of this book. I think that at times the author became too caught up in explaining legal procedures and police protocol, which became monotonous after a while. I do think that the characters needed more development, as I found myself feeling sort of indifferent when their safety came into question. I also feel that perhaps there were too many characters that offered perspective, and at times their narration became confusing and inessential to the plot. But overall, I had fun reading this book. I would recommend Eight in the Box to anyone that enjoys watching Criminal Minds or is fascinated by criminal psychology.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not very suspenseful at the start, Eight in the Box by Raffi Yessayan reads like a few different stories this reader hoped would eventually be pulled together. Some suspense throughout but the end was a shocker.

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly one of my most liked books I've ever read. Very good detail on the legal side writen in a way that the majority of people will understand. A must read for anyone into crime or serial killer books.

[Isolde Oneil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast paced good read. Certainly never expected the ending. Would definitely recommend.

[Paschalis]

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[Lawrence Grey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Latin School author

[Heather Coates · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read. However, when framing someone for being a serial killer, it should not be your best friend.

[P.J. Coldren · Rating 2 out of 5]

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS.

I was thoroughly enjoying this novel of suspense until I got to the last few chapters. The killer sets up a friend and co-worker to take the blame. He does such a good job that the friend kills himself, leaving the police with the conviction that the killer is dead. There is no suggestion that the real killer will continue killing; he is a serial killer with a very contained motivation. SO - the police have no idea that one of their own is a serial killer. An innocent man is dead. The killer almost certainly goes free. This REALLY pisses me off. One of the main reasons I read mysteries is for the sense of justice done, the closure of the puzzle, the punishment of the wicked and the avenging of the wrongfully killed. EIGHT IN THE BOX has NONE of that. I think the writer has broken the unwritten contract with the reader, and I don't think the book is good enough for him/her to get away with it. I was angry when I got to the end. I've read otehr books where there is no official justice - no trial, no conviction - but there is some form of punishment or retribution. I've read mysteries where the victim "needed to be killed" and the killer goes free, but the (again, unwritten) sense is that this murder is a one-off, and the killer won't do it again. Neither situation makes me as angry as this one did. I suppose it speaks to the skill of Yessayan that I AM this upset . . . but it won't make me recommend this book to anyone.

[Jocelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right from the start we learn that Eight in the Box is a legal term, referring to the number of people sitting on a jury. There are, quite literally, eight people in a box, in a courtroom, waiting to hear a trial and determine the fate of one person. There is a reason television shows like Law & Order have lasted as long as they have and keep multiplying, people love the dark side of the law. Raffi Yessayan writes about this gritty world with accuracy and doesn’t hold anything back. Yessayan, a former Boston prosecutor and now defense attorney, has walked the dark streets of Boston and writes from experience. In Eight in the Box we are immediately greeted with a brutal murder, a bathtub filled with blood and a serial killer, aptly named the “Blood Bath Killer.” Yessayan presents the reader with the facts and lets the story slowly unfold with spine-tingling details and a mysteriously cloaked killer named Richter. Yessayan will leave you turning the pages faster than you can say “Pahked the cah.” Move over Dennis Lehane, Boston has a new voice in crime fiction.

[Patti · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the author didn't know if he wanted a legal book, a police procedural, or something in between. The something in between didn't quite work.

Too many characters, not enough fleshed out. I started confusing Brendan with Mitch and Monica with Andi.

Author liked the information dump by dialog, which is one of my least favorite ways to get important info out.

The twist came totally out of left field and made no sense at all considering the story that came before it. It was like he was trying to shock you in the worst way possible.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found myself frustrated with what seemed to be entirely divergent storylines, and wish that the author had thrown some breadcrumb clues out earlier in the book, linking the serial killer investigation to the assistant DA office politics.

[Night · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got to hear the author speak at Crime Bake recently. I found him so interesting I wanted to check out his book. Unfortunately, I found it very disjointed. All the characters seemed very shallow. There were red herrings strewn all about that made no sense.

[Dina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fast and quick audio read. It had my attention from the beginning to the end. I wasn't sure how the tittle went with this read until towards the end of the book. Which was not what I was expecting but was good.

[Heidy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't believe I even read and finished this book... Sterbenslangweilig (und die Stellen mit dem Blutbad ekelhaft, aber das wusste ich ja vorher, und das kam auch nicht so oft vor, hauptsächlich war das Buch einfach nur stinkweilig)

[Michelle Sahagian · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5. Content warning; violence. Extremely captivating. Some hard to believe parts made the story a little less than realistic, but it didn't take away from the plot. READ if you like a good mystery/thriller :)

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book about a crime in Boston. Quick read. Raffi was one of my father in laws students at Boston Latin. Cant wait for his next book

[Michelle Winters · Rating 3 out of 5]

not a bad read. Enjoyed the twist at the end. Only suspected it very close to the end. Left open to a continuing story. Must or will be a next book to continue the story

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only reason I read as much of this as I did was because I was home sick and away from books. The writing was not good. The plot was so-so, but it tried to do too much. It just wasn't moving.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though highly unlikely, this made the book unpredictable. It was a quick, entertaining read.

[Penny Ramirez · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a big disappointment. Strong premise, but then just got repetitive. Stuck it out to the end to see if he'd throw in a good twist. Wrong.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of a Boston Legan meets Criminal Minds type book. I would read another one by this author (this is his first novel). Surprise ending I didn't see coming.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting twists and turns in this book. The ending was a surprise, which I like in a good crime/suspense story. This author wrote another book, 2 in the Hat. I think I will need to check it out.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, a must read!