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Killer Genius

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Sam is after a serial killer who has eluded everyone for a long time, and even the Windlass Team is coming up empty. Out of desperation, he agrees to work with a young man who is considered a genius, but one of those who is so close to the line between genius and insanity that he is carefully controlled by a contracted agency that watches over them for the government.

That leads to the discovery that not everything at the facility is as it seems, and things take a dark turn when Sam comes to realize that the young man is being abused and used. Now it's up to Sam and his team to get to the bottom of it.

271 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 18, 2019

545 people are currently reading
132 people want to read

About the author

David Archer

205 books513 followers
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

David Archer was born and raised in Bakersfield, California. He is a fiction author and novelist, writing in the mysteries and thrillers genre. His approach to writing is to hit deep, keep you entertained, and leave you wanting MORE with every turn of the page. He writes mysteries, thrillers, and suspense novels, all of which are primed to get your heart pumping.

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5 stars
300 (50%)
4 stars
152 (25%)
3 stars
89 (14%)
2 stars
35 (5%)
1 star
18 (3%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
89 reviews
March 24, 2019
Least favorite

Of all the books written by DA, this is my least favorite. The plot and characters were difficult to follow as was the logic or mindset of the characters. This seemed more like an experiment to see if readers were astute enough to follow the storyline. More of a challenge than a good read. I almost stop reading it two or three times.
Profile Image for Rick.
50 reviews
March 25, 2019
I really enjoy this series of books, and look forward to them when they come out. They aren't overly complicated plots, and I am able to just turn off my brain and enjoy the ride. Usually the writing is solid, and the characters are interesting and likable. The last book had a surprise ending with a major shake-up in the protagonist's life, so I was really interested in how he dealt with it in this book. Boy was I disappointed.

This book was by far the weakest of the series. I felt the writing was disjointed, the dialog repetitive, and the introduced characters were not well defined. This book seemed like it was a first draft outline that somehow got released instead of edited and filled in. The plot had potential, but the story was badly told. I think I know what the author was trying to convey about the new characters and the trauma they suffered, but they only came across as annoying and uninteresting. The ending was abrupt, with no build-up or suspense. It just was basically an epilogue chapter with the main character summarizing what happen.
9 reviews
April 17, 2019
What was that???

I have thoroughly enjoyed Archers books, despite the very common edit flaws such as misspelled words and character switching. However this book was, in my opinion, his worse book ever. It seemed disjointed and jerky in the plot. It was missing huge portions of the story that left me a bit confused. There was one character (Chief DHS) that it appeared to have been in a draft, but never given a proper name. The story ends with more questions than it started with.

Mr. Archer, w e like your books, take your time, there's no rush. As long as you write, we'll be here, just give us more of what brought us to you.
Respectfully
4 reviews
March 22, 2019
I have read everything Archer has written. I follow him and pre order his books. The story line of this book is hard to follow, choppy and the characters reasoning and thought processes are poorly developed. I am truly let down by this attempt. It almost feels like he was developing the story while writing it. Totally devoid of compelling storyline activity. Don't bother with this book. It's full of typos and grammatical mistakes. Take a little more time with the next book Mr. Archer and fire your proof readers.
21 reviews
April 20, 2019
NOT AS GOOD AS PREVIOUS BOOKS

Could not get into this! I couldn’t even get half way through before I gave up - just not for me.
Not the best in this series something missing can’t quite put my finger on it but I’ll wait for the next one hopefully it will be up to par - for me anyway
160 reviews
April 27, 2019
Not the Sam Prichard I know

I barley could finish this book. I read this series, all of them, and loved everyone until this dud. Dreary, no action, boring and not worth reading. Whatever the author had in mind was not what I wanted to read. I’ve Read everyone of his books and love them all until this one. Please get back the the old Sam
208 reviews1 follower
April 15, 2019
Different direction in Killer Genius

This book was good, but a completely different Sam Prichard kind of book. The cases solved went by while the main focus is NFH. Not a negative comment, just different.
Profile Image for Kristi Ramsey.
17 reviews1 follower
June 10, 2019
Great story

I’ve loved Sams stories but this one brought out the problem of character names and other identifiers not being consistent in the book. The proofreader needs to also check for more than spelling. It’s still a great book!
1 review
November 7, 2019
Disjointed and poorly written

This is the 20th book in the San Prichard series and I have read them all in order. Up until this book I have rated them all 4 or 5 stars
This would have to be the worst written of all of them. The story is so disjointed I had to go back several times and make sure I had not missed some pages. It is as if it was written between coffee breaks and the author had continued progressing the book in his mind while drinking his coffee and then come back and started writing from that point on instead of going back and continuing from the last written point.
Several times I was just going to give up, but I always wanted to see if there was going to be a conclusion to the NFH saga.
Nothing was satisfactorily finished.
835 reviews4 followers
June 2, 2019
Not best effort

The plot line was interesting. Development was first draft. Things bounced around. Way too touchy feely became annoying. I have read every Noah Wolf and San Prichard novel. The last ones in both series were....less. Many similarities. I hope that the future? Stories are back up to the old Archer standards. I won't say avoid this. Read it and struggle through if you have to and leave an honest review. Like anything else a review is an opinion and we all have one.
Profile Image for Michael.
377 reviews6 followers
March 20, 2019
Unexpected Twists and Turns

Another excellent Sam Pritchard novel. There were several unexpected twists and turns and the other was a little different than previous Sam Pritchard books, but it was as tense and edgy as always. I thought the ending was a little too abrupt, skipping over some details that would have brought all of the strings together and tied them into one, complete bow.
11 reviews
November 4, 2019
A good read.....

My only complaint. The ending left a bit too much up in the air. One page is deep in discussion,,the next page was the epilogue summing up what happened to a bunch of folks, with no one being arrested, taken down etc.....too many strings left to pull. There should have been a few more chapters showing who, and how the people involved were taken down (note: hard review to write without giving away spoilers in the review)
Profile Image for Angela.
9,073 reviews124 followers
March 13, 2023
4.5 Stars

Killer Genius (Sam Prichard Book #20) by David Archer...
Sam is pitted against a devious serial killer who has eluded capture for quite some time now.... but things take a dark turn when Sam has no choice but to join forces with a brilliant young investigator --> Sam then discovers that not everything is as it seems.... It's now up to Sam and his team to do what they do best and get to the bottom of it all before it's too late...
Profile Image for LooseBoots.
900 reviews6 followers
March 24, 2019
I don’t think there is one book of David’s I haven’t enjoyed. I had to wait today to make my review. The only reason is that it was such an emotional book, I had to let my thoughts simmer.
It was such an awesome story grabbing your attention from the first page to the very last.
Thank you once again David for creating this for our entertainment.
80 reviews1 follower
March 29, 2019
This Book is a Real Departure From the Sam Pritchard Series

Another brilliant book from David Archer. It will keep you wondering what is going on with Sam and Indie and the kids. You will have to wait until the Epilogue to find out. Count on more sleepless nights! I highly recommend this book.
149 reviews4 followers
March 30, 2019
I have read all the Sam Prichard books and have enjoyed them all. This story was a little different, but good nonetheless. I liked Eric and the way the team supported him. The only thing I found a little lacking was the ending. I was left a little confused about Sam and Indie's issues as well as the outcome of those in charge of the hospital and their evil ways. The book I read had no typos.
796 reviews5 followers
May 5, 2019
Totally different direction

The premise was Windglass was going to hire a “consultant” from a “hospital” that housed extremely high IQ people to help them with their cases. In the process they decide to “adopt” ERIC, a young consultant,but suspect much more is going on in their hospital.
50 reviews1 follower
May 8, 2019
Another great Sam Pichard novel

Sam gets involved in a private investigation that almost goes off the rails. This starts off great like always. The end gets a little Confusing like there. Was no way to end this.. But like always it.did get to the end. I think the ending could have been different and maybe a little longer. To explain some things. But still a good book
9 reviews
October 13, 2019
Twisted but a good read

Archer is getting better and better. The plots are getting more complex and the stories more convoluted but couldn’t put it down. Just a little disappointed that it ended so abruptly without more explanation of what was behind what was going on and why it was unchecked.
75 reviews
February 11, 2022
So sad to think we probably have this going on

This story hit me in the heart and the possibility that it could be true makes me furious and so sad for the innocents. I've loved all of David’s books, this was a different twist and I won't be forgetting it soon! Excellent job Mr. Archer, keep them coming!
Profile Image for Jeanne.
342 reviews1 follower
March 22, 2019
Wow, just wow!!! Sam Prichard is fsntastic

What a page turner. Eric is so lovable and so traumatized. And Sam is so gentle with him. I missed Indie and the kids but understand the focus was on Eric. What a look at the psychology of trauma victims. Windows Security does it again.
Profile Image for Cheryl Carmoega.
121 reviews2 followers
March 29, 2019
Another Great Story!!!!

As always Sam Pritchard and his team are great characters. The story kept me engaged from beginning to end. Loved Eric and Melanie's characters, will very much like to see them in other books working with the team.
Great job David Archer!!!!
56 reviews1 follower
April 7, 2019
A great read with small irregularities

The story line was interesting and kept me wanting to read. Although there did seem to be some timing issues and an inaccurate DNA matter. But still worth the read.
81 reviews3 followers
May 5, 2019
Good story

This story revolves around a live victim, not the case in most dectective books. Throughout we connect with him and sams team, and create another unique investigator. Good read.
47 reviews
May 22, 2019
Another fun ride

While the writing is sophomoric, it is truly a fun read and I’ve purchased and read all the books in the series. The ending did seem a bit rushed to me, as if the publisher said ok wrap it up in the next thee pages.
7 reviews
August 18, 2019
Did David Archer really write this?

This is the first David Archer Book that I've rated less than 5 stars. The style of disjointed thought and plot development is so different from his other books that I don't think he wrote this one.
65 reviews
August 20, 2019
Still a good solid mystery

This is a great "who done it", But with a twist!
If you have wanted to get a sense of the characters and the changes they have gone through this is the one.... And a solid foundation for, "The rest of the story."
162 reviews
October 7, 2019
Frightening and excellent read!!

Could not put this down!! Idea for plot is so deep and unthinkable in our country..but in our world of today..SO horribly possible it is nightmarish!! Definitely not what I expect in Sam Prichard story but fabulous none the less!!
Annette Graham
Profile Image for Kim.
839 reviews3 followers
November 6, 2019
Interesting Read

To see the team with Eric solving cases and to have to dig into North Forest hospital and find out what is going on with Eric and other. I was not happy how it ended and then went to Epilogue.
827 reviews7 followers
December 7, 2019
Good

Very different storyline than Sam Prichard has been staring in, intriguing and every time you think you can guess the ending something happens and becomes more interesting. Kept me on the edge and almost biting my nails.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews

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