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Lieutenant George Hastings #3
The Assailant
CO-ED SLAIN. That’s the call that brings St. Louis Police Lieutenant George Hastings to the downtown banks of the Mississippi River, where Reesa Woods has been strangled and dumped. The hard-charging Hastings is no stranger to murder, but he’s stuck without any leads until a second body—also strangled—turns up across town and he knows he’s chasing a monster.
A talented doctor with an otherwise ordinary and enviable life, Raymond Sheffield has some very dark needs. His first victims are targets of opportunity, but his ambitions go far beyond that. He’s formed a taste for killing, and his only interest is in getting better at it.
As the violence mounts, the line between upstanding citizens and their secret desires gets thinner and thinner in this thrilling game of catch-me-if-you-can from acclaimed crime novelist James Patrick Hunt.
A talented doctor with an otherwise ordinary and enviable life, Raymond Sheffield has some very dark needs. His first victims are targets of opportunity, but his ambitions go far beyond that. He’s formed a taste for killing, and his only interest is in getting better at it.
As the violence mounts, the line between upstanding citizens and their secret desires gets thinner and thinner in this thrilling game of catch-me-if-you-can from acclaimed crime novelist James Patrick Hunt.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
2 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
About the author
James Patrick Hunt
24 books17 followersJames Patrick Hunt is the author of several books and e-books. He was born in Surrey, England in 1964 and graduated from St. Louis University with a degree in aerospace engineering in 1986. He graduated from Marquette University Law School in 1992. He lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma where he writes and practices law.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
March 16, 2009
James Patrick Hunt is back with another Lt. George Hastings mystery, The Assailant.
This time Hastings is called to the St. Louis riverfront when a hooker turns up dead. Mostly abandoned, the riverfront leaves few clues for Hastings and his team. All they can really determine is that the girl was strangled.
The girl’s death is considered tragic, but nothing to worry about until a second hooker turns up dead, this time on the other end of the metropolitan area. Is there a serial killer loose in the Gateway City? Hastings and his team of detectives aren’t sure, but the one thing they don’t want to do is let anything slip to the press. They don’t need panic-stricken citizens.
When a third woman is also found strangled, Hastings is sure a serial killer is on the loose. However, the third death doesn’t quite fit the MO of the other two. The third woman was not a hooker. Is it connected, or merely happenstance?
Hastings’ superiors form a joint task force between the City and County police departments.
The Assailant got off to a rocky start when Hunt didn’t know that a County morgue team isn’t going to be called to downtown St. Louis for a murder; St. Louis City and St. Louis County are two separate governments, each fully equipped to handle a single murder.
As St. Louis has been my adopted hometown for the last thirty years, I found that Hunt spent much too much time trying to prove he knew his way around the city. And he did okay; it’s that the locations got in the way of the story.
Hunt’s The Assailant also failed in two other main areas: 1) he gave detailed background on each and every character, even the secondary and walk-on characters. It got boring fast. 2) He told what he needed to show and showed scenes that were irrelevant.
Review originally appeared on www.armchairinterviews.com
This time Hastings is called to the St. Louis riverfront when a hooker turns up dead. Mostly abandoned, the riverfront leaves few clues for Hastings and his team. All they can really determine is that the girl was strangled.
The girl’s death is considered tragic, but nothing to worry about until a second hooker turns up dead, this time on the other end of the metropolitan area. Is there a serial killer loose in the Gateway City? Hastings and his team of detectives aren’t sure, but the one thing they don’t want to do is let anything slip to the press. They don’t need panic-stricken citizens.
When a third woman is also found strangled, Hastings is sure a serial killer is on the loose. However, the third death doesn’t quite fit the MO of the other two. The third woman was not a hooker. Is it connected, or merely happenstance?
Hastings’ superiors form a joint task force between the City and County police departments.
The Assailant got off to a rocky start when Hunt didn’t know that a County morgue team isn’t going to be called to downtown St. Louis for a murder; St. Louis City and St. Louis County are two separate governments, each fully equipped to handle a single murder.
As St. Louis has been my adopted hometown for the last thirty years, I found that Hunt spent much too much time trying to prove he knew his way around the city. And he did okay; it’s that the locations got in the way of the story.
Hunt’s The Assailant also failed in two other main areas: 1) he gave detailed background on each and every character, even the secondary and walk-on characters. It got boring fast. 2) He told what he needed to show and showed scenes that were irrelevant.
Review originally appeared on www.armchairinterviews.com
September 26, 2020
If you’re looking for a book that’s not too deep, easy to read, and wanting to kill a few nights, ‘The Assailant’ by James Patrick Hunt is the book for you. If you’re looking for lots of plot twists, characters you can relate to, and crisp writing, ‘The Assailant’ is NOT the book for you.
I’ve read other books by Mr. Hunt and thoroughly enjoyed them. I found this one a little…well, bland.
The negatives:
I like a book where I can relate to the characters on some level. I didn’t feel that in this novel.
I like a book that keeps me guessing, one that has unexpected twists and turns. This book was predictable.
I enjoy a book that stirs up emotion—sadness, laughter, happiness, anger even. The Assailant didn’t have any of that. I sat stone-faced the entire time.
I enjoy a book that’s original, something new. The Assailant is nothing but a generic tried and true format that’s been used time and time and time and time again: (a man who hates women is killing prostitutes. Hmm…)
The antagonist writes a letter to a local newspaper and calls himself ‘Springhill Jim.’ Perhaps I missed it, but I didn’t see what that name means or what it signifies. Maybe one has to be a native of St. Louis where the story takes place but I was in the dark.
Lastly, I have to second what someone else wrote. The ending seemed…well, forced and unbelievable. The killer claims to be smart and intelligent and of higher intellect than the detectives hunting him. Yet, at the end, he falls for one of the oldest tricks in the book. The ending was silly.
The positives:
All of Mr. Hunt’s books are quick and easy reads and ‘The Assailant’ follows that. The book didn’t drag at all. There werent really any unnecessary scenes or overly-wordy descriptions. The book moved along. I finished it in 2 nights.
I’ve read other books by Mr. Hunt and thoroughly enjoyed them. I found this one a little…well, bland.
The negatives:
I like a book where I can relate to the characters on some level. I didn’t feel that in this novel.
I like a book that keeps me guessing, one that has unexpected twists and turns. This book was predictable.
I enjoy a book that stirs up emotion—sadness, laughter, happiness, anger even. The Assailant didn’t have any of that. I sat stone-faced the entire time.
I enjoy a book that’s original, something new. The Assailant is nothing but a generic tried and true format that’s been used time and time and time and time again: (a man who hates women is killing prostitutes. Hmm…)
The antagonist writes a letter to a local newspaper and calls himself ‘Springhill Jim.’ Perhaps I missed it, but I didn’t see what that name means or what it signifies. Maybe one has to be a native of St. Louis where the story takes place but I was in the dark.
Lastly, I have to second what someone else wrote. The ending seemed…well, forced and unbelievable. The killer claims to be smart and intelligent and of higher intellect than the detectives hunting him. Yet, at the end, he falls for one of the oldest tricks in the book. The ending was silly.
The positives:
All of Mr. Hunt’s books are quick and easy reads and ‘The Assailant’ follows that. The book didn’t drag at all. There werent really any unnecessary scenes or overly-wordy descriptions. The book moved along. I finished it in 2 nights.
March 29, 2018
A pretty good police procedural. Decent detective and it moves along at a good pace. I'm set to read another of the author's now so I must have liked it.
August 13, 2023
Nice book for vacations. No surprise, easy to read.
February 22, 2016
This is the second James Patrick Hunt book I've read. I chose it because the setting is in St. Louis where I grew up and because I enjoyed another one of his books, The Betrayers. Both books feature, George Hastings, a detective who works for the St. Louis PD,who seems to use his intuition to solve murders. His character reminds me somewhat of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch, though George is not the rogue that Harry is.
Although Hunt is a good writer, I think this book was a bit drawn out and the ending was implausible and unsatisfying to me as a reader. I would have liked it if Hunt explored the psyche of the serial killer. Still, if you like detective novels and a light read, this will do it for you (especially if you are familiar with St. Louis and Chicago.
Although Hunt is a good writer, I think this book was a bit drawn out and the ending was implausible and unsatisfying to me as a reader. I would have liked it if Hunt explored the psyche of the serial killer. Still, if you like detective novels and a light read, this will do it for you (especially if you are familiar with St. Louis and Chicago.
July 30, 2012
Did not enjoy this one at all. The only reason I finished is that I was stuck on a plane with nothing else. I thought this one started out ok but the development of the antagonist was pathetic. The killer, an MD was supposed to be intelligent and analytical, then got caught in a simple ego-trap. Not anywhere near the standards of mystery authors like John Sanford, Thomas Perry, Michael Connelly, etc. Will not read anything else by this guy.
September 20, 2016
I saw this series on the shelf at a library and thought I'd give it a try since it takes place in St. Louis, not far from where I live. The plot was about a serial killer and how the detective, George Hastings, and his coworkers put clues together to find the killer. More language than I prefer, but the plot and setting were good.
June 12, 2010
This mystery is set in St. Louis. A local police detective races to catch a serial killer before he strikes again.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews