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Frank Quinn #5
Mister X
An ex-cop turned PI is hired to find a serial killer who signs his work in this crime thriller by the New York Times–bestselling author of Urge to Kill.
Fear Leaves A Mark He mutilates his victims. Slices their throats. And carves an X into their flesh. Five years ago, he claimed the lives of six women. Then the killings abruptly stopped—no one knows why. Ex-homicide detective Frank Quinn remembers. Which is why he’s shocked to see one of the dead women in his office. Actually, she’s the identical twin of the last victim, and she wants Quinn to find her sister’s murderer. But when the cold case heats up, it attracts the media spotlight—and suddenly the killings start again . . .
Praise for Mister X
“A page-turner to the nail-biting end, the fifth Frank Quinn investigation . . . Will leave readers breathless. . . . Misleading clues and dramatic suspense will keep readers pondering the intricacies of this twisty, creepy whodunit long after the last page is turned.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“A lesser writer would lose readers in this ever-evolving plot with shifting identities and motives, but this is John Lutz, winner of multiple Edgar and Shamus awards. By the very satisfying conclusion, it all makes perfect sense. Lutz has produced another procedural masterpiece.” —Booklist
Fear Leaves A Mark He mutilates his victims. Slices their throats. And carves an X into their flesh. Five years ago, he claimed the lives of six women. Then the killings abruptly stopped—no one knows why. Ex-homicide detective Frank Quinn remembers. Which is why he’s shocked to see one of the dead women in his office. Actually, she’s the identical twin of the last victim, and she wants Quinn to find her sister’s murderer. But when the cold case heats up, it attracts the media spotlight—and suddenly the killings start again . . .
Praise for Mister X
“A page-turner to the nail-biting end, the fifth Frank Quinn investigation . . . Will leave readers breathless. . . . Misleading clues and dramatic suspense will keep readers pondering the intricacies of this twisty, creepy whodunit long after the last page is turned.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“A lesser writer would lose readers in this ever-evolving plot with shifting identities and motives, but this is John Lutz, winner of multiple Edgar and Shamus awards. By the very satisfying conclusion, it all makes perfect sense. Lutz has produced another procedural masterpiece.” —Booklist
465 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2010
91 people are currently reading
618 people want to read
About the author
John Lutz
234 books300 followersLibrarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
John Lutz has captivated suspense enthusiasts for over four decades. He has been one of the premier voices in contemporary hard-boiled fiction. His work includes political suspense, private eye novels, urban suspense, humor, occult, crime caper, police procedural, espionage, historical, futuristic, amateur detective, thriller; virtually every mystery sub-genre. John Lutz published his first short story in 1966 in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and has been publishing regularly ever since. He is the author of more than fifty novels and 250 short stories and articles.
His novels and short fiction have been translated into virtually every language and adapted for almost every medium. He is a past president of both Mystery Writers of America and Private Eye Writers of America. Among his awards are the MWA Edgar, the PWA Shamus, The Trophee 813 Award for best mystery short story collection translated into the French language, the PWA Life Achievement Award, and the Short Mystery Fiction Society's Golden Derringer Lifetime Achievement Award.
He is the author of two private eye series, the Nudger series, set in his home town of St. Louis, and the Carver series, set in Florida, as well as many non-series suspense novels. His SWF SEEKS SAME was made into the hit movie SINGLE WHITE FEMALE, starring Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh, and his novel THE EX was made into the HBO original movie of the same title, for which he co-authored the screenplay.
Lutz and his wife, Barbara, split their time between St. Louis and Sarasota, Florida.
John Lutz has captivated suspense enthusiasts for over four decades. He has been one of the premier voices in contemporary hard-boiled fiction. His work includes political suspense, private eye novels, urban suspense, humor, occult, crime caper, police procedural, espionage, historical, futuristic, amateur detective, thriller; virtually every mystery sub-genre. John Lutz published his first short story in 1966 in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and has been publishing regularly ever since. He is the author of more than fifty novels and 250 short stories and articles.
His novels and short fiction have been translated into virtually every language and adapted for almost every medium. He is a past president of both Mystery Writers of America and Private Eye Writers of America. Among his awards are the MWA Edgar, the PWA Shamus, The Trophee 813 Award for best mystery short story collection translated into the French language, the PWA Life Achievement Award, and the Short Mystery Fiction Society's Golden Derringer Lifetime Achievement Award.
He is the author of two private eye series, the Nudger series, set in his home town of St. Louis, and the Carver series, set in Florida, as well as many non-series suspense novels. His SWF SEEKS SAME was made into the hit movie SINGLE WHITE FEMALE, starring Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh, and his novel THE EX was made into the HBO original movie of the same title, for which he co-authored the screenplay.
Lutz and his wife, Barbara, split their time between St. Louis and Sarasota, Florida.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
October 1, 2020
Below is my review of this book which is an almost exact copy of my review of the first of the Lutz books I read earlier this year. That should tell you something.
I have not read this author before but a friend said that it was an engrossing thriller and who am I to pass up a good recommendation. Live and learn.
I will admit that it started out fast and furious as a serial killer is running wild in NYC, committing particularly gruesome murders (which the author describes in detail). Gore doesn't particularly bother me but this is extremely graphic. A former detective unit which works closely with the police are on the case, looking for clues or at least a motive. This became my first problem...the members of this unit irritated me from the start and the on and off romantic relationship between two of them was unpleasant in the extreme. It is hard to enjoy a book when you don't like the characters, even when the writing is well done. And well done is questionablesince a woman starts on a trip in a Plymouth which turns into a Honda two pages later......but this could just be an editing error since the rest of the narrative will keep the reader interested.
The twists and turns are clever but the denouement is, in my opinion, ridiculous. It pulls the whole plot crashing down with coincidence, lucky guesses, and a motive that barely makes sense. This book has gotten fairly high reviews so I am in the minority on this one.
So what you have here is a book that is practically the same as the first book except for the few strike overs......enough said.
I will admit that it started out fast and furious as a serial killer is running wild in NYC, committing particularly gruesome murders (which the author describes in detail). Gore doesn't particularly bother me but this is extremely graphic. A former detective unit which works closely with the police are on the case, looking for clues or at least a motive. This became my first problem...the members of this unit irritated me from the start and the on and off romantic relationship between two of them was unpleasant in the extreme. It is hard to enjoy a book when you don't like the characters, even when the writing is well done. And well done is questionable
The twists and turns are clever but the denouement is, in my opinion, ridiculous. It pulls the whole plot crashing down with coincidence, lucky guesses, and a motive that barely makes sense. This book has gotten fairly high reviews so I am in the minority on this one.
So what you have here is a book that is practically the same as the first book except for the few strike overs......enough said.
October 4, 2016
I really liked this book until the end which was lame as hell and very disappointing. The plot just fizzled out and I wanted to scream. And if this is supposed to be the Frank Quinn series, why the hell is he in the background? The other characters take the lead and he kinda just directs the show. Quinn's supposed to be this super detective but there was zero evidence of it in this novel. He made cute little lists that didn't tell him a damn thing.
February 18, 2019
Well did another Whoopsi, read book six before book 5... What a perverted sicko :-( What a twist at the last chapter and the one page EPILOGUE.... Frank Quinn's series are all so good and never a dull moment!!!
July 15, 2018
**BOOK CONTENT CONTAINS PAEDOPHILIA, CHILD ABUSE, AND MAJOR SEXISM**
John Lutz has a problem. And it isn't just the overwhelmingly awful twist of an ending. It's mostly to do with his frankly atrocious sexism.
For a book about a serial killer with a fixation on removing nipples, you'd think that it might be admissable to describe most female characters' breasts. Except Lutz decides to take this too far and fixates on everything to do with feminine sexualisation, from child sexual abuse to the typical manipulative woman using men for her own sake. Every man is either a rampant sexist or a pervert. Every woman is a subject of sex and has little else to do with it.
The main female protagonist's arc revolves around men. The second too, to an extent, when Lutz isn't busy describing her legs or small breasts. Mostly the legs.
No clear spoilers here. But if you like crime, give this a miss. It's an interesting concept that has no satisfaction in the ending, and plenty of loose ends.
John Lutz has a problem. And it isn't just the overwhelmingly awful twist of an ending. It's mostly to do with his frankly atrocious sexism.
For a book about a serial killer with a fixation on removing nipples, you'd think that it might be admissable to describe most female characters' breasts. Except Lutz decides to take this too far and fixates on everything to do with feminine sexualisation, from child sexual abuse to the typical manipulative woman using men for her own sake. Every man is either a rampant sexist or a pervert. Every woman is a subject of sex and has little else to do with it.
The main female protagonist's arc revolves around men. The second too, to an extent, when Lutz isn't busy describing her legs or small breasts. Mostly the legs.
No clear spoilers here. But if you like crime, give this a miss. It's an interesting concept that has no satisfaction in the ending, and plenty of loose ends.
September 21, 2011
John Lutz writes about serial killers, but he uses fresh approaches and twisty plots that often surprise me. His prose style is a well-blended and seamless one. Somehow he captures the right mannerism or description that befits the scene or character. I also usually shy away from NYC settings, but he paints his with different strokes. The romantic and professional interplay between Pearl and Frank Quinn, the protagonist, is a strength of the narrative. Great stuff.
February 18, 2011
If you like dark, scary thrillers with retired homicide cops chasing psychotic, sadistic killers, this is right up your alley. I know it was right up my alley. I've somehow missed a couple of Lutz's books so I'm off to the library to get my hands on the ones I've missed. These books are not for everyone but if you like the genre, Lutz is tops.
May 17, 2017
THE WORST. Every character a caricature. And in NYC in the 21st century, every character is white??? And if you get to the ending of this steaming pile of shit, you have to ask yourself how fucking stupid all these brilliant detectives were for over 400 pages. Or how fucking stupid Lutz is to have written this crap. Seriously.
December 2, 2018
4 stars🇺🇸🐎
I love this series! I did not like the ending but that because I wanted blood( the killer).
I love this series! I did not like the ending but that because I wanted blood( the killer).
June 10, 2024
Full of twists and turns!
September 16, 2010
Frank Quinn and his partners are back in the newly formed Quinn & Associates Investigations. Pearl Kasner was done working as a security guard at a bank and Larry Fedderman (Feds) wasn’t all that interested in catching fish in Florida anymore. So the three of them have settled back into the life they know and love – detecting. Chrissie Keller, having come into a large sum of money, comes to see Frank to hire him. Five years ago her twin sister Tiffany, along with four other young ladies, was killed by the serial killer known as The Carver (I’ll leave why up to your imagination), but he was never caught, and the killings stopped. Frank and his team have a long history of being able to solve serial killer cases. So it’s no surprise that Chrissie Keller would turn to him. But when the team starts digging into the killings word comes down from Police Chief Harley Renz, who Frank has an interesting relationship with, calls and tells them to back off. Let sleeping dogs lie. Now why would he do that? Are his reasons personal or political? Then Chrissie disappears and it’s a whole new ballgame.
Then the killings start again. Is, after all of this time The Carver back? Or is there a sick copycat killer out there? One who knows way to much about the case not to be connected somehow. At this point Renz knows he has no choice but to bring Frank, Pearl and Feds back onto the force. He gives them badges, two other detectives to work the case and a profiler named Addie Price with a dark past of her own. But as Frank and his team really start digging they realize that things just aren’t adding up. Why are there no pictures of Tiffany in the file given to them by Chrissie? When they finally find a picture of her, why does she look nothing like Chrissie? Who is the mystery woman that seems to be shadowing them? Showing up at every crime scene they do and running away before they can catch her. And just what do the flashback chapters of an abused boy named Jerry Grantland, who sneaks out of his house at night to cross the road and watch Tiffany & Chrissie being abused by their father have to do with anything?
After all this time, the feelings between Frank and Pearl seem to still simmer below the surface. But that soon changes when Pearl meets Yancy Taggart and their whirlwind relationship begins. Can Frank deal with his feelings about this relationship while at the same time hunting a deranged serial killer? And when tragedy befalls one of them, will they all be able to go on? The hunt for The Carver and Chrissie heats up and based on information obtained during the investigation, Frank brings in a family member to help draw both The Carver & Chrissie out. The race to stop the killings leads to a stunning, yet deadly conclusion. One that still leaves them with unanswered questions and will have the reader thinking “Holy …..” John Lutz is a masterful story teller who has written a tense, action packed novel filled with so many twists and turns you’ll think you are on amusement park ride. Mister X is a superb suspense novel that will have you reading well into the night, keeping the lights burning bright, while at the same time getting up constantly to make sure all of the doors and windows are locked tight. X definitely marks this spot!
Then the killings start again. Is, after all of this time The Carver back? Or is there a sick copycat killer out there? One who knows way to much about the case not to be connected somehow. At this point Renz knows he has no choice but to bring Frank, Pearl and Feds back onto the force. He gives them badges, two other detectives to work the case and a profiler named Addie Price with a dark past of her own. But as Frank and his team really start digging they realize that things just aren’t adding up. Why are there no pictures of Tiffany in the file given to them by Chrissie? When they finally find a picture of her, why does she look nothing like Chrissie? Who is the mystery woman that seems to be shadowing them? Showing up at every crime scene they do and running away before they can catch her. And just what do the flashback chapters of an abused boy named Jerry Grantland, who sneaks out of his house at night to cross the road and watch Tiffany & Chrissie being abused by their father have to do with anything?
After all this time, the feelings between Frank and Pearl seem to still simmer below the surface. But that soon changes when Pearl meets Yancy Taggart and their whirlwind relationship begins. Can Frank deal with his feelings about this relationship while at the same time hunting a deranged serial killer? And when tragedy befalls one of them, will they all be able to go on? The hunt for The Carver and Chrissie heats up and based on information obtained during the investigation, Frank brings in a family member to help draw both The Carver & Chrissie out. The race to stop the killings leads to a stunning, yet deadly conclusion. One that still leaves them with unanswered questions and will have the reader thinking “Holy …..” John Lutz is a masterful story teller who has written a tense, action packed novel filled with so many twists and turns you’ll think you are on amusement park ride. Mister X is a superb suspense novel that will have you reading well into the night, keeping the lights burning bright, while at the same time getting up constantly to make sure all of the doors and windows are locked tight. X definitely marks this spot!
February 4, 2011
Quinn has more or less retired from the police department and is now running his own detective agency. He is approached by Chrissie who claims to have won a considerable sum of money and wants to hire his agency to find the killer, know as the “Carver,” of her twin sister, Tiffany. Quinn is then hired by the police department as consultants on the case which has been reopened after the discovery of another murdered women whose M.O. resembles that of the Carver. (I won’t describe exactly what the similarity might be other than to suggest it has to do with nipples.)
We also follow the history of Jerry, a rather troubled young man who would get satisfaction from watching Tiffany and Chrissie’s father abuse Tiffany as a young child and then beat her twin sister. Lovely.
The plot thickens as we learn that the woman claiming to be Chrissie is someone else and the investigators are being shadowed by yet another woman they can’t identify, but who seems always to show up at murder scenes. Then pseudo-Chrissie disappears, and Pearl, Quinn’s erstwhile squeeze has taken up with Yancy whom her mother regards as a reptile given what she has heard about him in the Ladies Circle. Suspicions, anyone?
Some interesting plot twists and blind alleys. I didn’t find it as “heart-stopping” as others have (they must have weak hearts, indeed,) but it was well-written with interesting characters and good detecting.
We also follow the history of Jerry, a rather troubled young man who would get satisfaction from watching Tiffany and Chrissie’s father abuse Tiffany as a young child and then beat her twin sister. Lovely.
The plot thickens as we learn that the woman claiming to be Chrissie is someone else and the investigators are being shadowed by yet another woman they can’t identify, but who seems always to show up at murder scenes. Then pseudo-Chrissie disappears, and Pearl, Quinn’s erstwhile squeeze has taken up with Yancy whom her mother regards as a reptile given what she has heard about him in the Ladies Circle. Suspicions, anyone?
Some interesting plot twists and blind alleys. I didn’t find it as “heart-stopping” as others have (they must have weak hearts, indeed,) but it was well-written with interesting characters and good detecting.
September 10, 2014
I am totally unsure whether to rate as 3 or 4 as I didn't totally grasp the ending. I have been trying to find other's opinions on it but there aren't any spoilers to be found.
otherwise, until last 5-10 pages it was a great read. I again have a feeling it ended too soon and so many information and facts squeezed in those last pages, I wasn't sure if I was even reading correctly.
I will have to re-read these last pages but I am unsure whether it will help, I hope I'll stumble upon a discussion regarding the book, I don't mind cliffhangers but I do like to comprehend the twists its a super rare case when I am partly left in the dark :)
otherwise, until last 5-10 pages it was a great read. I again have a feeling it ended too soon and so many information and facts squeezed in those last pages, I wasn't sure if I was even reading correctly.
I will have to re-read these last pages but I am unsure whether it will help, I hope I'll stumble upon a discussion regarding the book, I don't mind cliffhangers but I do like to comprehend the twists its a super rare case when I am partly left in the dark :)
January 15, 2018
This was a book given to me and after reading the story line I wasn't really interested in reading it. Boy was I wrong. The story follows a serial killer but it's not about the killing as much as the hunt for the killer and the people impacted by his crimes. This was really a good read that kept you guessing right up until the final pages. If you enjoy mysteries that keep you on your toes, then this is worth checking out.
July 13, 2011
i have read 2 in this series - not that impressed. The main character, Frank Quinn, a former cop/detective and his team of former cops -now private investigators. Quinn is supposed to be a super cop but in the two I read he is in the background and just there - I didn't get his importance and the rest of his team..especially the woman - boring and trite.
November 21, 2010
I get the feeling Lutz has some issues with women.
February 22, 2011
I usually enjoy John Lutz's books, but this one was ... tedious, somehow. I couldn't care about the characters, felt no suspense. It just missed the mark for me.
August 4, 2020
Well.......I'm surprised quite a few folks here gave this book four or five stars...
I have read about 3 of these with these characters...
I hate to say it but this one is pretty lame... the plot and the plot twists are good... but I kept thinking I was reading an episode of Dallas or Falcon Crest or Hart to Hart...
Yea... the dialogue and the characters are that wooden and or cardboard.....
Sorry I have to include a couple samples.......
"The Velcro straps made harsh ripping sounds in the warm afternoon."
"we'll take our time ...
Sal and Harold will. climb .the .fire. escape. in .back. and .let .themselves into. the .apartment .while .we’re diverting. Chrissie’s .attention.....""
“You wouldn’t realize it over the phone, but right now Harold has our car doing ninety on Broadway. We only slow down when we have to get up on the sidewalk.”
"Maybe he went out for something to eat,” Fedderman said. “The agreement was for him to use room service.” “Ever notice how our agreements never seem to work out?” “Hard not to,” Quinn said. “The people we meet in our business, crooks and killers and such, they’re dishonest"
"Can’t count on them.” “I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that Edward Keller is a lying bastard.” “I’m not surprised,” Quinn said. “But I am pissed off.”
Um...
I guess this is supposed to be edgy, jaded detective talk.....
I haven't even brought up all the soap opera between Pearl and Quinn....
Sheesh.... There's pages and pages of this stuff...
I've mentioned in a couple other reviews how I believe the publisher thinks the dialogue needs to be *punched up* and brings in one or two ghost writers ....and just cheapens and pretty much ruins the whole thing...
(Read John Sanford and Lawrence Sanders....dig for the better ones)
I have read about 3 of these with these characters...
I hate to say it but this one is pretty lame... the plot and the plot twists are good... but I kept thinking I was reading an episode of Dallas or Falcon Crest or Hart to Hart...
Yea... the dialogue and the characters are that wooden and or cardboard.....
Sorry I have to include a couple samples.......
"The Velcro straps made harsh ripping sounds in the warm afternoon."
"we'll take our time ...
Sal and Harold will. climb .the .fire. escape. in .back. and .let .themselves into. the .apartment .while .we’re diverting. Chrissie’s .attention.....""
“You wouldn’t realize it over the phone, but right now Harold has our car doing ninety on Broadway. We only slow down when we have to get up on the sidewalk.”
"Maybe he went out for something to eat,” Fedderman said. “The agreement was for him to use room service.” “Ever notice how our agreements never seem to work out?” “Hard not to,” Quinn said. “The people we meet in our business, crooks and killers and such, they’re dishonest"
"Can’t count on them.” “I guess we shouldn’t be surprised that Edward Keller is a lying bastard.” “I’m not surprised,” Quinn said. “But I am pissed off.”
Um...
I guess this is supposed to be edgy, jaded detective talk.....
I haven't even brought up all the soap opera between Pearl and Quinn....
Sheesh.... There's pages and pages of this stuff...
I've mentioned in a couple other reviews how I believe the publisher thinks the dialogue needs to be *punched up* and brings in one or two ghost writers ....and just cheapens and pretty much ruins the whole thing...
(Read John Sanford and Lawrence Sanders....dig for the better ones)
October 30, 2025
Plot
Fear Leaves A Mark
He mutilates his victims. Slices their throats. And carves an X into their flesh. Five years ago, he claimed the lives of six women. Then the killings abruptly stopped—no one knows why. Ex-homicide detective Frank Quinn remembers. Which is why he’s shocked to see one of the dead women in his office. Actually, she’s the identical twin of the last victim, and she wants Quinn to find her sister’s murderer. But when the cold case heats up, it attracts the media spotlight—and suddenly the killings start again . . .
My Analysis
I always like a good Lutz novel, especially with Quinn. there is so much more in this story than just the murder mystery.
First, you have characters who aren’t what they seem and aren’t who they say they are.
Second, you have side stories with Pearl and romance; Quinn’s ongoing thoughts about Pearl and relationships; the trash talk between detectives and other characters.
Third, you have flashbacks into some of the characters.
Fourth, you have a gritty mystery with a nasty killer.
Fifth, you have some typical politics with police investigations.
Sixth, returning to characters, you have enough personalities to make a complete story. Even secondary characters have a short time in the spotlight at times.
Lutz fans should not be disappointed.
My rank:
Blue Belt
Fear Leaves A Mark
He mutilates his victims. Slices their throats. And carves an X into their flesh. Five years ago, he claimed the lives of six women. Then the killings abruptly stopped—no one knows why. Ex-homicide detective Frank Quinn remembers. Which is why he’s shocked to see one of the dead women in his office. Actually, she’s the identical twin of the last victim, and she wants Quinn to find her sister’s murderer. But when the cold case heats up, it attracts the media spotlight—and suddenly the killings start again . . .
My Analysis
I always like a good Lutz novel, especially with Quinn. there is so much more in this story than just the murder mystery.
First, you have characters who aren’t what they seem and aren’t who they say they are.
Second, you have side stories with Pearl and romance; Quinn’s ongoing thoughts about Pearl and relationships; the trash talk between detectives and other characters.
Third, you have flashbacks into some of the characters.
Fourth, you have a gritty mystery with a nasty killer.
Fifth, you have some typical politics with police investigations.
Sixth, returning to characters, you have enough personalities to make a complete story. Even secondary characters have a short time in the spotlight at times.
Lutz fans should not be disappointed.
My rank:
Blue Belt
March 31, 2024
Let me just say, as a twin I thought I wasn’t going to get through this book after the first page.
No twin would dress up as their twin’s murdered body. Literally ever.
But this book turned around and became a page turner. I’m glad that I found this book in a free book library at a park while out of town.
Many scenes in this book were disturbing, especially flash backs. But it’s a unique story and the characters were easy to follow. As book 5 in the series, it is also very easy to follow the overarching story. I didn’t feel like I needed to read past Quinn books in order to know what is happening.
No twin would dress up as their twin’s murdered body. Literally ever.
But this book turned around and became a page turner. I’m glad that I found this book in a free book library at a park while out of town.
Many scenes in this book were disturbing, especially flash backs. But it’s a unique story and the characters were easy to follow. As book 5 in the series, it is also very easy to follow the overarching story. I didn’t feel like I needed to read past Quinn books in order to know what is happening.
July 4, 2021
This was purely a cover buy though it's synopsis helped!
Another author I knew nothing about, I didn't even know it's part of a series but this book is really good and is more than okay to read as a standalone thriller.
This is pretty fast paced throughout, it has multiple twists and an ending that I just wasn't expecting!
Overall this is a near perfect thriller, one that would make a great movie and I'd highly recommend this book to any lover of thrillers.
"Hey? Who carved this 'X' on my shoulder?"
Another author I knew nothing about, I didn't even know it's part of a series but this book is really good and is more than okay to read as a standalone thriller.
This is pretty fast paced throughout, it has multiple twists and an ending that I just wasn't expecting!
Overall this is a near perfect thriller, one that would make a great movie and I'd highly recommend this book to any lover of thrillers.
"Hey? Who carved this 'X' on my shoulder?"
September 10, 2021
Audible review
Another great book in this series, I am a Frank Quinn fan. I am a John Lutz fan.
This is another serial killer in NY, Glad it was 5 years later, because it kinda makes you wonder why there are so many serial killer in NY.
Anyway, this killer is sick! Reminder this author does give a bit of detail in his killings so if you get queasy this is not for you. But if you can handle a little bit of it, this is a great series and I recommend it.
The narration is done by one of my favorites, Scott Brick! He is amazing.
Another great book in this series, I am a Frank Quinn fan. I am a John Lutz fan.
This is another serial killer in NY, Glad it was 5 years later, because it kinda makes you wonder why there are so many serial killer in NY.
Anyway, this killer is sick! Reminder this author does give a bit of detail in his killings so if you get queasy this is not for you. But if you can handle a little bit of it, this is a great series and I recommend it.
The narration is done by one of my favorites, Scott Brick! He is amazing.
May 16, 2019
Well written. My first lutz book and I liked his style and the characters. A fast paced read about a sicko serial killer. I was disappointed in the unsatisfying ending. The last 50 pages seemed convoluted and the plot went awry.
February 24, 2020
The ending was disappointing and you sorta had to figure it out yourself, but otherwise a great read. Lutz goes back in time in most of his books to give background on the killer, which is sometimes good, sometimes a bit twisted.
March 14, 2021
Kept me guessing
Mr. Lutz is one of my fave authors. Love his books. Story kept me guessing and that is good. Frank needs to find someone nice to re place the gal with the over active libidio. Like his team and Quinn is quite the cop/investigator!
Mr. Lutz is one of my fave authors. Love his books. Story kept me guessing and that is good. Frank needs to find someone nice to re place the gal with the over active libidio. Like his team and Quinn is quite the cop/investigator!
January 4, 2023
Good, but...
This book held my interest, but it had kind of a confusing ending. Still like all the main characters except Pearl. She just seems to spend her day being angry at everything. She seems like she'd be a real joy to work with.
This book held my interest, but it had kind of a confusing ending. Still like all the main characters except Pearl. She just seems to spend her day being angry at everything. She seems like she'd be a real joy to work with.
September 19, 2017
Really great read!! I love these characters and the twisted plot.
December 4, 2017
Enjoyed the first 2/3. But the novel was longer than it should have been and I found the ending muddled. I wasn't sure who did what in the end
May 10, 2018
So far my favorite.
March 17, 2019
Kept me guessing until the last minute! Excellent read.
February 15, 2020
Really good read. Kept me guessing until the end.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews