Mysterious Reviews, mysteries reviewed by the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books, is publishing a new review of Unforeseen by Nick Pirog. For our blog readers, we are printing it first here in advance of its publication on our website.
Unforeseen by Nick Pirog
A Thomas Prescott Mystery
Sidewalk Press (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-9816135-0-0 (0981613500)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9816135-0-5 (9780981613505)
Publication Date: June 2008
List Price: $12.99
Synopsis (from the publisher): "Retired" homicide detective Thomas Prescott is reluctant to read the best selling book Eight in October, a true-crime thriller based on a string of murders occurring in Maine throughout October of the past year. After all, it was his case, and he doesn’t need to be reminded of the gruesome details.
The book dubbed the serial killer, Tristen Grayer, "The MAINEiac." Grayer is allegedly dead, but only Prescott knows the truth—Grayer is alive and lurking in the shadows. On October 1st, the anniversary of the first murder, Tristen resurfaces, killing someone special from Prescott’s past.
Suddenly, it’s déjà vu for Prescott—except this time—the women closest to him begin to fall victim at the hands of Grayer. With the help of former flame, medical examiner Dr. Caitlin Dodds, and Eight in October author, Alex Tooms, Prescott must race against the clock to stop Tristen from completing his encore.
Review: Nick Pirog introduces retired homicide detective Thomas Prescott in Unforeseen, reopening a case from his past has suddenly become very personal in the present.
Nick is living with his sister in a home with three sides of the house surrounded by the Maine woodlands and the back side facing the Atlantic Ocean. It is an ideal spot for Thomas to keep in shape by swimming in the ocean, walking along the trails, and jogging or running on the beach. His life of leisure is brought to a screeching halt when the FBI enlists his help in searching for a serial killer that had killed eight women just a year ago and was immortalized in a new bestseller, Eight in October. It was commonly believed that Thomas had shot the killer on a bluff where he fell to his death. But Thomas was never sure and now, one year to the day later, this sadistic killer strikes again. This time he is closing in on women with whom Thomas had some previous association, such as an ex-fiancé, a student, a child, etc. As Thomas and his team begin their search anew, he wonders, why now? As they find each new murder victim, their search intensifies, their tempers flare, and their frustration becomes all-consuming. Will the serial killer complete his task before Thomas can stop him?
As gruesome as the case is in Unforeseen, there is a surprising amount of humor here. It's not entirely clear whether or not Thomas is as funny as he thinks he is, but he tries. And the plot itself is slickly handled with good pacing and suspense. The real problem with the book is with Thomas' language which is unnecessarily crude and derogatory and really detracts from an otherwise good mystery. What makes this especially surprising is that the author's dedication preceding the opening chapter is completely at odds with the character he's created. Some readers, maybe many readers, will be put off by the language in Unforeseen and that's truly unfortunate as the book deserves a wider audience.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Unforeseen and to Sidewalk Press for providing a copy of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
For more mystery book reviews visit Mysterious Reviews, a partner with the Hidden Staircase Mystery Books which is committed to providing readers and collectors of mystery books with the best and most current information about their favorite authors, titles, and series.
Return to Mystery Books News ...
0 comments:
Post a Comment