A really good book is one you cannot put down. An excellent book is one you literally cannot stop reading! In my opinion, Killing Season by Faye Kellerman is such a book.
Synopsis
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Ben, his parents and younger sister had all suffered the anguish of not knowing what happened. Later, the family also becomes friends with another local couple whose teenage daughter Katie went missing and she has never been found.
As the story begins, Ben, now seventeen, has committed himself to finding the monster who abducted and strangled Ellen. The police continue to investigate, but there is nothing new. But Ben, who is a math genius, sees patterns that don't fit and conducts his own investigation. As he gathers data, he discovers clues to other similar unsolved murders.
As Ben's senior high school year begins, he becomes friends with the new girl in school, Ro Majors. They bond over the fact that Ro lost a sister to cancer around the same time Ben lost Ellen. Ro ends up helping him with his research, and together they discover 3 other unsolved cases of teenage girls whose murders were almost identical to Ben's sister. And then.... they go on a hike in an area Ben has figured out is a logical place to find where the killer might have buried Katie, and they find her grave.
The police are not happy that Ben is investigating on his own, even though the police detective who was lead investigator on Ellen's case likes Ben and is as anxious as the family to solve her case.
As Ben gets closer to discovering who the killer is, his obsession marks him as a threat. The police want him to stop investigating, but Ben is worried about Ro and about his little sister Haley and her best friend Lilly. The little girls are now going on 15 and Ro is 17, all in the age-range the killer targets.
Learning the truth may not be enough to keep Ben and those he loves from this relentless killer.
Summary
I have never been as absorbed in a book to the point of ignoring everything else until I finished as I was with this one. Killing Season is so well written and captures your attention from the beginning. I enjoyed it very much.
I have been reading books by Faye Kellerman since 1986 when she began the 26 books in her Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus series. I've always enjoyed those books, and now am enjoying her stand-alone thrillers. Killing Season is the first one I have read that wasn't in the series I have been following and, as much as I liked the series, I like this one even more. Kellerman has done an outstanding job capturing this mystery fan's attention.
Note: Faye Kellerman is married to Jonathan Kellerman, also a writer, and together they are the parents of Jesse Kellerman, who has had several books published on his own and has co-authored several other books with his dad, Jonathan. A real writing family.
Links to other Kellerman books reviewed here on ReviewThisReviews:
- Bone Box by Faye Kellerman
- The Burning by Jonathan and Jesse Kellerman
- Killing Season by Faye Kellerman, available on Amazon
*Killing Season Book Review written by Wednesday Elf
Oh my goodness, this sounds like a book I could get totally absorbed in. Thanks Pat for putting this one on my Must Read List, which is growing still. I love books that you can get lost in and this sounds like it is one of those! I'm looking forward to reading this book!
ReplyDeleteI think you will enjoy this book, Olivia. I know I did. Thanks for reading my review of 'Killing Season'.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the recommendation. This sounds like a really good book. I love mysteries.
ReplyDeleteGiven what an avid reader you are, the fact that you were so absorbed in this story that you ignored everything else until you got to the end is quite an impressive endorsement! Sounds like a must-read for fans of this genre.
ReplyDeleteThis book certainly captured my total attention, Margaret.
DeleteWow! What a recommendation. I understand the need for resolution, but it does seem like Ben would certainly be drawing unwanted attention. This sounds like a book all mystery lovers will want to read.
ReplyDeleteBen did draw unwanted attention, Mouse. And the ending is quite a surprise.
DeleteThat's when you know what your reading is good - you can't stop to do anything else! Thanks for the review, I'll suggest to anyone in my family looking for a good read.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Barbara. If any of the readers in your family are mystery & suspense fans, they most likely would enjoy this book.
DeleteMs. Elf, thank you so much for this review! At some point, I had seen this title somewhere and scrolled past. Something in the previous description I read made it sound like it could be over-used themes (police can't catch the killer, civilian starts poking around, mystery solved by civilian poking around)... but the fact that it kept you enthralled says something. I'm adding this to my to-read list.
ReplyDeleteI think you'd like this book, Dawn Rae. The fact that the civilians trying to solve the crime the police couldn't are only teenagers makes you worry about them and keep reading to find out if they all end up safe in the end. The suspense as the killer closes in will keep you glued to the pages!
DeleteWow, it says a lot about a book when you are really absorbed in it as you say to the point of ignoring everything else! I can see how you can be drawn in by this book and need to know what happens. This sounds like a really great book for anyone who loves the mystery and suspense genres.
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