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| Cause of Death, by Renee Benzaim |
Police
procedural Cause
of Death is
the first mystery / thriller for author Renee Benzaim, and the first
entry in the Det. Annie Avants series.
From
Goodreads:
A
Serial Killer. Black widow spiders. A race to catch the perp before
he strikes again.
Imagine
if J.A. Konrath and Janet Evanovich sat down to write about the
ultimate female detective fighting against time to catch a serial
killer in Bakersfield, CA before he strikes again.
Meet
Robbery/Homicide Detective Annie Avants and her partner, Detective
Tom Weston of the Kern County Sheriff's Office.
In
this dusty farm community, someone is abducting and killing young
Hispanic females. His weapon of choice - black widow spiders.
Can
these two dedicated Detectives catch him with the help of their peers
and friends, Deputy District Attorney Jesse Greyeyes and Technical
Investigations Chief Laine DelMonte?
Cause
of Death is a spine-chilling thriller that keeps you guessing right
up to the last minute - and makes you wonder about the "normal"
people in YOUR daily life.
This
exciting book is fast-paced, easy to follow, with engaging characters
and a highly suspenseful storyline. I couldn't put it down. I
didn't
put it down, and read it straight through in a day. I just had
to find out whodunit!
The
story is told from alternating points of view of different
characters, including Annie, the victims, and even the perpetrator.
The reader knows, from the beginning, how the murders are committed,
but not why or by whom. The reader is with each victim, as she is
nabbed by the perp. The reader is with the detectives, as they pursue
their leads and hit dead-ends. The author includes several red
herrings to mislead the reader, and a dead goldfish, so beware.
As
one would expect in the first book in the Det. Annie Avants series,
Annie is the main character, and a very likable one at that.
Annie's part is well written, with enough back-story for the reader to
really get to know her. The relationships between Annie and her
friends / co-workers are complex and interesting, due to the back-stories the author reveals about the other characters.
I
look forward to reading more about Annie and company in future books
in the series. The eBook edition of Damage
Control,
the second book in the series, is expected to be published by August
30, 2013, and the paperback edition by September 15, 2013. I rated
Cause
of Death
five out of five kitties. I give it my highest recommendation, for
anyone who enjoys police procedural mysteries or suspense /
thrillers.
Note:
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author, with no expectation of a
positive review.
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COMMENTS from GOOGLE+
Here's a new review from Jane Reads blog for my
#crimefictionnovel Cause of Death:
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