Krishna
I have been consistently reading the same authors, though from time to time try to find new authors (New for me). I was told to read John Sandford, and finally I got around to it. I am glad I did. I enjoyed the book. Let us look at the story.
Maddog (yes, that is right. No space between the two words you see in your mind) is a professional killer who is waiting for a lady artist who is illegally occupying a garage. He honed his killing skills by personal vendetta but now is a hired killer. He gets attacked with pepper spray but manages to escape, bruised, and since he was wearing a mask, also unidentified.
The detectives are watching Lucas in a parallel story. We learn that this is because there is a link with one of maddog’s weapons to Lucas. But while they are watching him (and taking tips on a winning horse) maddog strikes and kills a real estate agent girl and then they know they are watching the wrong guy. They take him – he is a detective – and ask for help in catching the killer.
He talks to a victim who is Carla Ruis, and seems to have romantic interest with her. But he establishes a tenuous connection with the killer and the courthouse. They make out a link from the victims to a courthouse and suspect a gay clerk Smythe who works in that courthouse. They book him against Lucas Davenport’s best judgement.
When maddog himself calls anonymously and tells Lucas that they have got the wrong guy, they are forced to let Smythe go, much to the annoyance of the defense lawyer McGowan, who was hoping to make a career break with the wrongful confinement of a gay man called Smythe.
They release him quickly and Lucas plays with maddog’s emotion by feeding tidbits to Jennifer, a reporter to suggest variously that the maddog is gay, smelly, and a pig sty farmer. The book is interesting with maddog choosing the victims carefully and each murder bringing some more clue about the unknown killer.
When Lucas sets up McGowan with fake news that is sure to provoke maddog, he keeps her under surveillance. Maddog instead murders a girl who is disabled. There he tries to find out where is the demarcation point where pain starts in her body.
He almost falls for the McGowan trap and just manages to escape. There is an exciting scene where he gets a bit mauled by dogs. The police chasing kill the dogs and the house owner kills a police officer. This is all due to an inexperienced cop squealing the tires before they get to maddog.
The chaos obliterates all clues and ideas on how to lure maddog back into the trap.
They find maddog by a signature on a document and put heavy surveillance on him but he realizes that he is watched and plans a daring attempt right under their noses. The way he fools them into thinking he is in an office when he goes and prepares for the next kill is lovely. Even more lovely is how he fools them into thinking that he has gone to bed and goes after his most daring attack. Whom he chooses is fascinating.
Nice book. I thought it starts slowly but it does pick up speed quickly. Nice. You will enjoy the thrill ride.
7/10
— Krishna