Title: Unsub
Author: Meg Gardiner
Series: #1 in the Unsub series
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Publisher: Dutton (June 27, 2017)
Source: NetGalley
Rating: ☕☕☕
Synopsis: Caitlin Hendrix has been a Narcotics detective for six months when the killer at the heart of all her childhood nightmares reemerges: the Prophet. An UNSUB—what the FBI calls an unknown subject—the Prophet terrorized the Bay Area in the 1990s and nearly destroyed her father, the lead investigator on the case.
The Prophet’s cryptic messages and mind games drove Detective Mack Hendrix to the brink of madness, and Mack’s failure to solve the series of ritualized murders—eleven seemingly unconnected victims left with the ancient sign for Mercury etched into their flesh—was the final nail in the coffin for a once promising career.
Twenty years later, two bodies are found bearing the haunting signature of the Prophet. Caitlin Hendrix has never escaped the shadow of her father’s failure to protect their city. But now the ruthless madman is killing again and has set his sights on her, threatening to undermine the fragile barrier she rigidly maintains for her own protection, between relentless pursuit and dangerous obsession.
Determined to decipher his twisted messages and stop the carnage, Caitlin ignores her father’s warnings as she draws closer to the killer with each new gruesome murder. Is it a copycat, or can this really be the same Prophet who haunted her childhood? Will Caitlin avoid repeating her father’s mistakes and redeem her family name, or will chasing the Prophet drag her and everyone she loves into the depths of the abyss?
My Thoughts: This book started out slowly for me but became a whirlwind of a thriller that I enjoyed ultimately, towards the end.
The Good: Once the investigation really took off so did the book. As Caitlin started to put clues together I really started getting interested in the outcome. I enjoyed the revelation the department had when finally figuring out what the Prophet was all about but this was also a weakness within the plot, in my opinion.
The Bad: Ultimately, this book relies on it's readers to suspend their disbelief quite a bit. From a rookie homicide detective solving the case when seasoned veterans couldn't do so in 20 years to a serial killer who was able to de-escalate and just stop killing for all those years as well. Also, as a reader who favors characters over plot, I found myself unable to really connect with Caitlin even once the killer attacked close to home.
In a Nutshell: A decent start to a new series and I'm hopeful the issues are just first book in series troubles and the followups will knock it out of the park. Will I read more by this author? Yes. Will I read more in this series? Yes, again. Would I recommend this book to fans of the genre. I would.
