Chilling and Terrifiying!
A serial killer is in Grizzly Falls, Montana, shooting the tires of
vehicles containing one lone occupant, a woman, his latest victim.
He brings them to his 'hide-out', lets them recuperate somewhat,
makes them dependant on him to the point of 'wanting' him. He takes
them out, completely naked in the middle of winter, ties them to
trees and leaves them there to die of exposure, leaving behind a
star carved into the trees above their heads and a cryptic note
using the initials of the women he's left to die. He eludes the
police easily, never leaving a trace on either victim, never
leaving one alive.
Jillian Rivers is believed to be the next victim. After receiving
calls and pictures, she believes that the person on the other end
of the line is giving her clues to her first husband, thought to be
dead; the husband who was presumed dead after stealing have a
million from investors. She'd been remarried and divorced and now
lives alone, running a one-woman business, creator of booklets,
leaflets, brochures, etc… The disturbing phone calls and the
pictures put her on edge and decides to investigate on her own. She
leaves her home in Seattle and takes off for Montana, in search of
answers.
She's read the gruesome news announcements of what's going on in
Montana, but that doesn't faze her… until it happens to her. Her
tire is blown on, her car ends up over a cliff and down and
embankment. Her rescuer, Zane MacGregor. He brings her to her
cabin, keeps her warm, fed, comfortable as much as possible, all
while trying to figure out a way to get her to a hospital between
breaks in the snow storms. But Zane is a quiet man, one who doesn't
like to relive or talk about his past. He doesn't like company
overmuch, and it shows. Should Jillian trust him?
I thought this book was incredible! A serious mystery leaves you
completely clueless as who it could be. You get glimpses into the
killer's mind, and he's downright scary. What he's doing he
believes it's art, and it's enough to freak out a reader.
Jillian is a woman who's had to rebuild herself and tried to start
anew. After a second marriage that failed inside of two years,
she's on her own - and prefers it that way. A determined woman,
she's absolutely p.o.ed when pictures and disturbing phone calls
have her wondering if her first husband, the man she loved totally
and completely, is still alive. Had he faked his own death? Only
one way to find out, and off she goes.
True to form, her tire is blown out by one riffle shot, and her car
crashes. Here comes Zane MacGregor to the rescue. He's not very
keen on having a 'damsel in distress' in his home, and it shows.
But is he the killer?
The book leaves you wondering and guessing until you don't have to
guess anymore. At first, with all the characters, it's a little
confusing until you get everyone in the right place and it goes
along smoothly from there. The cops are smart, but so far the
killer is eluding them very well. All they need is one break.
However, Jillian's would-be killer isn't the serial killer of the
book, and I sooo loved that twist! However, I was upset at the end
of the novel. Um, maybe frustrated would be a better word. Maybe
even pissed. I mean, 484 pages in a book, and the story doesn't end
there. In fact, you still don't know who the killer is, not even an
inkling. To get the rest, the sequel, Chosen to Die, comes out a
year from now. That's a pisser for sure. To have to wait a year to
get the second half of the story is going to piss off a lot of
readers. And that's why I'm telling you about that - in case you
want to wait. Had I known about this, I'd have waited to put this
in the pot for a book of the month. Even then, had I known, I'd
have waited, period. And if I have to read another
'department-issued' something or other (coats, ski-pants, gloves,
hats, jeeps, etc…), I'm going to tear my hair out!
And while the ending of the book is completely frustrating, it has
lots of good points: a killer with a sick, twisted mind, a love
story, a mystery, action, tenseful suspense. The only thing
stopping me from giving this the highest marks is the ending.
Sorry, Ms. Jackson! That was not appreciated at all.