Book 170: Hour Game by David Baldacci
Book 170: Hour Game (King and Maxwell #2).
Author: David Baldacci, 2003.
Genre: Crime Fiction. Serial Killer.
Other Details: Paperback. 723 pages.
A woman is found murdered in the woods. It seems like a simple case but it soon escalates into a terrible nightmare. Someone is replicating the killing styles of the most infamous murderers of all time. No one knows this criminal’s motives…or who will die next. Two ex-Secret Service agents, Sean King and Michelle Maxwell, have been hired to defend a man’s innocence in a burglary involving an aristocratic family. Then a series of secrets leads the partners right into the frantic hunt that is confounding even the FBI. Now King and Maxwell are playing the Hour Game, uncovering one horrifying revelation after another and putting their lives in danger. For the closer they get to the truth, the closer they get to the most shocking surprise of all. - synopsis from author's website.
It is amazing how quickly 700+ pages can fly by when reading a crime thriller like this. It was well paced and full of excitement. The premise of someone re-creating the style of famous serial killers has been used before both in novels and in TV series such as Criminal Minds yet it is always interesting to see how the cat and mouse games between the murderer and law enforcement plays out. I had no idea who the baddie was here until the reveal thanks to plenty of twists and turns.
King and Maxwell, who have now gone into business as private investigators, are a terrific pairing. There is clearly an attraction but they are keeping a distance due to their professional partnership. A highly enjoyable series that I look forward to continuing with in due course.
Cross-posted to 50bookchallenge.