Chasing Evil Book Review

Chasing Evil by Kylie Brant

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Blurb:

There's nothing strange about bodies buried in cemeteries - unless they don't belong there. And when six murdered women are discovered in other people's grave, the hunt for a sadistic serial killer begins before he can claim a seventh victim.

Agent Cam Prescott of Iowa's Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the search alongside forensic psychologist Sophia Channing, who knows the minds of psychopaths inside and out. And after a brief but passionate affair, she knows Cam almost as well. What she doesn't know is that her high-profile involvement in the case has caught the twisted predator's eye - and sparked his fury.

When Sophia suddenly vanishes, Cam and his team shift into overdrive to keep horrific history from repeating itself. But for Sophia, being trapped in the same isolated lair where so much innocent blood has been spilled may get her inside her vicious captor's head - and may offer her the only chance she has to escape an agonizing and lethal fate.

Review by Brittany:

I received a free copy of this book by requesting it on Net Galley. The cover is what initially caught my attention, but the blurb also interested me as I'm a fan of crime novels. This edition is a re-release, with a new cover and editorial changes.

Brant is not an author I'm familiar with, but I was really impressed by her writing. The book sounded like she had done all of her research very well, and the suspense in the book kept me hanging on to the very last page. The author also used the book to detail Sophia and Cam's short affair, which added a little something extra to the book. It helped me understand Cam's motivation for rescuing Sophia, but it also has me wondering if that side of things will continue throughout the trilogy.

The villain in the book was definitely scary. The author did a great job of creating a volatile, horrifying man to play the role on the criminal in this book. He was described as being a muscular weight lifter with an unpredictable temper, enough to be scary without the underlying issues he has when it comes to harming his victims. I was scarily impressed with the character that the author created.

I also thought the development of the case was well done. There are false starts and little tidbits that the DCI has to follow up on, utilizing the assistance of local police departments. I don't know enough about the processes to have an informed opinion, but I felt like the entire case was believable and moved along at a realistic pace.

The end of the book leaves the reader with a new development in the case and a bit of a cliffhanger. I do think this one could be picked up and read on its own, but I know that I will be following up with the trilogy. I think any reader that enjoyed this book would be hard-pressed to pass on the other books! I definitely recommend this book to readers who enjoy crime novels and who don't have too weak of a stomach when it comes to criminal brutality. While the author is not overly graphic about what happens, there are enough hints that leave the imagination at work.

Notable quotes:

But sometimes silence could be more stressful than the most violent argument.