FINAL VICTIM

4 stars out of 5

Is a serial killer on the loose? That's a question detective Megan Carpenter, with help from her partner detective Ronnie Marsh, must answer - and time, of course, is of the essence. And as the investigation continues, it looks more and more like Megan herself is in the killer's sights.

Being a target is certainly not new to Megan; in fact, she's been running from one awful situation to another most of her life. So far, she's made it out alive, although most of the time because she's taken matters into her own hands. Now, though, she's on the side of the law - a person who's trying her best to take down people like the one she used to be. 

Her very troubled and background formed the beginning of this series - this is the sixth - and she continues to "find herself" amid memories of a horrific and violent past (to that end, she is not a particularly lovable character, but she's making progress). She's got a solid place to live, a main squeeze she thinks she'll marry, a great job and - gasp! - a handful of real friends.

As she deals with the fallout from the particularly gruesome murder of a police detective followed closely by the murder of another in similar fashion, she's also dealing with memories of her own past. It doesn't help that she's getting messages from someone who seems to know all about her and everyone close to her - someone who readers get a glimpse of by way of chapters from his perspective. As her investigation progresses and the body count grows, more ties to Megan's past turn up - as does the heat on the messages from that unknown person known only as "Wallace."

Needless to say, it's not long before Megan begins to suspect that her murder investigation and may be connected somehow to her past life, and finding the killer has the potential to change the course of her life once again. The details, of course, I'll leave to other readers to discover. As for me, I'll just thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read another exciting installment by way of a pre-release copy. 

Final Victim by Gregg Olsen (Bookouture, January 2025); 288 pp.

VANISHING POINT

4 stars out of 5

This is the fourth in a series featuring Detective Megan Carpenter, but it's a first for me. I had no trouble following the story, though I suppose I'd like to have learned more about Megan's deeply troubled past (which no doubt was detailed in previous books). This one begins as Megan and partner Ronnie Marsh are informed that a husband has called in to report his wife and son missing. But almost from the git-go, the husband, Ben Parker, becomes the prime suspect; he and his missing wife have a history of domestic violence (he recently moved out), and he has a beautiful girlfriend. Worse, he tells lie after lie to the police.

Therein, I think, lies my only "issue" with the story; led by Megan and Ronnie, both of whom are convinced that Ben is guilty, set out to prove themselves right rather than seriously investigating others as, to me at least, is required of professional law enforcement officers. On the other hand, almost no one else likes Ben, either - including his filthy rich father, who literally owns an entire island. When Ben's girlfriend turns up dead, well, the case against Ben grows even stronger.

As in any good police procedural, few things are as they seem - and the race to find the missing mother and son (as well as who, if anyone, kidnapped them) and whether or not, or to what extent, Ben was involved provides for an engaging adventure right to the end. Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for giving me the opportunity to read a pre-release copy.

Vanishing Point by Gregg Olsen (Bookouture, December 2021); 341 pp.