TW/CW: torture, child sexual abuse, domestic violence, animal abuse, bullying, suicide
Just a few weeks ago, I gave the first book in this series a 2 star rating and did as close to a rant review as I think I've ever gotten (read it here, if you're interested). I chose to try book 2 in the series because the series was so highly recommended and loved by multiple people who normally match my taste in books pretty well. I also read numerous reviews that said the series only gets better and better overtime. I am so glad I did give this series another shot because I absolutely loved this book. It was published in 2010 so in no way, shape, or form did my comments influence anything but it felt like every issue I had with the first book was addressed and fixed to my liking in this second book. It was such a phenomenal story and reading experience that I just went and bought the rest of the series because if it only gets better in each book, I'm 100% on board now.
Robert Hunter is so much more likeable in this book but I don't think his character changed at all. My difference of opinion comes down to the narration choices which I think were much less heavy handed than in the first book. My main gripe with Hunter's character in the first book was that he always had the answer to pretty much any situation but the reasoning he would always give would be "I read a lot". In this book, Carter actually lets the other characters who should be the experts speak first and Hunter may add on additional knowledge that he has after the fact which is so much more realistic and satisfying to read. I think this slight shift in the narration also makes the characters feel more like a team who are working together to solve these crimes and less like Hunter's groupies. We do continue to see some of Hunter's flaws such as his insomnia and borderline disregard for authority.
The characters surrounding Hunter were also much more developed than in the first book. The book opens with a new captain starting so it really felt like a fresh start to the series as a whole. I loved the rapport between Hunter and Garcia and how they felt much more like partners instead of their rookie vs detective dynamic from the first book. Their banter and the way they bounced theories between each other was fantastic and there were times where they even finished each other's sentences that I thought really highlighted their relationship dynamic. We also get to see the dynamic between Hunter and the new captain form from day 1 which was much more interesting than coming into an already established relationship. It made for a much more engaging read when the other characters were actually characters of their own and not just puppets to prop up Hunter as being some sort of super-genius.
The killings reminded me so much of the movie Se7en (one of my all-time favorites) with their incredible brutality. The descriptions of the victims were so clinical but also vivid that they just make your stomach turn if you think about them for too long. Also, since we know that the killer knows the victim's worse fears, the reader can easily fill in their own fears and how the killer might use that against them. There was an episode of Criminal Minds where the killer also used the victim's fears to kill them but in that episode it was much more psychological and far less physically brutal than what we get in this book. Some of the descriptions toe the line of body horror for me and I absolutely loved it. We also get to see more of the killer on-page than in the first book which just heightened the suspense and drama of the killings. Bodies are dropping pretty quickly which really helped the tension and the pacing of the investigation as well.
The pacing was phenomenal and super tight. The first book took me 6 weeks to read because it dragged so much. I read this second book in one sitting - which I completely wasn't expecting. The frequency of the kills and the more active investigation from the police really helped to move the plot along at an extremely easy to read pace. Also, I love how short the chapters are - most only a few pages - which really lends to the 'potato chip' quality of the writing. I found the prose to be super snappy and much more trimmed in this book. So, while the book was still over 400 pages long, it didn't feel sluggish or bloated. There was a ton of action packed into this read.
The investigation aspects were also done well with the leads and interviews were done quickly and we got the information we needed and then left. It was quick and snappy and while most of those leads ended up as dead ends, we did double back on a few points later in the book which was so satisfying. The ending reveal was so satisfying and incredibly well done. It was twisty in just the right ways and while some readers may find the ending reveal a little "cheating", I was entirely on board for it. Carter also kept the reader in the loop with the investigation's revelations much more than in the first book which I really enjoyed.
Overall, this was more what I was looking for in this series and I'm absolutely blown away with the differences between the first and second book, especially considering they were published only a year apart. Based on reviews, I'm really hoping this trend continues and we keep getting more and more intriguing killers to go up against Hunter and his team.
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