Reviews with content warning for Death - The Crucifix Killer

Robert Hunter is a top detective with the Robbery Homicide Division of the LAPD, well used to investigating the grizzliest of murders. Called out to a scene with his new partner, he sees the results of a sick and twisted psychopath first hand... and then discovers that it might just be a killer he thought he'd already brought to justice.

Robert Hunter is very much straight out of central casting for cop shows; good looking, intuitive and has that little something 'extra' about him that makes him your main character - in this case, a specialism in profiling and an insane level of intelligence that saw him attend university in his mid teens. However, he's not a cardboard cutout; the author has given him depth and personality, flaws and foibles that really bring him to life. Yes, elements of his character are predictable and you are left wanting more from him, but as an introduction this book serves both him and his partner, Garcia, as a good introduction.

You are thrown straight into the middle of the story, the first chapter being a heart-in-mouth thriller of a scene, which hooks you in immediately, even before you have any idea who the people involved are. It also sets the tone for the type of violence and level of disturbing action you'll be getting from the book and the series. As this is a reread, I did find it less shocking and overall more tame than the first time I picked it up, and certainly subsequent books in the series do become more twisted, but this is definitely not something for the faint-hearted. But, considering I hate gore in films, I was surprisingly OK with this!

The plot is very cleverly drawn and important scenes are meticulously written to try and lead you down a false alley. I can't say for sure whether there are enough clues in the writing to lead you to the identity of the murderer (I don't analyse books in that way) but there are enough twists and turns to keep you guessing. However, despite the gruesome nature of the crimes, this does generally come across as a fairly standard police procedural, so if you like that sort of thing you should feel right at home here.

Overall, the fact that I'm drawn to this series despite my general apathy to crime/thriller novels is a ringing endorsement in itself, and I'm looking forward to rereading the next few in the series, then picking up on the newer ones for the first time.

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adcoleman's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Before this I had read “The Night Stalker” without knowing at the time it was a series. Due to enjoying that so much and the character building of Hunter, I really wanted to delve into the whole series.

And it did not disappoint!

Chris Carter, I’m understanding as I read more, has a true talent for the darker more gruesome stories. I consume a lot of dark tv & book media, and don’t mind things getting too dark or twisted when I’m in the mood.

This one went there. A truly evil serial killer, gruesome killings, and a cat-and-mouse chase with the best detective duo.

In classic police procedural style, this thriller follows the detectives on the hunt for the killer.

This is accompanied by a few side stories, that truly throw you off the scent of the big reveal. This one came with a capital TWIST, that I did not expect and was so shocked by. This is the cherry on top for me with dark thrillers and it was done excellently!

My only reason for it not hitting 5 stars was that it was missing just a little something that I can’t yet figure out. Nonetheless, super excited to continue in the series.

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nicnocs511's review

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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ernareads's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

4.5

Another awesome book by Chris Carter. Unfortunately, it's got dragged a little bit towards the end (Well, at least for me.). The plot was definitely interesting, there are twists and turns that I wouldn't see them coming. The characters are awesome.

However, my favourite main villain is still Lucien. 😅

I honestly didn't expect Isabella aka Brenda to be the main villain of this book 🤣. But, it did make sense to, and damn, how she injected herself smoothly into Detective Robert's life never cease to amaze me. However, Brenda's crimes are damn gory too if not they are as gory as Lucien's

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