The Killing Season
"..the feel of an author who is destined to become well practiced in producing best-selling thrillers."
Synopsis:
When the infamous 'Chicago Sniper', Caleb Wardell escapes from death row two weeks before his execution, the FBI calls on the services of one man. Carter Blake has certain specialised talents whose skills lie in finding those who don't want to be found. And Wardell and Blake have history…
Along with Elaine Banner, an ambitious special agent juggling life as a single mother with her increasingly high-flying career, Blake must track Wardell down as he cuts a swathe across America, apparently killing at random. But Blake and Banner soon find themselves side-lined from the case. And as they try desperately to second guess a man who kills purely for the thrill of it, they uncover a hornets' nest of lies and corruption. Now Blake must break the rules and go head to head with the FBI if he is to stop Wardell and expose a deadly conspiracy that will rock the country.
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Review:
'The Killing Season' is the debut book from Mason Cross. On looking at the title I pre-judged the booked and thought the book would be set in the wilderness, with the killer being a hunter. Whilst I was wrong about the setting, the killer was indeed a hunter, not of animals, but of people. Blake is not dissimilar to Jack Reacher in that he too is ex-military, and now working to make the world a better place. However, he is even more mysterious than Reacher in that Blake is not even his real name. With few references to Blake's history, there is a lot more of this character to be revealed. And whilst it would be interesting to know what makes Blake tick, paradoxically I also feel that to know him too well will take away some of his appeal. For me, Cross has pitched it just right. 'The Killing Season', together with a plot that speeds along, is a great mix of intrigue, strong characters and a thrilling plot which reels you in from the first page. This debut has the feel of an author who is destined to become well practiced in producing best-selling thrillers.