One More Kill by Carolyn Arnold – Book Review
One More Kill by Carolyn Arnold – Book Review
One More Kill
Brandon Fisher FBI Series Book Nine
Author – Carolyn Arnold
Publisher – Hibbert & Stiles Publishing
Pages – 382
Released – 19th October 2021
ISBN-13 – 978-1989706619
Format – ebook, paperback, hardcover, audio
Rating – 4 Stars
I received a free copy of this book.
This post contains affiliate links.
Synopsis
He told her to run. And she did. As fast as her legs would take her, but it wasn’t fast enough…
The bodies of a husband and wife are found in a patch of woods in small-town, rural Arkansas by a neighboring farmer. They were shot with an arrow, gutted, and left to bleed out. The killer also removed their eyes and replaced them with large cat’s-eye marbles. The murder method and signature are too bizarre to point toward an isolated incident, and FBI Special Agent Brandon Fisher recognizes this right away. His boss with the Behavioral Analysis Unit, Supervisory Special Agent Jack Harper, confirms that he’s crossed paths with this killer several years ago, and he has a voracious appetite for blood. In fact, Jack’s seen his work firsthand-six times, three couples, in three states.
Brandon, Jack, and the rest of the team head to Arkansas for one purpose: to bring down the ruthless and elusive serial killer who calls himself “the Leopard.” Versatile and adaptive, this madman hunts his prey like a wild, hungry cat-tracking them, then striking with swift viciousness. But just as the FBI think they might finally be getting closer to the Leopard’s true identity, he adapts his method and starts killing people faster than ever before.
Racing to catch up, and struggling to get one step ahead, the FBI comes to uncover buried family secrets that aid the investigation-while at the same time, flipping it on its head. Suddenly, the hunters are now the hunted. And while this case has haunted Jack since he joined the Bureau, things are about get more personal and dangerous than he ever would have imagined. If he and his team aren’t careful, one of them-or someone they love-may become the Leopard’s next victim.
Review by Stacey
One More Kill is the ninth book in the FBI Agent Brandon Fisher series from author Carolyn Arnold. I have read most of the books in this collection and the first thing that struck me when reading this one was how different it was from the others.
The book opens with a gruesome murder by someone hunting couples with a bow and arrow and making them run before shooting them down and doing other nasties to their bodies. The murderer is a serial killer who has been quiet for many years after previously killing a couple every five years in different small towns across the USA. The lead detective at the time was Brandon Fisher’s boss Supervisory Special Agent Jack Harper, who has been put back in charge of this team to hunt the one that got away.
Because the focus of the book was on a seasoned serial killer and the one who could never catch him, Jack, the book features him far more than the lead character Brandon which I wasn’t keen on, I like the leads in books to be the lead not play second fiddle. Plus, the book is more focused on the hunt so there is less action than in most of the other books in the series from the killer and the book is far less gruesome (I noted that book eight wasn’t up to the usual standard either). This may appeal to many people, but this is one series I expect the scenes to be brutal and savage and it felt a little of a let-down to not have me needing to sleep with the light on and double-checking the windows and doors!
As usual, the characters are mainly likeable, the scenes realistic, and the book does leave you feeling fulfilled by the end. The story of a killer making his victims run and hunting them down is a tried and tested plot in movies, TV Series, and books, yet, something is gripping about a killer hunting their prey and wondering if the victim can outsmart their predator that keeps you glued to the pages, just like a team on the killers tail too.
One More Kill may not have been the most sinister book in the series, that will be book six Remnants, but it gives the reader a chance to get to know the FBI agents better, watch how they work, and an insight into how they gain new leads and follow clues both old and new.
Purchase Online From:
CAROLYN ARNOLD is an international bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor.
She has four continuing fiction series—Detective Madison Knight, Brandon Fisher FBI, McKinley Mysteries, and Matthew Connor Adventures—and has written nearly thirty books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy to hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures.
Both her female detective and FBI profiler series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining, leading her to adopt the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.
Carolyn was born in a small town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower.
She currently lives just west of Toronto with her husband and beagle and is a member of Crime Writers of Canada and Sisters in Crime.
Sounds like the series may be getting a bit tired
Thanks DJ. I’m hoping not and that it was just this book. Next one will tell.