Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)The Serial Killer sub-genre is very popular with readers. Maybe it's the fact that we can get close to such inhuman evil and still be able to walk away when we put the book down. Maybe it's a fascination with what humans are capable of. For me both these ideas play a part, but what I most enjoy is the chase - working with the investigators to solve the puzzle and catch the bad guy. You Are Next is a promising debut from a new voice in this popular sub-genre.
Katia Lief's writing is direct, with very little unnecessary description and padding. This style suits the story she has set out to tell and exposes the stark reality of the investigation and the killer's actions. There isn't time for pretty words when lives are at stake. I did, however, think that the pacing of You Are Next was off. The book started strongly, immediately drawing me into the story, but then the pace near the middle of the book before picking up again for the climax. This lag frustrated me. I know that a story needs to ebb and flow, but the downtime in You Are Next was too long. It should have been broken up to keep the reader engaged in the story.
I did like the games and clues that the Domino Killer leaves for the investigators. They let me feel like I could help the case if I could just figure them out. The use of dominoes, which are in themselves such harmless objects, added an extra level of malice to the crimes.
Karin Schaeffer is something different as far as protagonists in this sub-genre go. She is broken. The Domino Killer murdered her husband and child and we meet her as she is trying to hold herself and her life together in the wake of this tragedy. But she's failing. Lief's exploration of Karin's suicidal thoughts and grief are well handled and the play a large part in the plot. It's difficult to write about these topics and keep the character from alienating the reader, but Lief manages it capably.
You Are Next is a thriller about the effects of a serial killer's actions as much as it is about the hunt. It's a different approach to this kind of story and I liked it. I'll be keeping an eye on this author.
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