Ellison Cooper

Actual Rating: 3.5

It’s been a while since I’ve enjoyed a crime/thriller novel but having just finished watching the American TV show Castle, I felt like I was in the perfect mood for something like this.

Cut to the Bone is the third of a series but it does work as a standalone mystery; I personally went into this one without reading any of the others yet — though I definitely will go back and read them now.

This book follows FBI agent Sayer Altair. When a full school bus suddenly goes missing and students start showing up dead in ritualistic murders, Sayer finds herself chasing after a serial killer. There’s also the mysterious Subject 037, the subject of a psychopathy study who is a little too invested in Sayer’s life. And to make matters worse, she runs straight into a government conspiracy that is way above her pay grade.

I sort of have mixed feelings about that last part; I love a good conspiracy thriller novel but I’m kind of torn between (1) liking that the book took the extra step to make its story more twisted and (2) thinking that it was just a little dramatic and over-the-top. Maybe it would’ve made more sense to me had I read the previous books and there had been hints, but as someone who went into this one blind, I found it difficult to suspend my disbelief there.

Other than that, I really liked the mystery itself, though I still didn’t necessarily find it mind-blowing. While I loved the Egyptian aspect and the plot itself, I still think that any mystery lover would be able to guess who the killer was once some suspect backstory was given.

The most intriguing part for me was undoubted Subject 037 and this would be the main reason I’d want to read the entire series. Nevertheless, I’d definitely recommend this book — but probably read in order.… (mais)

#3 in Altair series. 6 months after "Buried" left off, Sayer is still reeling from Holt being fired & her own job still in jeopardy. A new case of a busload of kidnapped kids kicks off a new investigation involving Sayer, Tino, Max, & Ezra. Early Egyptian mysticism, secrets long buried, fake FBI agents, & being blocked at every turn has them scrambling to figure out why the kids were taken and who really has them, & why they are being killed. An explosive twist of events & psycho subject 037 dropping hints along the way keeps this a nail biter to the end.… (mais)

When a young girl is found dead in a cage, FBI neuroscientist Sayer Altair must take a break from her research into the brains of serial killers. This killer seems to be very sadistic, letting the young victim slowly starve to death, but strangely, had given the girl a puppy. The case is complicated further by the fact that the girl is the daughter of a senator. Sayer tries to figure out the killers motive, but the situation becomes dire when they realize another girl is locked up somewhere...

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!… (mais)