Enter the GIVEAWAY at the end of this post.
Synopsis:
When
a correctional officer climbs his watchtower and opens fire, federal
investigator Marcus Williams and serial killer Francis Ackerman Jr.
must join forces again to unearth the truth behind the incident. A
serial killer is using the prison as his hunting ground. But the
Judas Killer's ambitions don't end with a few murders. He wants to go
down in history.
Ackerman
is undercover among the inmates and Marcus tracks down the mastermind
on the outside. The more they learn about what's happening in the
prison, the more enemies they must face, including an inmate with
no identity and known only as Demon. How does he fit into the Judas Killer's
plans?This book was tough going for me. I have not read the earlier books in the series and I felt lost at the beginning of this one. There was not enough back story included in the early part of this novel to get me up to speed quickly. Because of that, I would suggest you read the earlier three books before reading this one.
A
second reason this book was tough reading for me is because it is
very descriptive of gruesome scenes. It was a bit much. One character
is demon possessed and we get to see what he sees. There is lots of
violence too and the scenes are graphically described.
This
is a long novel made so by two aspects of it. Cross is often detailed
in his descriptions. I remember him describing where a light switch
was and why that was a bad place and that it should have been changed
when the building was remodeled for its present use. And, of course,
there are frequently detailed descriptions of scenes, often gruesome.
Another
aspect of the lengthy novel is the ruminations of the characters.
This is a novel for people who like to get into the mind of a serial
killer. There is much about how it makes him feel to kill and to do
it with torture.
I
found one aspect of the novel very interesting. Part of the plot
involves a new prison system. It is a private one and the thought is
that the convicts can be rehabilitated. There is an interesting
discussion about evil in the narrative. Marcus, the government agent
and brother to a horrible serial murderer, comments, “I believe in
evil. I just don't believe that people are evil. I think that men
carry out evil deeds because they've been corrupted in one way or
another, by lots of unseen forces. Things they had no control over.”
The discussion is important because the prison facility where some of
the action takes place is trying to bring the convicts to their good
origin before something tainted them. Whether man is born good or
already tainted would make for good discussion, as would the idea of
rehabilitating serial murderers.
The
book is rather well written. The character development is great,
especially the graphically portrayed serial murderer helping the
Department of Justice in this situation. The detailed plot is full of
surprises.
Readers
who enjoy a very complex plot with intense character development and
lots of gruesome scenes will enjoy this novel. Sensitive readers may
find it a bit too much, as I did. And do be sure to read the previous
novels as there is not enough information in this one to really
understand the history of the major characters and how that affects
their current work.
You
can read an excerpt here.
I am taking part in a blog tour of this book. Click here to view the 'The Judas Game by Ethan Cross' Tour Participants.
My
rating: 3/5 stars.
Ethan
Cross is the award winning international bestselling author of The
Shepherd, The Prophet, The Cage, Callsign, Knight, Father of Fear,
and Blind Justice. In addition to writing and working in the
publishing industry, he has also served as the Chief Technology
Officer for a national franchise, recorded albums and opened for
national recording artists. He has been an active and involved member
of the International Thriller Writers organization and Novelists Inc.
He lives and writes in Illinois with his wife and their three
children. You can find out more at his website, or follow him on
Twitter and Facebook.
Book
Details
Genre:
Suspense
Published
by: The Story Plant
Publications
Date: October 2016
Number
of pages: 400
ISBN:
1611882346 (ISBN13: 9781611882346)
Series:
Shepherd #4
You
can buy your copy of The Judas Game by Ethan Cross at Amazon or
Barnes & Noble and add it to your list on GoodReads.
GIVEAWAY!
This
is a rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book
Tours for the Story Plant and Ethan Cross. There will be 1 winner of
one (1) @25 Amazon.com Giftcard AND there will be several winners of
one (1) eBook copy of The Shepherd by Ethan Cross. The giveaway
begins on September 29th and runs through December 5th,
2016.I received a complimentary digital copy of this book through Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours. My comments are an independent and honest review.
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