Life is going well for criminal psychology student Brooke Douger – she gets her big break in the courtroom, getting to give expert testimony for the first time, and also helps her best friend Jacob land a new job nearby that will allow her to see more of him. At the same time, romance could be in the air when she meets someone new through her involvement in a high profile trial. However, even as all these good things are happening, could she be on the verge of being drawn into something more sinister?

This enjoyable thriller is told from 3 perspectives – we see events unfold through the eyes of Brooke and her friend Jacob, and also through the internal monologue of a shadowy serial killer. The approach of having these three threads works well, and helps build the reader’s interest as multiple mysteries take shape, affecting the characters in different ways. The author makes good use of her real life experience of criminal psychology to bring her antagonist to life, and the courtroom scenes also feel well grounded in reality, bring to mind the work of John Grisham in places. The action and intrigue build nicely to a climax, giving the reader plenty to guess about right up until the end – and even leaving room for ambiguity and interpretation on the last page.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, which is one of the most polished works I have read in quite a while. I highly recommend it to fans of thrillers and suspense, and look forward to reading more from the author.