Dead On-Robert W. Walker

Dead On
Robert W. Walker
Five Star, Jul 2009, $25.99
ISBN 9781594147814

The bloodbath that left his partner Stan Miersky and two uniform cops dead forced Marcus Rydell from the Atlanta police department in disgrace as he survived the massacre by fainting; his wife took their two kids to Ohio. He tried for the last four years to make it as a private investigator, but failed miserably as his heart was never in taking photos of cheating spouses. He now sits in his apartment with a gun contemplating suicide when he hears a noise upstairs that awakens his dormant detective genes. He races upstairs to find a little girl has killed an apparent pervert. Another neighbor Dr. Kat Holley arrives to help the child and invites Marcus to meet her for a drink.

He comes to the bar and she points a gun at him accusing him of killing her husband, APD cop Rydell four years ago in the incident that ended so tragically. She shows him letters from the cop killer hunter Iden Cantu, still eluding the law, who threatens to add her to his count. They agree to team up to capture and she to butcher the psychopath. However, he leaves them a holiday calling card when he tortures and kills the fiancé of the other dead cop from four years ago. Kat and Marcus know he is coming for them and the family members of his partner.

This is an exhilarating cat and mouse thriller that takes too long for the anticipated confrontation to occur; when it does it is first rate. Kat and Marcus are a fascinating couple as neither has moved passed the massacre and both want Iden dead. When their dysfunctional relationship changes from killing Iden to love, some of the steam is lost with the expected switch. Still they make the tale as they plan to hunt the predator; not understanding how clever and diabolical their enemy is thogh revenge proves extremely pointed.

Harriet Klausner