Do you want to know what it’s like to die, to kill, to really fear for your life? Then get hooked… everything up to the final, brutal moments of their lives—the sights, the sounds, the scents, the pain—is also the punishment reserved for the criminals themselves.
Barnes has had enough. Enough of the memories that aren’t his. Enough of the horror. Enough of the voices inside his head that were never meant to take root…until a masked serial killer known as Calavera strikes a little too close to home.
Now, with Calavera on the loose, Barnes is ready to reconnect, risking his life—and his sanity. Because in the mind of this serial killer, there is one secret even Barnes has yet to see…
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Too futuristic.
My Kindle First Reads Selection Was Not What I Expected
First, if you are going to read Punishment, do not stop after the first few chapters. I came close to doing just that. The novel opens up with Detective Barnes extremely drunk and walks onto a tracks of an oncoming train. He is saved by phone call. On his way to and at the crime scene he swills black coffee to hide the liquor on his breath. At the crime scene his partner, Lieutenant Detective, Franklin, asks Barnes if he has been drinking. This to me was very unprofessional behavior for both detectives. This turned my off. After reading a little farther, I understood that Barnes behavior was the result of the use of a machine that, if used right after death, can recover the victims the thoughts, fears and the input of all that person’s senses. Barnes was the designated detective to experience these final moments to find any clues to the identity of the killer.
Franklin and Barnes are the lead detectives on this Serial Murderer case on which not much progress has been made to date. Franklin’s previous partner was a casualty of this case and The Machine. The murderer wears a Day of the Dead sugar-skull mask—hence, the colorful book cover. He uses a pickax and leaves poems at the crime scenes.
The novel takes off from here as Franklin and Barnes attempt to identify the connection between seemingly random victims. Barnes relives the final terrifying last moments of all of the victims. There were adequate twists and misdirections in the plot that kept my interest.
The B-storyline was most focused primarily on Barnes. He has much emotional baggage before taking is assignment in the Homicide Squad. The repeated use of The Machine starts to take a toll on Barnes. The author weaves a very troubled detective coping with the death of his brother in his youth, the addiction to The Machine, the memory of all the victims, and the serial murderer striking someone dear to Barnes. This b-storyline works well with and enriches the main storyline.
There are some aspects to which some readers may object. There is the regular use of vulgar language and gestures, context appropriate in my opinion. There is graphic violence as the last murderous seconds of lives being taken by a pickax are described. Lastly, there are sex scenes as they were some of the thoughts of some victims just before their death. I would rate all of this as a strong “R” rating.
What I did like about this novel was that The Machine was not the magic key in solving this serial murder case, but a conduit for the murderer to taunt the police. I would not rate this novel as science fiction as this was not a magic wand, but just a tool. I also liked the dark side of this tool’s use. What the novel did not do was to capture my interest so that I would be compelled to continue reading when I should be doing other things. Because of this, I rate this novel with four stars. It was an enjoyable read, and I believe you will too.