“5/5 … This smart mystery by Layton Green [is] a real page-turner.” – San Francisco Book Review
Library Journal Starred ReviewMysteryPeople bookstore Pick of the Month
Poisoned Pen bookstore Fresh Fiction Selection Detective Joe “Preach” Everson, a prison chaplain turned police officer, is coming home. After a decade tracking down killers in Atlanta, and with a reputation as one of the finest … home. After a decade tracking down killers in Atlanta, and with a reputation as one of the finest homicide detectives in the city, his career derailed when he suffered a mental breakdown during the investigation of a serial killer who was targeting children.
No sooner does Preach arrive at home in Creekville, North Carolina–a bohemian community near Chapel Hill–than a local bookstore owner is brutally killed, the first murder in a decade. The only officer with homicide experience, Preach is assigned to the case and makes a shocking discovery: the bookstore owner has been murdered in exactly the same manner as the pawnbroker in Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment.
With the help of Ariana Hale, a law student and bibliophile who knew the victim, Preach investigates the local writer’s community. As their questions increase, a second body is found, this time eerily resembling the crime scene in a famous Edgar Allan Poe novella. Preach and Ariana realize that their adversary is an intelligent, literate killer with a mind as devious as it is disturbed–and that one or both of them may be his next target.
good but a bit long.
While the basic idea was interesting, the actual plot didn’t really work and seemed contrived and mechanical. The characters were uninteresting and generally lacked believability. The writing was flat and not involving, a slow and rather boring read.
This is my favorite Layton Green work so far. While I really enjoy the Dominic Grey novels, I generally prefer this genre of mystery. A little bit of Agatha Christie meets Stieg Larsson meets James Lee Burke. Dark and elegant – well written, fast paced, tight plot, and most of all, I loved the characters.
Detective Joe “Preach” Everson is my favorite Green lead character to date. Green makes it very easy to empathize with Preach and while he is clearly a “good guy” character, he does have his flaws.
As to the plot and storyline, it is an engrossing mystery that takes place in a local town in NC. The story moves along and while there is rarely any downtime in the pace, the breaks are well done and help to build the characters overall. While I have loved the globetrotting settings of the Dominic Grey novels, it is always fun to have a setting that is cozy and eclectic.
Would definitely recommend this to someone looking for a good detective story.
This was an exciting mystry. It kept me trying to guess who the killer was and I was surprised how wrong my guess was as to the actual killer. This was agoodbook.
“He was here for the potential victims. For Ari. For the people living in fear in the town of Creekville. He ran away once before, from this town and from himself. He wasn’t doing it again. Not while he still had a choice.”
This was my first read of Layton Green, and I’m already planning my trip back to the little bookstore in town to grab another one! What a great thriller!! I never saw the end coming!! And the literary tie-in is brilliant!!
Joe “Preach” Everson has just returned to his hometown of Creekville, NC. After his career as a detective in Atlanta ended after a mental-breakdown following his investigation of a serial killer targeting children, he thought returning to the small town would be just what he needed. But, now there’s been a murder in this small town – one that has strange ties to a literary classic novel. Then another. And another. The killer is mimicking the murders described in famous books – to the letter. As the bodies pile up, as well as the literary connections, Preach enlists the help of Ari Hale, a local bookstore manager, to find the links within the murder scenes and the books to help track down the culprit.
As the two race against time before another citizen of Creekville ends up at the morgue, the clues lead to the last person Preach would have suspected. But, will Preach solve the case before he finds himself, and Ari, the killer’s next victims?
I was captivated by this book! The connection to the novels is genius! I absolutely loved it and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a great read, with a surprising ending!! Never in a million years did I see that coming!