One By One
Chris Carter
'I need your help, Detective. Fire or water?' Detective Robert Hunter of the LAPD's Homicide Special Section receives an anonymous call asking him to go to a specific web address - a private broadcast. Hunter logs on and a show devised for his eyes only immediately begins. But the caller doesn't want Detective Hunter to just watch, he wants him to participate, and refusal is simply not an option. Forced to make a sickening choice, Hunter must sit and watch as an unidentified victim is tortured and murdered live over the Internet. The LAPD, together with the FBI, use everything at their disposal to electronically trace the transmission down, but this killer is no amateur, and he has covered his tracks from start to finish. And before Hunter and his partner Garcia are even able to get their investigation going, Hunter receives a new phone call. A new website address. A new victim. But this time the killer has upgraded his game into a live murder reality show, where anyone can cast the deciding vote.
I have to say that after reading the previous books in this series I was pretty sure I knew what was coming in terms of the shock factor and gore. I was wrong! The opening of this book alone was enough to make my skin start crawling and the book only got more graphic and descriptive as time went on. I don’t say this as a negative as in my opinion it adds to the fear factor which always gets my heart racing. That aside, people who aren’t fans of this type of thing may not want to read this series.
Detective Robert Hunter of the Homicide Special Section is back and this time a killer like no other is out on the prowl. He calls Robert Hunter and asks for his help. All Robert has to do is choose Fire or water, a seemingly simple decision. However, when it becomes clear that the killer wants Robert to choose the victims method of death the story takes a serious and nasty turn.
The story starts to unravel and the killer becomes bolder with each victim and pretty soon the kills are being seen live on the internet. Hunters partner Garcia is a favourite of mine too and he becomes more involved than usual in this latest story. The plot is cleverly crafted and the suspense is at the highest I imagine you get with a book like this. The book takes you down a very dark and twisted road that layers plot threads as the story progresses. I found myself feeling every type of emotion possible when reading it.
In addition to the excellent writing and storyline Carter has created characters I care about. By the end of this book I felt my heart sink as repercussions for the next book could go either way. I am so pleased that I have managed to get up to speed with the series, meaning I can get ready for the next and most recent instalment of the series, An Evil Mind which was released 31st July 2014.
Review by Katherine Everett, Best Crime Books
About Chris Carter:
Born in Brasilia, the capital of Brazil, where he spent his childhood and teenage years, Chris Carter moved to the USA after graduating, where he studied psychology with a specialization in criminal behaviour. During his University years he held a variety of odd jobs, ranging from flipping burgers to being part of an all male exotic dancing group.
Chris worked as a criminal psychologist for several years, during which time he interviewed and worked on over one hundred cases involving serial killers, murderers and serious offenders, before moving to Los Angeles, where he swapped the suits and briefcases for ripped jeans, bandanas and an electric guitar. After a spell playing for several well known glam rock bands, he decided to try his luck in London, where he played for a number of famous artists and would tour the world several times as a professional musician.
A few years ago he gave it all up to become a full time writer.