Review by: Mark Palm If there were as many serial killers in the world as there are novels about them I would be fitfully tossing in my bed each night, unable to sleep because of the assault rifle tucked beneath my pillows. It would seem that we can’t get enough of them. If each one was as good as Huntress Moon I know that I couldn't get enough. Even though there are bound to be similarities between this book and all of the other novels in the genre Ms. Sokoloff gives us plenty of original twists to make this a terrific thriller. FBI Special Agent Matthew Roarke witnesses the death of an undercover agent on a busy San Francisco street. What seems like an accident bothers him, and he begins to suspect that a woman he saw speaking with the agent right before his death may have been involved. From this simple premise a long and twisting story unfolds. We follow Matthew as he finds himself investigating the woman he saw, but also an older case, a famous unsolved mass murder that inspired him to do what he does. Matt is a vivid character, and the woman he is hunting, the enigmatic huntress is even more so. The rest of Matt’s team, and his colleagues, are solid, if less interesting. They fill their roles, however, and push the plot and story along. Ms. Sokoloff seems spot-on in her procedures, and protocols, and she gives us a view of law enforcement that is free of most of the clichés that usually make me grind my teeth. Of particular interest is the way she handles the intricate cat-and-mouse game between Matt and the woman he is pursuing. There seems to be a connection between them, and Ms. Sokoloff does an excellent job in letting it simmer, and teasing out the details to show the nature of the relationship between them. As always, in books like this, that feature a ton of smart plot twists and turns, I can only divulge so much without spilling the beans and ruining the book, but I can tell you that each session with this book kept me up later and later, reading just a few more pages to get to the next scene. I am sure that you have heard the word “chilling” applied to a ton of thrillers, yet in this case it fits. Huntress Moon works as much like a horror novel as it does a thriller, borrowing the best from each, and leaving the worst behind. As this book came to a close I found myself longing to read the second installment, and that is rare for me. Blood Moon here I come. |
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July 2020
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