Synopsis
As he enters the victim's apartment building, thirty-two-year-old District of Columbia detective John Carnes knows that this case will not be like the commonplace D.C. street murders that typically occupy his time. The tony, upper-Wisconsin-Avenue address, just across the street from the Washington Cathedral, is far removed from the drug-infested neighborhoods to the south and east that are more familiar to members of the homicide squad. Despite the comment of the uniform cop on the scene that "It is pretty nasty," the detective is struck by the brutality of the murder.
In reconstructing the victim's personal life, Carnes discovers that she was involved in a long-term relationship with her boss, an influential Washington attorney. Then another young, "collegiate type," career woman is found brutally murdered. Similarities in the two crimes convince the detective that he is dealing with a sexually-twisted serial killer. Unfortunately, the truth is even more sinister. Joined by his partner, Pete Rodriguez, a cautious veteran nearing retirement, and Del Clinton, a streetwise cop out of the city's projects, Carnes's search for the killer leads him into his own past and forces him to confront some distressing truths about his almost debilitating sexual appetites and obsessions.
A single parent of a seven-year-old daughter, Carnes tries desperately to prevent his compulsions from crippling his ability to be the good father she needs, from destroying a promising career, and wrecking what may be his first relationship with a woman who really means something to him.
As the detective struggles to pull the investigation - and his life - together, the killer stalks the next victim on his list. Carnes must discover what links the killer and his victims before he strikes again - and this time, the target of his awful revenge could be someone Carnes truly loves.
Reviews
Homicide Detective John Carnes of the Washington, D.C., police can't resist sleeping with every attractive woman he meets in the line of duty-a trait that creates personal angst, trouble at work and the disapproval of his seven-year-old daughter. His condition, treated seriously here as sex addiction, lends his character a depth not to be found elsewhere in this otherwise rigidly formulaic debut by a D.C.-area prosecutor. Young alumnae of the University of Maryland are turning up dead, bound and viciously tormented before being strangled. Investigating are Carnes and his Hispanic partner, supported by a host of other cops, who quip and vamp around the crime scenes to show how inured they've become to violence. These officers aren't the brightest bulbs: it takes them many plodding hours to reach some obvious conclusions about the horseshoe-shaped sign left at the murder scenes; at least one other big clue stumps them as well. In time, Carnes falls in love with a worthy if humorless young marketing manager who, ultimately and predictably, must be rescued before she becomes the killer's next victim. Stone displays an excellent knowledge of procedural matters, and his male characters are sympathetic. His women, however, are either sex kittens or so decent they're dull, and his dialogue and plotting are disappointing.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Another grisly series of sex murders, this one kicked off by the killing of D.C. paralegal Victoria Benton. The killer is into bondage, torture, and horseshoes (an icon he lipsticks on the bathroom wall)--a good fit for John Carnes, the detective heading the investigation, since he's into addictive sexual relationships himself, despite the disapproval of his partner and his guilt over neglecting his daughter. As the case unfolds, first-novelist Stone reveals via a series of overwrought vignettes from the killer's viewpoint that the perp, like Carnes, has a background of sexual abuse and humiliation. Taking a break from his compulsive series of meaningless one-night stands (most of them described for the reproving reader), Carnes, who's convinced that the killer will strike again, reaches out for help to Sex Addicts Anonymous and the chaste embraces of Vicky's former sorority roommate Becky Granite; meanwhile, sure enough, his quarry, less lucky in love, dispatches two other victims (a third is discovered from a year back in Ocean City, trademark wounds, lipstick horseshoe and all) and is obviously closing in on Becky as Carnes races platonically to her side. The whole package is presented with an unfocused intensity that might pass for professionalism if not for the amateurish handling of the killer, who would need special lighting to stand out from the wallpaper. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Stone, a former special assistant U.S. attorney, has delivered a meaty first novel starring D.C. police detective and single parent John Carnes. Carnes and partner Pete Rodriguez considered themselves anesthetized to crime scenes until they encounter the murder of paralegal Vicky Benton, a killing so sadistic and sexual in tone that Carnes's superiors turn up the pressure full-blast to break the case even before victim number two is casually dumped in an alley. The womanizing Carnes is forced to peer into the murky depths of his own psyche when he finds himself emotionally involved with a young woman he meets while interviewing friends of the victims. Authentic cop banter and characters with believable quirks add up to an impressive premiere sure to ignite interest in a series. For most fiction collections.?Susan A. Zappia, Maricopa Cty. Lib., Phoenix
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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