Title: The Death Watcher

Author: Chris Carter

Genre: Thriller

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Rating: 4/5

Cover:

Summary:

When a routine autopsy on what looked like a straightforward hit-and-run leads the LA Chief Medical Examiner, Dr Carolyn Hove, to discover some puzzling inconsistencies, she calls in Detective Robert Hunter of the LAPD Ultra Violent Crimes Unit. Not only did Dr Hove discover that the death wasn’t caused by a hit-and-run, but she also found indications that the victim had been severely tortured prior to death.

What no one realises is that what Dr Hove has stumbled upon is just the tip of the iceberg and it will lead Hunter and his partner, Carlos Garcia, on the trail of a twisted and clever killer who hides in plain sight. A serial killer no one even knew existed – a killer who has always operated under the radar, expertly disguising every gruesome murder as an accidental death.

But with no leads as to why the victim was targeted, the investigation comes to a standstill, until another body is discovered with an alternative cause of death.

What becomes clear is that this serial killer isn’t going to stop – unless Hunter and Garcia can get to him.

But how do you investigate a murder when you have no victims? How do you catch a killer who leaves behind no crime scene? How do you stop a ghost who no one can prove even exists?

Review:

This is the thirteenth book in the tension-filled Robert Hunter series and is just as propulsive and full of chilling twists and turns as the rest of them. The Death Watcher is perhaps even more frightening as it’s based on true events. I found the idea of a villain who hides his horrific crimes behind the veneer of accidental deaths completely terrifying and an unusual, quite original, slant on the serial killer thriller. It makes the investigation even more complicated and opaque than usual in this series and I really enjoyed that aspect. The partnership between Robert and Carlos is also enjoyable and their relationships with other characters in the series makes for a compelling and intriguing unraveling of the harrowing case they are working on. I’d say this one is a little bit more of a slow burn than some of the other Robert Hunter books but I actually found that quite satisfying as we learn more and more about what is really behind all these mysterious killings. The Death Watcher is another gripping and twisted read in a very entertaining series which, if you enjoy disturbing thrillers, I would definitely recommend! 

★★★★

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers for having me on this Blogathon. My review is entirely my own honest opinion.

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