Officer Kate Marino has a complicated relationship with her hometown. But there’s one thing that could bring her Her seventeen-year-old niece Alice disappeared two days ago. And she’s not the only woman who’s gone missing.

With police dogs Nero and Bella (now retired) in tow, Kate returns to her childhood home and the ghosts that inhabit it. It’s not just the looming presence of her father, however, that hinders Kate’s investigation. Something even more sinister awaits her there.

Dead bodies confirm the missing women are the work of a serial killer who hunts his prey through the New Hampshire wilderness. With time running out, Kate’s determined to find Alice before she becomes his next victim.

Alongside Deputy Sheriff Roy Hoover, Kate and her loyal dogs scour the area for clues, motive, and the secrets harbored by each victim. Kate ran away from Cooperton once before—but this time, she’ll stay and face its demons…

‘In The Killer’s Sight’ was a roll of the dice, an Amazon Prime First Reads by an author who was new to me. I’m glad I took the risk. The book was a delightful surprise: a mystery with a strong plot, good pacing, a credible female lead, believable (although not always pleasant) family relationships and two very good dogs. 

The opening chapter was unpleasant and disturbing. It put me inside the head of a serial killer. It was credible and not exploitative, which made it even more disturbing. I knew that I wouldn’t make it through the novel if I had to spend a long time in this guy’s head. 

Fortunately, the second chapter pushed back the slime of the first. It delivered fast action and rapid, simple but effective character building. The finely tuned tension was salted with Kate Marion’s spiky, witty, interior monologue. The whole chapter was lifted by Kate’s working relationship with an engaging dog.

The plot was solid and kept me guessing about who the killer was. The tension was finely honed. Suspects were subtly trailed. The balance between threat and hope kept the story moving.

I liked that the women the killer took were not just victims or necessary plot devices. They were drawn as clearly as the rest of the characters. 

Kate Marino was an excellent lead character – not a superhero, but a woman whose strength had been tested by having bad things happen to her and who keeps moving forward because she is a single parent with a teenage daughter.

What I liked most were the scenes in Kate’s family. The way the women talked to each other felt real. These conversations grounded the rest of the book.

My best surprise was that each of the two dogs got a chapter written from their point of view. For me, those were two of the best chapters in the book. I loved being inside their heads.

‘In the Killer’s Sight’ is the first in a series. I’ll certainly be back for more when the next book comes out. 

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