The Crucifix Killer

This book started out so violent and gory that I almost quit right off the bat. But then I thought about how my GR friend Matt seemed to like it, and he's from Canada, so surely I, from the violent USA, could finish it. So, I stuck to it, and aside from lots of overly detailed, over-the-top violence, I mostly enjoyed it. It may be that the violence was so extreme that it just didn't seem real (wishful thinking?).

I enjoyed the main characters. Robert Hunter is an interesting character, very smart, dedicated, and mostly serious. His new partner goes well as a sidekick, adding both humor and acting as a soundboard for Hunter. The story seemed almost hopeless, and indeed I think Hunter was beginning to think so too, as he's been working on show more this case for a few years and getting nowhere. Well, except they thought they might have caught the killer a year or two earlier, but he came back.

I wasn't real happy with the way the ending played out. I thought it was out of character for the killer, and perhaps not well thought out by the author. But I gave in a bit after the recap by Hunter, which explained it enough to be acceptable.

All in all, it was good enough for me to try the next one in the series, while the characters are still fresh in my mind. show less

I am still amazed that I never heard of this author until recently. Leave it to your local librarian to make suggestions that are on target! This is the first book by this author in what is now a series starring Homicide Detective Robert Hunter. In this first book, people are being killed in a manner that makes each one suffer unbearably before they are finally killed. It is up to Hunter and his new partner to try to figure out how these deaths are connected and who is responsible for their deaths. We find out along the way why Hunter is alone, what happens when he takes a chance on having a relationship and what happened to his last partner. The action never ceases in this difficult to put down book. I am about to start the second book show more in this series soon, which says it all. show less

Detective Robert Hunter and his new rookie partner, Carlos Garcia, are on the trail of a vicious and sadistic killer after finding the body of a young woman tied to wooden posts, naked and with the skin removed from her face. Her neck has a familiar carving, that of a double cross symbol which was the signature of a serial killer known as the Crucifix Killer. However, two years earlier the Crucifix Killer was apprehended and killed after committing seven other murders. Since the double cross was never made public, Hunter, who never believed they had captured the true killer, believes the new murders were made by the original killer and not a copycat.

The opening chapter is absolutely riveting and made me eager to find out how it could show more have happened. The characters were very well written and believable for the most part. I enjoyed Hunter's backstory and his relationship with his new partner. This was an outstanding thriller, especially given that it was the author's debut novel. It's not for the squeamish but if you enjoy the more gritty suspense novels, this is definitely one of the best I've read all year. show less

Brilliantly, icky!

The Crucifix Killer starts with a fast paced teaser and hook, moves back to five weeks earlier where we are drawn into the lives of experienced Homicide Detective Robert Hunter and his rookie partner, Carlos Garcia, and their involvement with a sick killer who methodically plans and savours slow torture and mutilation in some delightfully enterprising yet grotesque ways. But the murderer, nicknamed The Crucifix Killer because of the double edged cross he carves on the neck of each victim as his modus operandi, has already been captured and executed. Did they catch the wrong person or are lives being taken by a copycat killer?

Assigned to the case again, Hunter, becomes the target of the killer's games; each time a show more murder is about to happen the killer phones him personally with a riddle to solve in order to save the next victim's life. Under pressure from the bosses, and against the clock, Hunter and Garcia diligently search for clues to the killer's identity and motives, but he's clever, always one step ahead of them and finding concrete evidence proves to be an impossible desperate task.

Through his characters, Chris Carter really involved me; I felt the detectives frustration as time began to run out, and despaired when another seemingly "impossible to overcome" obstacle got in the way. Hunter, has his share of problems; alcoholism, a dead ex-partner, and fears of the possibility that his new girlfriend, Isabella, could become a target. Young Garcia struggles to keep the required balance between his demanding new job and his relationship with his wife.

Even a secondary character, D-King, big-time pimp and drug dealer, will have you rooting for something that is illegal and imorral. It is claimed that Chris Carter can easily rival similar writers of this genre, such as Deaver (for plot) and Reichs (for tension), to me this is not just hype. The author is as sharp as his killer's blade and provides well-written evidence of a true storyteller; great plot twists, subplots and high-tension through multi-layered characters. Plus ingenious redherrings to throw the reader off course, as does the killer with Hunter and Garcia. When the killer's identity was finally revealed, I didn't see it coming. In addition, Carter studied psychology and criminal behaviour, and it shows in the cleverly entwined details. If you like to be taken by surprise and held tight, unable to stop reading or sleep well until the killer is caught, then this is the story for you. Brilliantly, icky.

Sassy Brit
July 2009 show less

[The Crucifix Killer] by Chris Carter
Robert Hunter series Book #1
5★'s

From The Book:
When the body of a young woman is discovered in a derelict cottage in the middle of Los Angeles National Forest, Homicide Detective Robert Hunter finds himself entering a horrific and recurring nightmare. Naked, strung from two parallel wooden posts, the victim was sadistically tortured before meeting an excruciatingly painful death. All the skin has been ripped from her face - while she was still alive. On the nape of her neck has been carved a strange double-cross: the signature of a psychopath known as the Crucifix Killer. But that's impossible. Because two years ago, the Crucifix Killer was caught and executed. Could this therefore be a copycat show more killer? Or could the unthinkable be true? Is the real killer still out there, ready to embark once again on a vicious and violent killing spree, selecting his victims seemingly at random, taunting Robert Hunter with his inability to catch him? Hunter and his rookie partner are about to enter a nightmare beyond imagining.

My Thoughts:
I read out of order so I have read other Chris Carter books before this one that we read as a group read. I knew what an incredible writer Chris Carter was and what fascinating, believable, liable characters he has created in this series that just keeps getting better and better...so I was expecting nothing less than a stellar performance with the [The Crucifix Killer] and Carter delivered 100%.

One of the reasons that this author writes with such knowledge about serial killers is that he is somewhat of an expert on the subject. In reading his bio I discovered that Carter studied psychology and criminal behavior and went on to be a part of the Michigan State District Attorney's Criminal Psychology Team. Because of that he spent a lot of time interviewing and studying a lot of criminals, some of whom were serial killers. This he has very successfully transferred into his ultra-ego , Robert Hunter and why his books portray such real-life horror.

They're not for everyone. They tend to be very dark but then they are dealing with a very dark subject. show less

This book is just a one big giant mess, but not in immensely terrible way, but in immensely good way, for on one hand it's filled with so much gore that you find it easy to put it down, ignore it, and put it aside, and on the other hand it's filled with such a twisted story line that keeps evolving throughout the book that you find it immensely hard to put it down, ignore it, and put it aside. It all depends on whether or not you stomach can handle some masterfully written scenes. Which is proof right there that Chris Carter has got a lot of potential to become one of the best Thriller writers out there in a matter of years. For this man has created another man, a truly brilliant man who knows way too much because he reads too much that show more goes by the name Robert Hunter. Robert Hunter, a homicide detective that fights with and hunts for world's craziest monsters out there who are ready to do anything for justice they didn't receive, and he does it by connecting the dots and solving the craziest crimes committed. So, if you're a thriller book fan, or even a thriller newbie, and your stomach can handle the gore, then don't hesitate, go to the library, or a local book store, grab this book, pay for it, put it on your bookshelf, read it when opportunity presents itself to you, and write a honest review. For if my sincere thoughts and my book reviews mean something after these past few weeks, you shall thank me later and you won't be sorry at all, for Chris Carter is a truly brilliant writer who shall keep you turn page after page after page, all the way to its truly brilliant twist that even shocked my beautiful mind. show less

Un libro de novela negra muy bien construida y manejada, con un asesino digno para este tipo de género, sin ser especialmente explícito en cuanto a las escenas de los asesinatos, si que te pone los pelos de punta de lo que sabes que hace el asesino a sus victimas.

Hunter por otro lado es un digno protagonista de este tipo de libros, me ha encantado su personalidad, que esta entre eso que tanto vemos en estos libros, deprimente, solo, alcohólico y lo normal, es decir, tiene su pasado, tiene su historia, tiene su soledad, pero no es un personaje deprimente ni mucho menos, mas inteligente que la media, bien parecido y atrayente, así que espero que la serie la sigan publicando en Español, que no se tarden y que por favor publiquen los show more libros en orden.

Por supuesto que recomiendo este libro para todos aquellos amantes del género negro, es un digno representante. show less