The Trinity Murders

by Jeff Dvorak

Includes the first chaptrer from the recently released, Sun, Surf, SuicideFBI profiler Topper McMullen was at the top of his craft until a mistake in judgment ended with the death of two little girls in Colorado. With his world rocked and life in disarray, Topper stepped away from his job and his girl in an effort to either right his ship or sink away into oblivion.He narrowed his choices to surfing in the tropics, joining the police force back home or simply hiding under the covers but his decision was made for him after receiving a phone call with a plea for help. The call came from Sargent Trufant in Dallas who believed he had stumbled upon a serial killer and wanted Topper's help. One man trying to slay the demons from a botched FBI case while the other trying to honor the memory of his dead daughter, the two men set out in an effort to link 32 murders across three states where the only connection is Trufant's gut feeling. With secret help from FBI Technical Analyst Minnie Marlow, Topper attempts to find answers for the 32 dead girls and for himself. It's a decision which could end up costing him his life..

Genres: Mystery

145 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 3, 2011

Reviews

[Jeff Dvorak · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a decent first effort and the author is a good guy so that helps. Although a complete book with no holes in the plot, the ending could be about 50 pages longer. As a first effort, I imagine he will get better at that as he writes more books, which I sincerely hope he does.

[Susie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic debut novel. Dvorak takes a tough subject and creates likable and believable characters to build and sustain the plot. I would have liked to have seen a little more development later in the book, as his writing is very descriptive and I was just getting into the flow of the novel when it started to resolve a little quickly. This did not detract from the book, though--and it is actually refreshing to read a work by an author who doesn't stretch a story just to fill the pages.

If you are a fan of James Patterson, this new author will be right up your alley. I hadn't read this genre of mystery in a while, and I am eagerly awaiting the next book in this series.

[Debra Barstad · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good mystery book. I liked how the story flowed and kept me on the edge of my seat. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good mystery.

[Anna Tan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dallas cop Sergeant Trufant invites Topper McMullen, on break from the FBI, to help him solve the mystery of a serial killer who has killed at least 32 women across three states. The Trinity Murders reminds me of the TV series Criminal Minds - you have an FBI profiler, a brilliant Tech Analyst, the local cops and a serial killer on the loose.

Story wise, The Trinity Murders is pretty much standard fare. Topper takes the case to clear his mind off his big mistake on the FBI team (would have been nice to know what that was in more detail, and earlier on in the story) and he's basically working in his own capacity to help the local cops, with only Minnie Marlow, the tech analyst, to help him. Minnie's pretty much a dead ringer for Penelope Garcia in Criminal Minds, except for her obsession with Mighty Mouse.

What drops the stars from a solid 3 to a 2, is mainly the writing style. Dvorak uses a lot of narration (slightly more info-dumpish, but not exactly) to move the story along, which makes it feel dryer and not as interesting as it could be. In the same way, the characters would have felt more "rounded" or more realistic if things about them were revealed in the course of the action/conversation rather than as part of the narration.

Overall, however, it was an okay read.

[Jim A · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I can’t say this was a great book, it was a good book.

Topper McMullen was a profiler for the FBI, currently on a leave of absence. He receives a call from a police officer in Dallas asking for help on what the police officer believes is a string of 32 abductions & murders that has not been put together as the work of a serial killer. This sort of stretches the reader’s imagination, as all of the bodies have been discovered in a three state area. Hard to imagine in this computer age that 32 bodies would escape the notice of everybody except for this Dallas police sergeant.

As this is a very short book, things tend to move rather quickly in the hunt for clues and the chase.

While I haven't watched the TV show in years, I couldn't help but think of the TV show Criminal Minds while reading this book, especially the character helping Topper with the computer work, Minnie.

[N. Kuhn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok, this book could have been good. Could have been. The plot Idea was interesting, but the execution was bad. This read like a horrible episode of Criminal Minds. Yes, the book seems to rip off several characters and themes of the show. Minnie was a poorly written Garcia. Each character, no matter how small a role, had a whole big back story that you got throughout the book. It took away from the story. The plot though thick, ended bleh, sort of anti-climactic. Though some parts drug on and on, others moved so quick you had to reread to understand. There were some editing errors which I could have looked past. But the whole story itself as a whole, does nothing to entice me to read more. I had to force myself to finish this. I just couldn't enjoy the story at all.

[Lori Henrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

While on leave from the FBI, Topper is asked to come to Dallas to help solve what might be a serial killer case. Someone is killing young women and leaving the bodies in three different states. Will he be able to redeem himself and solve the case and return to the FBI.

I really liked this story. It was fast paced and interesting. I liked the Topper character. I kind wanted the story to last longer.

[Melissa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Basically this book must have been written while watching Criminal Minds and just changed the names. Very predictable but it was free.

[Eydie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good fast read. A bit more violent that I usually like, but got through it in a couple days.