Acquired Motives

Dr. Sylvia Strange #2

by Sarah Lovett

A different kind of serial killer is terrorizing the city of Santa Fe. All of the victims have one thing in common: they were violent sex offenders who slipped through the cracks in the justice system, and walked on legal technicalities. Someone has decided to make them pay. Forensic psychologist Dr. Sylvia Strange is called upon to help catch the killer, even if she has mixed feelings about the victims. She must uncover the pain of a madman -- pain that has driven him over the edge and into the depths of sadistic retribution.

But Sylvia soon draws the attentions of the vigilante, who decides that anyone who tries to stop justice must be dealt with as any other criminal -- with a sentence of death.

Includes exciting excerpts from Sarah Lovett's thrillers featuring Dr. Sylvia Strange: "Dangerous Attachments, A Desperate Silence, Dantes' Inferno" and her lastest hardcover, "Dark Alchemy," coming soon from Simon and Schuster

Genres: Mystery

368 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Before crafting her gripping thrillers, Sarah Lovett immersed herself in the very world her fiction explores.

With a degree in Criminal Justice from the University of New Mexico, she stepped directly into the legal and investigative sphere—working within the state’s Office of the Attorney General. It was here that she encountered the stark realities of forensic analysis, behavioral profiling, and the mechanics of organized crime.

Her research extended beyond office walls. Lovett spent time inside the New Mexico State Penitentiary, conducting interviews with offenders and law enforcement officials alike. Those firsthand encounters revealed a side of justice few ever witness—a world both brutal and humanizing.

Every detail in her novels, from the precision of forensic evidence to the psychological nuance of her protagonists, is grounded in years of direct observation, institutional collaboration, and meticulous fieldwork. For Lovett, truth itself is a powerful catalyst—one that continually transforms her fiction into reality.

Reviews

[Irv Kantrowitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This a thrilling novel that I truly enjoyed. It is about a psychologist, psychopathic killers, and gruesome murders. It is a little hard to read due to some graphic descriptions.

[Lindsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just a basic "thriller" (it was rarely scary or suspenseful). It was less fun reading her book not being in Santa Fe.

[Janice · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read the first twenty or so pages and just can't get into it.