To think that the first book by Allison Brennan I read involved the character Max Revere just baffles me. All of Brennan's series follow the Kincaid family - one member or sometimes multiple - even if they aren't the main character or focus. But the Max Revere series is different, as it only had one book that crossed over to the Kincaid clan.
Killing Fear is the first book of the Prison Break trilogy. Carina and Dillon Kincaid are included, but this story clearly follows Carina's police partner, Will Hooper.
The Prison Break trilogy follows the No Evil trilogy, as Patrick Kincaid is already in a coma, where he was when No Evil ended - all due to a trap that had been set for those trying to rescue the youngest Kincaid, Lucy.
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The Plot
Killing Fear starts off from the perspective of the criminal Theodore Glenn. No only is he guilty for murdering a number of people, but now he has managed to escape prison after only seven years of serving time.
But he isn't trying to escape. Not the country, anyway. Instead, he has his mind set on the same goal that evaded him seven years ago: getting Robin McKenna, the only girl to ever turn him down. The only girl to see him for who he was. The only girl to ever make him feel anything - most of which was rooted in anger.
Glenn is fueled by the reactions of his victims. He likes to watch. He likes to see the pain that he has managed to cause. And because of this, he makes sure to know his victims well. He knows their weaknesses. He knows how to make them hurt. And so he's tormented Robin McKenna for the past seven years, after killing a number of her friends.
But Glenn isn't the only criminal in this book. In fact, part of what is driving him is an attempt to clear his name. He admits to murdering three girls, but claims to have been set up for the fourth girl that had ultimately led to his conviction. Evidence was planted, or so he says. But the M.O. (modus operandi … AKA method of working) matches. If it wasn't Glenn, whoever did it wanted Glenn to go down for this murder, too.
Will Hooper is working double time trying to get to the truth of what happened seven years ago, catch a prison escapee, and put his life back on track from where it had been put on hold seven years ago when Robin McKenna had walked out of his life.
But Glenn won't stop until he has Robin. Or Will. He knows that they will be each other's biggest weakness, and he plans to exploit that to the best of his ability.
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Allison Brennan never ceases to amaze me in her writing. Since the story started out with knowing who the murderer had been, it was impressive that she was able to maintain the audience's interest, constantly building the suspense despite already having the answers. Then she throws in a few curveballs to make readers realize that they don't have all of the answers afterall.
Definitely a brilliant writer, Brennan's books, trilogies, and series are all worth reading. I cannot recommend her enough.