What do you think?
Rate this book
Tom Harper & Denise Levene #2
88 Killer: A chilling serial-killer thriller of spine-tingling suspense
A hate so strong it kills...Three unconnected crimes become linked in the most chilling way imaginable. Oliver Stark's second gruesome thriller, 88 Killer , is sure to enthral fans of MJ Arlidge and Angela Marsons.Raves for American Devil : 'Impressive... written with pace and a delicate feel for the darker shadows of the American psyche... Stark is an exceptional new British talent' - Daily MailThree crimes. The abduction of a teenage girl, heading towards a bus stop. A woman shot, point-blank during a brutal robbery. A young man tortured, his body found wrapped in barbed wire.With nothing to indicate that the three are connected, NYPD detective Tom Harper and psychologist Denise Levene must look beyond the surface to find a killer's true motivation. And they believe that they have found a murderer conditioned to hate and willing to go to any lengths to make his victims suffer.The killer has nothing to lose. Harper and Levene have one chance to catch him. Sometimes hate is just the beginning . . .What readers are saying about 88 Killer :'A true testament to a fantastic new author - a man that has real talent for this genre and I would highly recommend ''Once again I was met with well-drawn characters , a brilliant and engaging story and an interesting villain who is not immediately obvious . You may well not be able to put it down once you start! ''A thrilling, nail-biting climax which, as with American Devil, had me on the edge of my seat and I can say once again, that Oliver Stark is an amazingly clever and thrilling writer '
460 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2011
34 people are currently reading
162 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
June 19, 2012
Oliver Stark released his debut novel American Devil in 2010 which I devoured and absolutely loved. Sometimes when an author produces such a great debut there is an impending sense of doom. Maybe the next one won't be as good? How can it be with such a great start? Thankfully Oliver Stark has not only produced a great debut, he has produced a second book that is equally as good.
I downloaded the Kindle version and didn't realise that his second book is no less hefty than the first coming in at just under 500 pages. His first book introduced us to the two characters featuring in this story also. Denise Levene is a psychologist that was previously treating Tom Harper. Tom Harper is a copper that has a talent for catching the most evil of criminals. Both characters I fell in love with last time as they were a little different from the normal stereotypical characters. This time around we see them following the harrowing incident in the last book.
What I loved about the characters themselves is that Oliver Stark hasn't pretended the characters are indestructible. In the beginning of the book we see both Tom and Denise struggling with their demons after the fall out of the last serial killer they were up against. It makes the characters a lot more likeable as they aren't perfect. Sadly the two of them don't have time to reflect for too long as before long they are drawn into the three cases that at first glance seem unconnected.
As with his last book I found the beginning a little slow to start. However, after reading two of his books I realise that this must be a style for him, where he starts off with the background and slowly make the pace pick up speed until you are unaware how fast you are reading!
The crimes and crime scenes are gruesome and extremely descriptive and you get a real feel for what is happening. After the first third of the book I was reluctant to put this down. If you didn't know it you may mistake the author for being American as he gives a great backdrop for the American setting. He also doesn't make it to easy, you really get an understanding that solving cases is not easy and that the characters make mistakes as well as having to really work to fit the pieces together.
This book is again a true testament to a fantastic new author; a man that has a real talent for this genre and I would highly recommend.
I downloaded the Kindle version and didn't realise that his second book is no less hefty than the first coming in at just under 500 pages. His first book introduced us to the two characters featuring in this story also. Denise Levene is a psychologist that was previously treating Tom Harper. Tom Harper is a copper that has a talent for catching the most evil of criminals. Both characters I fell in love with last time as they were a little different from the normal stereotypical characters. This time around we see them following the harrowing incident in the last book.
What I loved about the characters themselves is that Oliver Stark hasn't pretended the characters are indestructible. In the beginning of the book we see both Tom and Denise struggling with their demons after the fall out of the last serial killer they were up against. It makes the characters a lot more likeable as they aren't perfect. Sadly the two of them don't have time to reflect for too long as before long they are drawn into the three cases that at first glance seem unconnected.
As with his last book I found the beginning a little slow to start. However, after reading two of his books I realise that this must be a style for him, where he starts off with the background and slowly make the pace pick up speed until you are unaware how fast you are reading!
The crimes and crime scenes are gruesome and extremely descriptive and you get a real feel for what is happening. After the first third of the book I was reluctant to put this down. If you didn't know it you may mistake the author for being American as he gives a great backdrop for the American setting. He also doesn't make it to easy, you really get an understanding that solving cases is not easy and that the characters make mistakes as well as having to really work to fit the pieces together.
This book is again a true testament to a fantastic new author; a man that has a real talent for this genre and I would highly recommend.
May 15, 2018
From a local used bookstore I came across, "88 Killer". Having never heard or read anything from author Oliver Stark I brought it home. I did find reading this book somewhat eye opening and challenging. However, while reading I kept thinking I missed some backstory. Parts of the plot as a reader I was left out. To my surprise when I went to put my review into Goodreads I discovered it's a book two from a series. (I know I missed something !). I scold myself for not checking out book and author further before I read it. Longer than 450 pages this book is difficult to read at times. Gruesome details and the ability of man to hate make this one somewhat tough trying to get to the end. The plot moves at a meandering pace throughout. It's winter in NYC and Abby Goldenberg a young teenager has gone missing. Missing person is about to cold case Abby when Dr. Denise Levene begs for it to stay open for a little longer. Dr. Levene is just coming back to the NYPD after a lengthy recovery after being attacked a year previously. Meanwhile detectives Tom Harper, and Eddie Kaspar have caught an extremely gruesome murder case. David Capske the son of a local powerful mover and shaker has been found murdered. In a horrific manor Capske is rolled up in barbed wired, tortured and then shot in the head. Harper and Levene worked together at the NYPD before Denise's attack soon find themselves crossing each others case. It seems at Capske's murder scene and some additional ones have an "88" left at each scene for the police. The detectives think Abby is still alive retracing her case and finding an 88 near park where she disappeared. The victims of these crimes are all Jewish. The number 88 is very key to Nazi followers and Hitler. Harper confers with hate crimes detective Jack Carney to get the lowdown on Nazi hate groups in the area. Soon a suspect, Len Lukanov is arrested. However the detectives are not grasping the whole picture that this case will encompass. Abby's father Aaron Goldenberg runs the local Museum of Tolerance. Dr. Goldenberg is also an authority on the holocaust. When Officer Josef Sturbe from the Third Reich becomes the prime suspect the detectives are seemingly chasing an eighty year old ghost from WWII. Dark and at times very bloody it takes resolve to read this plot and not be choked up page after page. Author Oliver Stark has two very determined alpha A protagonists in Harper and Levene. Although some of the other supporting characters need to lean on Harper and Levene for relevance the cast in whole is well defined. Three stars out of a possible five stars for, "88 Killer". Maybe if I'd read book one first and didn't feel left out at times in book two my rating could've been higher. (3.50 Stars ?). However I'm not a big fan of super dark and overly brutal reads so I had some problems with the graphic violence. As a whole it was an interesting and enlightening read.
April 10, 2020
Another five star thriller.
Another great thriller by Oliver Stark. Excellently written and plotted, with characters we’re getting to know better with each instalment. Although easy to read, it’s another complex story with twists that you’d never expect. You think you’ve come to the end of the story, but then there’s another gut wrenching part to still play out. This seems to be a trade mark of an Oliver Stark novel . Wring the reader’s emotional reserves out, till they’re dry, then wring some more! A superb thriller writer.
Another great thriller by Oliver Stark. Excellently written and plotted, with characters we’re getting to know better with each instalment. Although easy to read, it’s another complex story with twists that you’d never expect. You think you’ve come to the end of the story, but then there’s another gut wrenching part to still play out. This seems to be a trade mark of an Oliver Stark novel . Wring the reader’s emotional reserves out, till they’re dry, then wring some more! A superb thriller writer.
November 21, 2024
A bit slow to warm up, took a few chapters to really get swinging but when it did, this story took off like a bat out of hell. Several times I felt I knew exactly what was happening, and every time, I was slapped in the face with WRONG!!!! I never would have guessed that ending. This author......WOW, got everything right in my opinion and I'll definately be looking for his name in future reading choices
September 12, 2011
Oliver Stark writes brilliant thrillers, and I found this second book in his series to be even more exciting than the first, American Devil. In this one, NYPD detective Tom Harper and psychologist Denise Levene must stop a serial killer of Jews who is motivated by hatred. Each crime scene is marked by the number 88, used by anti-Semitic hate groups to mean HH, or Heil Hitler. The number also refers to an 88-word rant from Mein Kampf, a text that the killer is obsessed with.
If you love a good thriller, don't miss this one! It has well-portrayed characters, numerous twists and turns, a complex, intricate plot, plenty of suspense, and excellent writing. Once I reached the last section of the book, where we're about to find out the identity of the killer, I could not put the book down until I found out who he was.
Amazingly, this novel, set in NYC, is written by an Englishman, who gets the setting and atmosphere just right. I was dismayed to find out that these two books have not yet been published in the U.S. They really should be, as this is just the sort of novel many of us thriller fans in the States would love. Don't miss out on this series, even if you have to order it from the U.K. It will be well worth the cost of postage.
If you love a good thriller, don't miss this one! It has well-portrayed characters, numerous twists and turns, a complex, intricate plot, plenty of suspense, and excellent writing. Once I reached the last section of the book, where we're about to find out the identity of the killer, I could not put the book down until I found out who he was.
Amazingly, this novel, set in NYC, is written by an Englishman, who gets the setting and atmosphere just right. I was dismayed to find out that these two books have not yet been published in the U.S. They really should be, as this is just the sort of novel many of us thriller fans in the States would love. Don't miss out on this series, even if you have to order it from the U.K. It will be well worth the cost of postage.
April 13, 2012
If you like your murder/mystery novels fast-paced and gritty ...oh and a seriously deranged killer too...then this book is for you
That being said I did 'work' it out almost immediately but this did not distract
That being said I did 'work' it out almost immediately but this did not distract
July 11, 2020
This is the second book in the Tom Harper series. a fantastic thriller that's excellently written, with a complex storyline with twists that you wouldn't expect. I simply couldn't put this book down!
January 11, 2017
Fast paced thriller that keeps the reader interested until the very end. Predictable at times but Stark writes very well and his descriptions make for some very gruesome mental pictures.
December 30, 2018
Anotacia vyzerala super - mladucka Abby je unesena, ked sa raz vyberie tajne na koncert. Na druhy den najdu mrtveho pravnika - omotaneho v ostnatom drote. Brr, hrozna smrt. A o nejaky cas najdu mladu zenu, ktoru niekto drzal vo vode, kym neumrela na podchladenie. Co tie tri veci spaja? Nuz, okrem ineho to, ze ide o Zidov. Niekto ich nenavidi tak velmi, ze ich zabija sposobom, akym boli zabijani v koncentracnom tabore.
No, kniha bola pisana celkom fajn stylom, chvilu bola taka pohoda, potom napatie, ale co ma stvalo a stve, ako to autor odflakol s tym vrahom. Uz na zaciatku bolo totiz jasne, ze toho pravnika zabil exfrajer pravnikovej frajerky /pozoroval ich a vravel si, ze dostane, co si zasluzi/. A je zaujimave, ze to pri hladani vraha vobec nevyslo najavo, ze ho vobec nespominala, ani to, ze bil aj ju, ze mal protizidovske narazky, atd...proste toto bolo dost odfklaknute a ja som si klopkala na celo, ako to mohol autor tak pokazit.
Takze dost mi to nakoniec pokazilo dojem. Lebo ja nemam problem s tym, ze viem na zaciatku, kto je vrah, ale skor s tym, ako autor neposklada tie suvislosti dokopy.
No, kniha bola pisana celkom fajn stylom, chvilu bola taka pohoda, potom napatie, ale co ma stvalo a stve, ako to autor odflakol s tym vrahom. Uz na zaciatku bolo totiz jasne, ze toho pravnika zabil exfrajer pravnikovej frajerky /pozoroval ich a vravel si, ze dostane, co si zasluzi/. A je zaujimave, ze to pri hladani vraha vobec nevyslo najavo, ze ho vobec nespominala, ani to, ze bil aj ju, ze mal protizidovske narazky, atd...proste toto bolo dost odfklaknute a ja som si klopkala na celo, ako to mohol autor tak pokazit.
Takze dost mi to nakoniec pokazilo dojem. Lebo ja nemam problem s tym, ze viem na zaciatku, kto je vrah, ale skor s tym, ako autor neposklada tie suvislosti dokopy.
September 26, 2024
This book was written more than ten years ago, but feels timely for the state of the US today, and more of the world more generally. The rise of the right and their fear mongering towards immigrants and minorities is combated here in the attitude of the good cops like Harper.
I liked this book more than the first one. The killer’s identity surprised me and the writing style and technique has vastly improved. I look forward to the last in the series.
I liked this book more than the first one. The killer’s identity surprised me and the writing style and technique has vastly improved. I look forward to the last in the series.
October 30, 2024
A hair-raising, spine-tingling thriller about a rabid antisemitic Neo-Nazi sociopath. A thrill ride on every page. Not having read Stark's first book in this series, I missed some of the back story, but I got the gist of main characters, Harper and Levene. Couldn't put the book down. Highly recommended.
May 17, 2018
Much like the first in the series. Exciting and lot of action but pretty much unbelievable and full of plot coincidences and Illogical deductions. Better written than the chest one but not quite as exciting. Entertaining but flawed.
September 29, 2021
I'm unsure just how I feel about the 88 Killer. The story was good, execution or delivery not so much
As I have never read any of Oliver Starks books, I'm also unsure if maybe it is his writing style I struggled with.
If I stumble across another of his books I'll happily read it to compare.
As I have never read any of Oliver Starks books, I'm also unsure if maybe it is his writing style I struggled with.
If I stumble across another of his books I'll happily read it to compare.
November 22, 2017
Really was a let down. Too much hate was in this book.
September 29, 2021
2nd book
Dead the first book very. good. Just finished this one, for me it surpassed the first one , more twisty than any switch back road
Dead the first book very. good. Just finished this one, for me it surpassed the first one , more twisty than any switch back road
December 3, 2024
This wasn't as good as the first book
August 31, 2012
’88 Killer’ by Oliver Stark
Published by Headline, 23 August 2011. ISBN: 978-0-7553-7014-6
The story covers an eighteen day period, beginning with the abduction of a young girl. Detective Tom Harper of the NYPD currently investigating two homicides suspects that there is a possibility that the three cases are linked.
Still recovering from a horrendous ordeal when she was kidnapped and imprisoned is psychologist Dr Denise Levern, who has now returned to work.
This is a chilling story, in fact a frightening story. I would like to think that people as described in this story no longer exist, but scarily, I sadly believe they do. The action is fast paced and compelling, as along with the good guys we race to nail the killer.
Although much of the narration is from the point of view of the killer we are not privy to his identity. This is a serious subject and I was caught up in the horror, but one sentence gave me a laugh, which was when Denise smiled and sniffed the air and said to Tom ‘You could do with a new set of clothes, big guy’. Do American women really talk like that? Yuck!
As Tom tears around seeking to find the killer, Denise and the father of the kidnapped girl try a more cerebral approach, and we of the cyber age learn yet again the wonder of the library system.
A thrilling murder chase and a salutary lesson, will we never learn!
----
Lizzie Hayes
Published by Headline, 23 August 2011. ISBN: 978-0-7553-7014-6
The story covers an eighteen day period, beginning with the abduction of a young girl. Detective Tom Harper of the NYPD currently investigating two homicides suspects that there is a possibility that the three cases are linked.
Still recovering from a horrendous ordeal when she was kidnapped and imprisoned is psychologist Dr Denise Levern, who has now returned to work.
This is a chilling story, in fact a frightening story. I would like to think that people as described in this story no longer exist, but scarily, I sadly believe they do. The action is fast paced and compelling, as along with the good guys we race to nail the killer.
Although much of the narration is from the point of view of the killer we are not privy to his identity. This is a serious subject and I was caught up in the horror, but one sentence gave me a laugh, which was when Denise smiled and sniffed the air and said to Tom ‘You could do with a new set of clothes, big guy’. Do American women really talk like that? Yuck!
As Tom tears around seeking to find the killer, Denise and the father of the kidnapped girl try a more cerebral approach, and we of the cyber age learn yet again the wonder of the library system.
A thrilling murder chase and a salutary lesson, will we never learn!
----
Lizzie Hayes
August 1, 2013
This is a good fast paced crime thriller that follows Tom Harper and Denise Levene as they chase a killer through the streets of New York, all the while dealing with their own demons and fears. The story itself is cleverly interwoven with three different crimes merging into one complete with a surprising and ingenious historical tie-in on a subject few are willing to face head-on. Having said that none of the characters felt that new to me with Harper playing the world weary detective, Levene the recovering victim putting a brave face on it all and a killer who is a little predictable in his actions if not his reasons. It is these reasons that really lift this novel out of the mediocre, turning it into the page-turner it is. Without this aspect, the book would be a little flat and predictable but Stark breathes life into the story and the wider subject with his choice of motivation and sympathies for the killer. He also allows the reader frequent insights into his thought processes without giving the killer's identity away, which adds a certain depth to the book, which would certainly have been lacking otherwise. Overall not a brilliant book but not a bad one either, a good weekend read.
January 8, 2013
This was a present from a friend who works in book publishing. While the story was well-paced and enough was explained that I didn't have to go back and read the prequel, my main problem was that I guessed the killer long before the story ended, something that I very rarely can do. I much prefer a surprise right at the end and a "How could I have not noticed that?!"
May 24, 2013
This police procedural novel compares favorably to the John Sandford Prey series or the Chris Carter series featuring Robert Hunter.
Fast paced and suspenseful, this page-turner is right on the money with short paragraph and punchy dialogue. A very good read, can't wait fir his next one: The Swallow coming this August.
Fast paced and suspenseful, this page-turner is right on the money with short paragraph and punchy dialogue. A very good read, can't wait fir his next one: The Swallow coming this August.
November 11, 2015
Strong characters I've become quite the fan of Tom Harper and that's why I continued reading even though the suspense was killed quite early in the book with the killers identity being fairly obvious from the cologne clues. I didn't enjoy it quite as much as American Devil but would still like to have the series continued
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 7, 2014
It was relatively enjoyable but by no means the best crime novel I've read. It felt a bit like an episode of 'Criminal Minds' and as we all know, 'Criminal Minds' is best watched, not read.
May 20, 2012
Great book - what a "joy" to read.
Got to be one of my favourite authors after this and the American Devil.
Got to be one of my favourite authors after this and the American Devil.
July 8, 2012
Brilliant, couldn't put it down.
May 12, 2013
Fast paced Nazi thriller with a twist you'll slap yourself for not seeing earlier.
January 23, 2016
Good, fast paced thriller
November 5, 2011
Really enjoyed this, even better than American Devil.
December 8, 2012
Good reading. Will look up his other novels.
November 13, 2013
A good read. The characters are believable and the plot is tightly constructed.
January 6, 2018
took a bit to get into but then I couldn't put it down.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews