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Murder in the Rainy Season
When it rains in Westgate, Florida people die. The victims are seemingly chosen at random by a killer who leaves no clues behind and politely calls the police within minutes of the slaying to tell them where to find the body. Veteran detective Gary Ellison is baffled. In all his years as a cop he has never run across a killer quite like this. Syndicated columnist Joe Buck gets dragged into the case when the former boyfriend of one of the murder victims asks Joe to "tell their story." It's a complicated case that gets even more complicated when Westgate's mayor, facing a tough re-election campaign, leaks some of the investigation's details in order to win a few additional votes. Can the cops catch "The Rainy Day Killer" before he strikes again?
215 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 17, 2013
4 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Mike Billington
5 books41 followers I'm the son of a Protestant minister and an engineer who spent nearly 50 years as a journalist before retiring. Since retirement I've continued writing and currently have seven books on Kindle and am working on a couple more.
As a reporter I covered a wide variety of stories ranging from the Love Canal environmental disaster to the Rwandan civil war, unrest in Haiti, the invasion of Panama, Operation Desert Storm, hurricanes Andrew, Hugo, Gilbert, Katrina and Rita as well as immigration issues in Mexico and drug trafficking in Florida. With two other colleagues I investigated police abuse of the Florida Contraband Forfeiture Act for which we received the Southern Journalism Award for Investigative Reporting. I am the recipient of more than 40 other awards including the National Conference of Christians and Jews Brotherhood Medal for an undercover investigation of white-power extremists and the Mark Twain Award from the Associated Press for a lengthy series that forced Delaware officials to institute prenatal care programs for low-income women.
I am a Vietnam veteran (two tours, first as a rifleman in the 9th Infantry Division and the second as a light weapons infantry adviser to the Vietnamese Army's 46th Regiment.) My awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Infantryman's Badge. I was also twice decorated by the Vietnamese government.
I live in Spain where I write daily and manage to squeeze in a few hours a week to paint (watercolors, acrylics and oils.)
You can find my books at http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001KCABGK
As a reporter I covered a wide variety of stories ranging from the Love Canal environmental disaster to the Rwandan civil war, unrest in Haiti, the invasion of Panama, Operation Desert Storm, hurricanes Andrew, Hugo, Gilbert, Katrina and Rita as well as immigration issues in Mexico and drug trafficking in Florida. With two other colleagues I investigated police abuse of the Florida Contraband Forfeiture Act for which we received the Southern Journalism Award for Investigative Reporting. I am the recipient of more than 40 other awards including the National Conference of Christians and Jews Brotherhood Medal for an undercover investigation of white-power extremists and the Mark Twain Award from the Associated Press for a lengthy series that forced Delaware officials to institute prenatal care programs for low-income women.
I am a Vietnam veteran (two tours, first as a rifleman in the 9th Infantry Division and the second as a light weapons infantry adviser to the Vietnamese Army's 46th Regiment.) My awards and decorations include the Bronze Star, Purple Heart and Combat Infantryman's Badge. I was also twice decorated by the Vietnamese government.
I live in Spain where I write daily and manage to squeeze in a few hours a week to paint (watercolors, acrylics and oils.)
You can find my books at http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001KCABGK
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 29, 2015
In the overcrowded mystery genre where there are just too many detectives pursuing too many serial killers, this one is well worth your while. Put simply, it’s that much better than so many of the others.
The killings are taking place in a suburban county of Florida which hasn’t seen major crime in over two decades, certainly nothing rising to the level of murder. The veteran detective assigned the case is one year from retirement; needless to say this is the last thing he needs. But he’s curiously invigorated by a case that at least will test his mettle for the first time in decades.
He’s just one of three principal protagonists in this story, however. The female detective, who he takes on as a sidekick, is young, ambitious, and determined to prove herself. Between her professional body builder’s physique, her military style training, her sharp mind, her aggressive interrogation methods, she may be just the one to replace the senior detective when he retires. Which hopefully won’t be too soon as seeing these two together was just enough fun to warrant a series.
Last but not least among the chief protagonists is the reporter who gets sucked into the case and whose journalism does more to stir things up and make the murder investigation that much more difficult for the authorities. His wife is no small character in the book either.
Stir in the obstacles our protagonists are facing on the political scene from higher ups in the police force, and the mayor, to a prickly reverend playing the race card when one of the murderer’s victims gets less attention from the reporter than the white victims, and the fact that the serial killer leaves no trace behind, and even the capable threesome of heroes has their work cut out for them.
I was very impressed by how well the characters sparkled and how quickly the author got me to empathize with them and get me to live inside their skins. This was true even of the smaller bit players in the ensemble cast. Well before we’re even out of act one of the drama, I was entirely invested in all of the leads, and looking forward to the next quirky character to surface in the story.
When our investigators put their heads together to profile their killer and decide what separates them from other famous serial killers, the book becomes a crash course in criminal psychology, in a fun way. The author definitely did his homework.
As the title suggests this is also an atmospheric mystery. Set in Florida during the rainy season, the weather itself becomes such a prominent character you can feel your shirt collar molding from the dampness and the eternal deluge even before you can turn the next page.
But after all is said and done, mostly the book was a heck of a lot of fun. Sometimes even when the author gets everything right the story can just lay there on the page because they forgot the most important part – making it an exciting read.
Highly recommended for crime aficionados.
The killings are taking place in a suburban county of Florida which hasn’t seen major crime in over two decades, certainly nothing rising to the level of murder. The veteran detective assigned the case is one year from retirement; needless to say this is the last thing he needs. But he’s curiously invigorated by a case that at least will test his mettle for the first time in decades.
He’s just one of three principal protagonists in this story, however. The female detective, who he takes on as a sidekick, is young, ambitious, and determined to prove herself. Between her professional body builder’s physique, her military style training, her sharp mind, her aggressive interrogation methods, she may be just the one to replace the senior detective when he retires. Which hopefully won’t be too soon as seeing these two together was just enough fun to warrant a series.
Last but not least among the chief protagonists is the reporter who gets sucked into the case and whose journalism does more to stir things up and make the murder investigation that much more difficult for the authorities. His wife is no small character in the book either.
Stir in the obstacles our protagonists are facing on the political scene from higher ups in the police force, and the mayor, to a prickly reverend playing the race card when one of the murderer’s victims gets less attention from the reporter than the white victims, and the fact that the serial killer leaves no trace behind, and even the capable threesome of heroes has their work cut out for them.
I was very impressed by how well the characters sparkled and how quickly the author got me to empathize with them and get me to live inside their skins. This was true even of the smaller bit players in the ensemble cast. Well before we’re even out of act one of the drama, I was entirely invested in all of the leads, and looking forward to the next quirky character to surface in the story.
When our investigators put their heads together to profile their killer and decide what separates them from other famous serial killers, the book becomes a crash course in criminal psychology, in a fun way. The author definitely did his homework.
As the title suggests this is also an atmospheric mystery. Set in Florida during the rainy season, the weather itself becomes such a prominent character you can feel your shirt collar molding from the dampness and the eternal deluge even before you can turn the next page.
But after all is said and done, mostly the book was a heck of a lot of fun. Sometimes even when the author gets everything right the story can just lay there on the page because they forgot the most important part – making it an exciting read.
Highly recommended for crime aficionados.
March 27, 2021
If you think getting wet is the worst that might happen getting caught in the rain, think again!
A real classic serial killer novel set in a smallish US town, the investigations into who he/she is, why they’re killing people, and, most importantly, how to stop them. What first impressed me with this story was how the author lulled me into a totally false sense of security and its initial sedate tone. Needless to say, the author doesn’t allow this happy state of affairs to last too long.
It starts off with a description of slightly unfulfilled domesticity, of a woman mostly happy in her life, but not quite, building a real and sympathetic picture of her as a person rather than just some two-dimensional victim who’s simply serving some storyline purpose. Very impressive too was the author’s writing style; it’s quite unusual for a novel to be written in the first person, but to switch between a first and third-person narrative is even more so. Normally this is a mistake in most of the books I’ve read where this happens, but here, its use is quite seamless to the point you’re hardly aware it’s happening yet all the while adding a real sense of insight.
Some aspects of the story follow a familiar pattern, i.e., a tough and capable senior detective partnered up with a young and smart rookie, in this case, a female veteran. They’ve both got ideas of how to proceed but, unsurprisingly, they’re hampered by a lack of the usual resources a serial killer investigation would usually attract, and by deskbound bosses who wouldn’t know one end of a real murder investigation from a stale doughnut, let alone one involving a ruthless serial killer. There’s also a journalist with a vested interest in the investigation, written from the first-person perspective I mentioned earlier, who gives the story a more personal feel to it and helps make the wider story gel and all come together.
There’s some good solid old-fashioned detective work going on throughout the story, and by way of crisp and clever dialogue, some good exploration of what might be motivating the killer, and their psychology and likely state of mind.
Deceptively simple and easy to read with not too many strands you have to keep alternating between, but enough complexity to keep you guessing and thoroughly entertained right to the end, a testament to just how immensely well-written the story was. Personally, I would have liked to have gotten to know a bit more about the serial killer and seen more development of the relationship between the two lead detectives, but otherwise pretty much everything I like in a good detective story, especially one focussing on a serial killer … a dead easy five stars.
A real classic serial killer novel set in a smallish US town, the investigations into who he/she is, why they’re killing people, and, most importantly, how to stop them. What first impressed me with this story was how the author lulled me into a totally false sense of security and its initial sedate tone. Needless to say, the author doesn’t allow this happy state of affairs to last too long.
It starts off with a description of slightly unfulfilled domesticity, of a woman mostly happy in her life, but not quite, building a real and sympathetic picture of her as a person rather than just some two-dimensional victim who’s simply serving some storyline purpose. Very impressive too was the author’s writing style; it’s quite unusual for a novel to be written in the first person, but to switch between a first and third-person narrative is even more so. Normally this is a mistake in most of the books I’ve read where this happens, but here, its use is quite seamless to the point you’re hardly aware it’s happening yet all the while adding a real sense of insight.
Some aspects of the story follow a familiar pattern, i.e., a tough and capable senior detective partnered up with a young and smart rookie, in this case, a female veteran. They’ve both got ideas of how to proceed but, unsurprisingly, they’re hampered by a lack of the usual resources a serial killer investigation would usually attract, and by deskbound bosses who wouldn’t know one end of a real murder investigation from a stale doughnut, let alone one involving a ruthless serial killer. There’s also a journalist with a vested interest in the investigation, written from the first-person perspective I mentioned earlier, who gives the story a more personal feel to it and helps make the wider story gel and all come together.
There’s some good solid old-fashioned detective work going on throughout the story, and by way of crisp and clever dialogue, some good exploration of what might be motivating the killer, and their psychology and likely state of mind.
Deceptively simple and easy to read with not too many strands you have to keep alternating between, but enough complexity to keep you guessing and thoroughly entertained right to the end, a testament to just how immensely well-written the story was. Personally, I would have liked to have gotten to know a bit more about the serial killer and seen more development of the relationship between the two lead detectives, but otherwise pretty much everything I like in a good detective story, especially one focussing on a serial killer … a dead easy five stars.
July 9, 2015
Simple but not simplistic, sharp and intelligent, I really enjoyed this tale of a killer on the loose in Florida who likes to kill when it rains. Giving different points of view, the author switches seamlessly, telling the story from different perspectives, and it is not something that I have often seen done with such aplomb. I read this book sitting in the sun on my vacation and it was perfect. My mother-in-law is 90 and no longer reads for her self and she loves this type of story so I began telling her the shortened version of each chapter and she also enjoyed it, so much so, I was pestered every day to tell her then next instalment, high praise indeed believe me. The pace of the book is perfectly balanced and while it took me several days to read it, that was down to other distractions and I constantly wanted to get back to where I had left off. In order to successfully see different point of views, the author has had to occasionally use long passages of narrative and while it can be distracting if not handled correctly, here we see how it should be done. Essentially and importantly, at the heart of the book is a great story and that for me is the most important thing in any book. This is the first book I have read by Mike Billington, but I can promise it won't be the last. Great read, pick it up.
October 20, 2014
I enjoyed this atmospheric murder story about a serial killer in a small town. Even the title evokes atmosphere! Solving the crime is almost secondary to enjoying the assortment of characters the author has created. I especially liked the strong female characters as well as a good array of interesting police, politicians, religious leaders and reporters.
Westgate, Florida is a sleepy little town not used to having murders let alone a serial killer. The police have little experience of such crimes and mistakes are made. The Mayor is shortly running for reelection and as in any small town, local politics are never far from the surface.
The author paints a realistic picture of the impact of a murder on a small community. He also finds time to make some important points about the racism inherent in society. If you like crime stories this is well worth a read.
Westgate, Florida is a sleepy little town not used to having murders let alone a serial killer. The police have little experience of such crimes and mistakes are made. The Mayor is shortly running for reelection and as in any small town, local politics are never far from the surface.
The author paints a realistic picture of the impact of a murder on a small community. He also finds time to make some important points about the racism inherent in society. If you like crime stories this is well worth a read.
August 4, 2016
I don't often read stories like this, but I sometimes like to step out of my box. Deep down, don't we all love stories involving murder and mysterious serial killers?
The small town of Westgate, Florida has had to endure the wettest summer in years. The rain pours almost constantly, and this particular summer has brought out "The Rainy Day Killer", whose modus operandi is frustratingly simple: he knocks on his victims' doors, and when they open it, he shoots them once in the head and leaves. No clues, no connections between the victims, no apparent motive.
The story jumps switches POV quite often, most notably between syndicated columnist Joe Buck (in first person), Det. Gary Ellison of the Westgate P.D. (in third person) and the killer himself (also in third person). We even get a couple of chapters told from the victims' point of view up until ....
Violent pattern killings like this tend to throw small communities into an uproar, and true to form, Mike Billington gives us that shot of reality here, as the inadequately staffed police department's chief scrambles to solve the case, the mayor running for reelection finds himself in hot water, and the columnist finds himself the inadvertent target of social outrage. It's tough to tie all these threads together, but Mr. Billington does this admirably. I found myself turning page after page to see how it would end, and that, ultimately, is the best yardstick for a book like this.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a quick, easy-to-read, engaging thriller.
The small town of Westgate, Florida has had to endure the wettest summer in years. The rain pours almost constantly, and this particular summer has brought out "The Rainy Day Killer", whose modus operandi is frustratingly simple: he knocks on his victims' doors, and when they open it, he shoots them once in the head and leaves. No clues, no connections between the victims, no apparent motive.
The story jumps switches POV quite often, most notably between syndicated columnist Joe Buck (in first person), Det. Gary Ellison of the Westgate P.D. (in third person) and the killer himself (also in third person). We even get a couple of chapters told from the victims' point of view up until ....
Violent pattern killings like this tend to throw small communities into an uproar, and true to form, Mike Billington gives us that shot of reality here, as the inadequately staffed police department's chief scrambles to solve the case, the mayor running for reelection finds himself in hot water, and the columnist finds himself the inadvertent target of social outrage. It's tough to tie all these threads together, but Mr. Billington does this admirably. I found myself turning page after page to see how it would end, and that, ultimately, is the best yardstick for a book like this.
I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a quick, easy-to-read, engaging thriller.
June 23, 2015
A series of seemingly unconnected shootings leave the townsfolk horrified. Police officers Dani Smith and Gary Ellison try and solve the mystery in this suspenseful, well-written thriller, with the help of reporter/columnist Joe Buck. Initially slow-burning but building up to an exciting climax, I recommend this book to fans of Crime Fiction.
July 16, 2020
It seemed every day it rained there was a murder in this town. Someone with a weird voice would call the cops and tell them, then hang up. The victim usually was shot in the head. It took a long time to get any lead on this person. The book goes into details about profiling murders and other things along the way. there was this one lady cop who was like wow , she knew what she was doing and how to go about questioning people to get the truth from them. Why was this person only killing someone every time it rained ?
November 21, 2019
Refreshing
A well-designed story with nicely drawn characters. Light and sleek with no wasted words. Tightly plotted and well-paced.
An enjoyable rainy afternoon read.
A well-designed story with nicely drawn characters. Light and sleek with no wasted words. Tightly plotted and well-paced.
An enjoyable rainy afternoon read.
December 16, 2020
Raining Bullets
Great book with interesting likeable characters, the story was fast paced and entertaining, I can definitely recommend giving it a go.
Great book with interesting likeable characters, the story was fast paced and entertaining, I can definitely recommend giving it a go.
June 10, 2015
This is the first book from this author that I have read, and I am certain I shall be reading more. This is a crime thriller with a difference, and makes a refreshing change. It isn't full of police procedural--far from it--and it shows the POV of various characters, including the "Skinny man who wasn't very tall" ... the killer himself.
Rain has fallen almost constantly this summer in Westgate in Florida, and the residents are more than a little fed up. One of them is driven to murder. A detective near to retirement gets landed with the case, and it looks set to break his winning streak of solving all his cases. A rookie cop, Dani Smith, ex army MP, becomes an unlikely ally, but will her "out of the box" theories prove useful? Politics get in the way of the investigation, and the Mayor soon lands them all in hot water.
To use a cliched phrase, but--you know--it fits so well: this book is a page turner, no question about that. The character development, plot, pacing, and world building are done incredibly well, and at times I became so engrossed that it felt more like I was watching a movie rather than reading a book. This is the kind I love best, those that allow me to run the film reel in my head. So, from this perspective, the read would be a solid five stars; however, there are enough hiccups within the narrative that pulled me out of my "mind movie" time and again: things like commas missing, which changes the sense of the whole sentence, passive writing, telling what has already been shown (especially in the case of the stuttering--the author wrote the dialogue so well that it was obvious about the stutter, but then the effect was spoiled by us then being told about it too, repeatedly), and the point of view had a habit of jumping around within paragraphs from one character to another, even though each character had their own chapter. The formatting is untidy, and while a minor point, it meant that there were no chapter markers at all through the book as far as the Kindle e-reader was concerned. When the time shifts did occur, which were written in the format of chapter headings, they appeared all over the place; some followed immediately on from the previous line of text and others had a lot of space in between. Also, the paragraph indents weren't all even, and sometimes the indent was huge. This is a minor point from a reading perspective, but it did spoil the feel of the read a little.
With all of that said, I did enjoy this book. If you enjoy crime thrillers and mysteries, you will love this read, and I highly recommend it. Mike Billington is up there on my list of authors to read more of. I give a strong four out of five stars on this book.
Rain has fallen almost constantly this summer in Westgate in Florida, and the residents are more than a little fed up. One of them is driven to murder. A detective near to retirement gets landed with the case, and it looks set to break his winning streak of solving all his cases. A rookie cop, Dani Smith, ex army MP, becomes an unlikely ally, but will her "out of the box" theories prove useful? Politics get in the way of the investigation, and the Mayor soon lands them all in hot water.
To use a cliched phrase, but--you know--it fits so well: this book is a page turner, no question about that. The character development, plot, pacing, and world building are done incredibly well, and at times I became so engrossed that it felt more like I was watching a movie rather than reading a book. This is the kind I love best, those that allow me to run the film reel in my head. So, from this perspective, the read would be a solid five stars; however, there are enough hiccups within the narrative that pulled me out of my "mind movie" time and again: things like commas missing, which changes the sense of the whole sentence, passive writing, telling what has already been shown (especially in the case of the stuttering--the author wrote the dialogue so well that it was obvious about the stutter, but then the effect was spoiled by us then being told about it too, repeatedly), and the point of view had a habit of jumping around within paragraphs from one character to another, even though each character had their own chapter. The formatting is untidy, and while a minor point, it meant that there were no chapter markers at all through the book as far as the Kindle e-reader was concerned. When the time shifts did occur, which were written in the format of chapter headings, they appeared all over the place; some followed immediately on from the previous line of text and others had a lot of space in between. Also, the paragraph indents weren't all even, and sometimes the indent was huge. This is a minor point from a reading perspective, but it did spoil the feel of the read a little.
With all of that said, I did enjoy this book. If you enjoy crime thrillers and mysteries, you will love this read, and I highly recommend it. Mike Billington is up there on my list of authors to read more of. I give a strong four out of five stars on this book.
June 16, 2015
I went almost immediately after reading The Third Servant to reading Murder in the Rainy Season. What a different subject matter, and what a different author’s voice! Oh, am I impressed by this writer’s skill in moving so apparently effortlessly from one genre to another, and particularly in his prowess in nailing the murder mystery genre. I’m already lining up the next one. I loved the characterisation in it, especially the way the action seamlessly shifted from cops to reporter to local politicians to preacher to murder victim and to the nameless murderer... you get the picture... in each case managing to convey the real heart of the person. I felt I got to know them all, deep under the skin, understanding their motivation and enough of their individual back story for them to become very real as people. This author writes beautifully, with a crisp, uncomplicated prose that kept me completely enthralled from start to finish. The story was exciting, fast-moving, cleverly plotted, but I need to care about the characters as well as the story, or else I’m quickly bored. I’m not very forgiving as a reader. Once you’ve lost me, I’m gone. In the case of this novel – much as it was with The Third Servant, which was so very different in theme and tempo – I didn’t want it to end. I wanted to see whether the murderer was caught, and how, but I also wanted all those other strands of the complex lives of the players in the story to continue. I especially fell in love with the wonderful cop Dani, the unlikely sidekick to veteran Gary Ellison. What an incredible female protagonist! Tough, feisty, smart and brave. She deserves a whole novel all to herself. This novel surprised me, because I’m not usually an enthusiast about a book with this kind of subject. I thought I would give it a try, and I am delighted I did. Please keep writing them, Mike Billington. You have a real talent and a new fan right here.
October 12, 2015
Craft, story, societal issues, and entertainment - all in one murder mystery.
It was a delight to see a rare blend of craft and story such as in Murder in the Rainy Season.
Pov (point of view) shifted from first person to various third person passages. The latter included deep pov segments from various characters, sometimes in the same chapter. It wasn't that long ago in fiction writing guides that going deep first-person pov required the use of "she thought" - "he felt" type signifiers. Then the guidelines moved so that the use of italics was enough. And finally that neither was needed, if the reader knew who was the pov character. And as long as there was only one pov character per chapter.
Now even that has changed.
Readers can identify clearly indicated deep pov characters even within chapters, and this author seems to have pulled this off, even as smoothly progressing the story.
The author also nimbly merged character description in the midst of an action scene. "Detective Sergeant Sgt . Gary Ellison of the Westgate Police Department stood up slowly, rainwater running through his short gray hair, down his tanned forehead and cheeks and onto his shirt collar."
He also mingled details in the moments in victims' lives just before being killed, with other more fortunate characters in the story. But the reader doesn't know who will also be a victim and who escapes being targeted. It's great suspense writing.
There's stretches of exploratory exposition and even bottle debated views regarding political and racial motives - done via dialog and filling convincing and entertaining.
Dialog even used for a chunk of backstory between the main detective and a former mentor, complete with humor and oscillating deep pov's.
Add in a modified partially tragic happy ending, and I felt I'd experienced a full rounded read worth nearly every moment.
A well crafted entertaining five star with things to think about.
It was a delight to see a rare blend of craft and story such as in Murder in the Rainy Season.
Pov (point of view) shifted from first person to various third person passages. The latter included deep pov segments from various characters, sometimes in the same chapter. It wasn't that long ago in fiction writing guides that going deep first-person pov required the use of "she thought" - "he felt" type signifiers. Then the guidelines moved so that the use of italics was enough. And finally that neither was needed, if the reader knew who was the pov character. And as long as there was only one pov character per chapter.
Now even that has changed.
Readers can identify clearly indicated deep pov characters even within chapters, and this author seems to have pulled this off, even as smoothly progressing the story.
The author also nimbly merged character description in the midst of an action scene. "Detective Sergeant Sgt . Gary Ellison of the Westgate Police Department stood up slowly, rainwater running through his short gray hair, down his tanned forehead and cheeks and onto his shirt collar."
He also mingled details in the moments in victims' lives just before being killed, with other more fortunate characters in the story. But the reader doesn't know who will also be a victim and who escapes being targeted. It's great suspense writing.
There's stretches of exploratory exposition and even bottle debated views regarding political and racial motives - done via dialog and filling convincing and entertaining.
Dialog even used for a chunk of backstory between the main detective and a former mentor, complete with humor and oscillating deep pov's.
Add in a modified partially tragic happy ending, and I felt I'd experienced a full rounded read worth nearly every moment.
A well crafted entertaining five star with things to think about.
October 13, 2015
It was a delight to see a rare blend of craft and story such as in Murder in the Rainy Season.
Pov (point of view) shifted from first person to various third person passages. The latter included deep pov segments from various characters, sometimes in the same chapter. It wasn't that long ago in fiction writing guides that going deep first-person pov required the use of "she thought" - "he felt" type signifiers. Then the guidelines moved so that the use of italics was enough. And finally that neither was needed, if the reader knew who was the pov character. And as long as there was only one pov character per chapter.
Now even that has changed.
Readers can identify clearly indicated deep pov characters even within chapters, and this author seems to have pulled this off, even as smoothly progressing the story.
The author also nimbly merged character description in the midst of an action scene. "Detective Sergeant Sgt . Gary Ellison of the Westgate Police Department stood up slowly, rainwater running through his short gray hair, down his tanned forehead and cheeks and onto his shirt collar."
He also mingled details in the moments in victims' lives just before being killed, with other more fortunate characters in the story. But the reader doesn't know who will also be a victim and who escapes being targeted. It's great suspense writing.
There's stretches of exploratory exposition and even bottle debated views regarding political and racial motives - done via dialog and filling convincing and entertaining.
Dialog even used for a chunk of backstory between the main detective and a former mentor, complete with humor and oscillating deep pov's.
Add in a modified partially tragic happy ending, and I felt I'd experienced a full rounded read worth nearly every moment.
A well crafted entertaining five star with things to think about.
Pov (point of view) shifted from first person to various third person passages. The latter included deep pov segments from various characters, sometimes in the same chapter. It wasn't that long ago in fiction writing guides that going deep first-person pov required the use of "she thought" - "he felt" type signifiers. Then the guidelines moved so that the use of italics was enough. And finally that neither was needed, if the reader knew who was the pov character. And as long as there was only one pov character per chapter.
Now even that has changed.
Readers can identify clearly indicated deep pov characters even within chapters, and this author seems to have pulled this off, even as smoothly progressing the story.
The author also nimbly merged character description in the midst of an action scene. "Detective Sergeant Sgt . Gary Ellison of the Westgate Police Department stood up slowly, rainwater running through his short gray hair, down his tanned forehead and cheeks and onto his shirt collar."
He also mingled details in the moments in victims' lives just before being killed, with other more fortunate characters in the story. But the reader doesn't know who will also be a victim and who escapes being targeted. It's great suspense writing.
There's stretches of exploratory exposition and even bottle debated views regarding political and racial motives - done via dialog and filling convincing and entertaining.
Dialog even used for a chunk of backstory between the main detective and a former mentor, complete with humor and oscillating deep pov's.
Add in a modified partially tragic happy ending, and I felt I'd experienced a full rounded read worth nearly every moment.
A well crafted entertaining five star with things to think about.
October 21, 2015
There’s a serial killer on the loose on the worst kind- one who chooses victims with seemingly no connection between them making it nearly impossible for the police to predict his next move. His kills are swift and clean. He leaves nothing behind. He’s everyone’s worst nightmare. He’s a fanatic. He believes he has to kill demons and his victims are those supposed demons.
So where do the police start when there is nothing to go on and three people are dead? The safe and sleepy Florida town has been rocked by these tragedies. The police are under pressure. The reporters are circling. The higher ups are only hurting the investigation. Any everyone waits with bated breath for the next murder. People are no longer safe just opening their front door.
This is not the first book of Mike Billington’s that I’ve read and it for sure won’t be the last. He has this incredible talent of bringing all sorts of people into the story so that we can see the entire scope of the investigation from all sides. Police, reporters, politicians- heck, we even see a few of the murders from the victim’s point of view. That was probably the most poignant part- he was able to humanize the victim’s so that we felt something when they were killed. So many books only use victims as a way to turn villains into killers- if that makes sense. This book used them as a way to make us feel; a way to make us think.
I love the crisp writing and eclectic groups of characters that I’ve come to associate with Billington’s work. The story is complex, with all sorts of moving parts, but it reads as if it is simple and that’s no small feat. I always felt like I understood everything that was going on without having to overthink it, but the story was by no means a light weight.
So where do the police start when there is nothing to go on and three people are dead? The safe and sleepy Florida town has been rocked by these tragedies. The police are under pressure. The reporters are circling. The higher ups are only hurting the investigation. Any everyone waits with bated breath for the next murder. People are no longer safe just opening their front door.
This is not the first book of Mike Billington’s that I’ve read and it for sure won’t be the last. He has this incredible talent of bringing all sorts of people into the story so that we can see the entire scope of the investigation from all sides. Police, reporters, politicians- heck, we even see a few of the murders from the victim’s point of view. That was probably the most poignant part- he was able to humanize the victim’s so that we felt something when they were killed. So many books only use victims as a way to turn villains into killers- if that makes sense. This book used them as a way to make us feel; a way to make us think.
I love the crisp writing and eclectic groups of characters that I’ve come to associate with Billington’s work. The story is complex, with all sorts of moving parts, but it reads as if it is simple and that’s no small feat. I always felt like I understood everything that was going on without having to overthink it, but the story was by no means a light weight.
April 14, 2016
I recommend this book to readers who enjoy crime fiction with an authentic feel.
I found this read a refreshing change in both the way it was written and the portrayal of the central characters who were fully formed and believable in their roles.
The story is told by several different characters but primarily Gary Ellison the senior investigator and Joe Buck a newspaper columnist. The explosive way these two characters are brought together at the end was a superb surprise.
I liked that the victims of the serial killer had their own chapters as this brought out how they were real people with families, interests and dreams which made their murders more shocking.
Within the story there was an intelligent commentary on mental health, politics and racism giving the read added depth.
The intrigue and suspense is quite subtle rather than full throttle thrills but I thoroughly enjoyed the read and will look out for more books by this author.
I found this read a refreshing change in both the way it was written and the portrayal of the central characters who were fully formed and believable in their roles.
The story is told by several different characters but primarily Gary Ellison the senior investigator and Joe Buck a newspaper columnist. The explosive way these two characters are brought together at the end was a superb surprise.
I liked that the victims of the serial killer had their own chapters as this brought out how they were real people with families, interests and dreams which made their murders more shocking.
Within the story there was an intelligent commentary on mental health, politics and racism giving the read added depth.
The intrigue and suspense is quite subtle rather than full throttle thrills but I thoroughly enjoyed the read and will look out for more books by this author.
January 25, 2017
A colourful cast of characters are introduced in this gripping tale. This story serves as a reminder. It matters not if a killer is loose in a city, or a backwater township - if a killer is on the loose it’s never a good thing.
Crisp, natural dialogue and well-developed characters keep the fast-paced story in the reader’s imagination. There is a continual need to know what happens next - which is a sign of good storytelling.
For those who enjoy detail and depth, but don’t want to be bogged down, Mr Billington shows skill in lacing the narrative and dialogue with information. Throughout this story you have the sense the author knows of what he writes, which creates confidence for the reader.
How many will die before the killer is caught - if he is caught?
Here we have first rate entertainment for the mystery and suspense enthusiast.
***
Crisp, natural dialogue and well-developed characters keep the fast-paced story in the reader’s imagination. There is a continual need to know what happens next - which is a sign of good storytelling.
For those who enjoy detail and depth, but don’t want to be bogged down, Mr Billington shows skill in lacing the narrative and dialogue with information. Throughout this story you have the sense the author knows of what he writes, which creates confidence for the reader.
How many will die before the killer is caught - if he is caught?
Here we have first rate entertainment for the mystery and suspense enthusiast.
***
August 24, 2015
An attention getting murder mystery. The author obviously did his research on the different psychological profiles of murderers...mass murderers vs. serial vs those led by a message from their spiritual leader (human or not). The descriptions of the various characters were well done and real. The black leader appeared to be an Al Sharpton! The female police officer was believable and reminded me of a young Demi Moore as she was in the movie about the Navy Seals.
Many interesting twists and a perfect ending. Thank you for an enjoyable and interesting book.
Many interesting twists and a perfect ending. Thank you for an enjoyable and interesting book.
December 5, 2015
Grab your kindle and find a comfy seat and sit back and enjoy Murder in The Rainy Season.
I like the work this author produces and I feel this is his best yet...I have more of his books on my kindle but so far thus one stood out fir me.
Characterisation, plot and delivery of this suspenseful thriller was top notch. Mike Billington's organisation and presentation of the chapters was cleverly thought out. The point of view changes with the chapters so the reader never loses sight of the story.
I like the work this author produces and I feel this is his best yet...I have more of his books on my kindle but so far thus one stood out fir me.
Characterisation, plot and delivery of this suspenseful thriller was top notch. Mike Billington's organisation and presentation of the chapters was cleverly thought out. The point of view changes with the chapters so the reader never loses sight of the story.
February 27, 2015
“Murder in the Rainy Season” by Mike Billington is a very well written and atmospheric novel about a serial killer who strikes only when it rains in Westgate, Florida.
Regular people, politicians, journalists and detectives are affected by this unlikely event in such a small and sleepy community.
Great characters and engaging scene setting make up the entertaining part of this story, a complex plot and reflective notes on society make this a deeper and gripping read.
Very enjoyable.
Regular people, politicians, journalists and detectives are affected by this unlikely event in such a small and sleepy community.
Great characters and engaging scene setting make up the entertaining part of this story, a complex plot and reflective notes on society make this a deeper and gripping read.
Very enjoyable.
July 7, 2015
This had been sitting in my TBR pile for a while before I decided to read it. I'm sorry that I waited! After getting off to a slow start, the story sprang to life and I was left turning pages long after bedtime. I was intrigued by the killer, I enjoyed Joe's character, and the plot played out nicely. It's a great book for those who like crime fiction.
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