Red Death

Karen Vail #8

by Alan Jacobson

In Hawaii, FBI agent Karen Vail pursues a killer without a profile, in this thriller by the USA Today–bestselling author of The Darkness of Evil.

When Det. Adam Russell of the Honolulu PD encounters the body of a woman in her sixties—the second in recent days to inexplicably die of what seem like natural causes—he reaches out to Karen Vail, the renowned FBI profiler, who hops on the next plane.

But even for someone as fluent in the language of murder as Vail, this case is hard to read. How were these women asphyxiated with no signs of trauma? How can she gather clues or collect evidence when the killer seems to strike during the briefest casual encounters? Is this the behavior of a male or a female perpetrator? And perhaps most terrifying of all, if the deaths appear so natural at first glance, how many victims have already been overlooked?

Now, as something cold and dark lurks under the sunny warmth of this island paradise, Vail must stop a serial killer as elusive as the breeze . . .

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Mystery Thriller

352 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 15, 2020

About the author

ALAN JACOBSON is the USA Today bestselling author of a dozen critically acclaimed, award-winning thrillers. His 20 years of research and training with the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, DEA, US Marshals Service, ATF, Scotland Yard, SWAT, and the US military bring unparalleled realism to his stories and characters—prompting the San Francisco Chronicle to write that “Alan Jacobson researches his books like a good newspaper reporter and then pushes the envelope into reality more thoroughly than the typical crime novel could ever allow.”

Jacobson's series protagonist, FBI profiler Karen Vail, has resonated with both female and male readers and inspired Nelson DeMille, James Patterson, and Michael Connelly to call Vail one of the most compelling heroes in suspense fiction. Likewise, his OPSIG Team Black series has been lauded by real-life Navy SEALs.

Jacobson’s thrillers have been published internationally and several have been optioned by Hollywood.

Web: www.AlanJacobson.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/AlanJacobsonFans Instagram: alan.jacobson
Twitter: @JacobsonAlan

Reviews

[Lynda Walls · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first introduction to Alan Jacobson, who, fortunately, has written so many more novels I can move on to. Very exciting ride. Wasn't sure at first how to take the lead character, Karen Vail, but she turns out pretty cool. I will be seeing more of her in other novels and I'm looking forward to that.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story, fast read. Karen Vail is an FBI profiler, a woman doing a traditionally man’s job. She is outspoken, takes no lip from anyone, makes friends and makes enemies, and is the best at what she does.

[Bill Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice twist on how to murder someone and leave no trace evidence.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Won this book in a giveaway for an honest review.
"Red Death" is my first Karen Vail mystery; but it won't be my last. Alan Jacobson's ability to hook readers into the plot is remarkable even with the horrific details of each serial kill. Childhood abuse shapes the killer with emotional, mental, and unspeakable physical trauma.
The plot teases with background of the murderer's childhood & early adulthood and then switches to the current day murderer's actions. The alternating information keeps one glued to "Red Death".
Karen Vail is an FBI profiler that is brought to Oahu by Hawaii police detective Adam Russell to prove the murders are connected. Vail has great instincts in "reading" each kill; but she herself has her own baggage that is alluded to. The true meaning of the tittle will be revealed as the reader continues to outwit the killer with Karen Vail's training & instinct.
What causes a human being to be a sociopath and can he/she be stopped before the body count raises?

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like Karen, but can see where her supervisors and others that she runs roughshod over often are exasperated with her. I was glad to see that Adam quickly found a rhythm with Karen and the two of them worked well together. Often they were able to bounce ideas and figure things out.

I sort of felt bad for the bad guy. He had a shit childhood, but there came a time when he made a conscious choice to do bad things and there is where my empathy for him was lost. I'm glad that Karen and Adam were able to stop him.

I'm looking forward to reading the next book, to see what repercussions come Karen's way and also to see how her new dog fits into her life.

[Samfreene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Red Death: Alan Jacobson

Childhood experiences that often play havoc on the emotional, mental and physical wellbeing of a young child. Abuse by a parent might carry over to this child’s adulthood causing the same behavior received from one or two parents inflicted on others when older. The opening scene introduces us to a serial killer who has a unique way of eliminating his victims and leaving no evidence of his presence.

Adam Russell is a detective in the HPD, Honolulu Police Department and gets called to the case of two older women, in their sixties that seem to have been killed by the same thing, and yet how? Scott Meece in the past faces off with his cruel mother as he adds his own special touch to his breakfast insisting he eat it or deal with the consequences. Who in their right mind does that and poor Scott got deathly ill in school, wound up in the hospital and his mother could care less about him? Waverly Meece his father is a whipped man who must cow tow to her whims, Mary is cruel, harsh and no one seems to ever defy her. No one seems to fight for themselves why?

Waverly Meece is about to eat his final meal. Just what did she put in it that would take his life and why?

The setting is Oahu, Hawaii and the death of these two women called by the ME as death by cardiac arrest or asphyxiation. Detective Adam Russell makes a call to a detective in San Francisco for help and in turn gets the name of FBI Profiler Karen Vail. She is difficult to work with, sarcastic and is unyielding but when she gets on a case she is relentless, deadly and will stop at nothing until the UNSUB is caught. Adam and Vail have a love hate relationship from the start and her sarcasm, her dry sense of humor and his retorts to come back at her add humor to the plot as they investigate the first two murders.

As they assess the crime scenes one common denominator comes to light as the techs process the bathroom and focus on the soap. What could be deadly in a bar of soap? How could washing your hands take your life? Why and how did someone inject something RED inside the soap that was colorless until analyzed? Things get tense and strange and they speculate whether the killer is male or female and whether this is a serial or spree killer as defined and described in detail by author Alan

treat to his special soap.

Some cases are straightforward while others have hidden surprises and obstacles. Karen Vail and Adam Russell not only have to follow the path and unravel the mind of this serial killer but the murder weapon or mode of killing will take them into different fields of forensics. Imagine soap and chocolate bars laced with red dye 40 in the soap and aconite from a plant implanted in the bars or even sprinkled on food served in a restaurant. The killer is mentally deranged and sees visions and has psychotic episodes justifying his actions. His brother’s death was the trigger. Hoping to find his way the author creates a graphic journey of his road and we begin to learn more about him. Unwanted, unloved, poor self-esteem and never really fighting back until he finally stands up to his stepfather, this mentally ill man never really uses his full potential for good. Research leads him to the perfect murder weapon.

Karen Vail and Adam Russell know what is causing the deaths, but will they figure out how , why and who.

A simple meeting with someone and the pieces falls into place, but this killer is smart and if he knows he has been found out will he move to somewhere else?

Lives are at stake but first let us go forward in time as this killer has one more person to finally treat to his special soap. The expression and harsh reality of what was happening was priceless and the killer committed the murder with perfect precision.

As Vail and Russell proceed with the investigation someone is out to end her career and she might be the victim of an internal investigation and possibly more. But this will not hamper her achieving her goals. Facing off with the killer in person when she gets one piece of information from someone the investigation moves ahead but will they catch this killer before there is another victim added to the list? Using the map of Oahu, they hoped to eliminate some locations and home in on the one that would finally end this nightmare. What is the significance of the name Mary? Why did the killer use this poison as a weapon? When the final showdown happens and the reality of what might happen if they do not come up with a plan to get him to surrender will shock you as author Alan Jacobson created a multi-level plot, a creative ending that will surprise readers with a significant twist that will leave you wondering what will happen next and will someone survive?

A special reveal at the end and a special bond formed between Karen and Adam but you will not believe how or why? Sometimes endings are new beginnings and other times they create final solutions. Will the killer win this one? Will Vail prove that she can solve another case? What makes her such a great profiler? At the end you the reader might consider checking the ingredients of your own personal soap and make sure that there is nothing in it that is red or you too might become the next victim of our killer and learn the true meaning of RED DEATH. A fantastic plot, high energy suspense and a character that is tough, sarcastic and bold. Hardnosed, hard boiled and unique once again author Alan Jacobson tops the charts with another Karen Vail case. Each novel is unique unto itself and each case is different keeping her on her toes, bent on solving the case and never giving up until she gets the killer. A must read for all Karen Vail fans and for new ones too.

Fran Lewis: Just reviews

[Vivien · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok; good at some parts especially when talking to Tim Meadows & Frank Del Man-something... (can't remember how to spell his last name).
Deputy Chief Ferraro is such an asshole to allow his personal connection to Chase Hancock to cloud his judgement then making a false claim, just proves how big of an asshole he really is. I really wish something bad would happen to him or his career; payback for allowing his personal issue influence his professional 1. See how he feels being investigated for personal reasons, instead of professional 1s.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this series. I think it is my all time favorite series I read. Karen Vail is an FBI profiler that takes nothing from anyone and a lot of times she speaks before she thinks..

This time we find Vail in Hawaii looking for a serial killer. The serial killer kills in a way that she doesn't usually see. Heck, she's not even sure if it's a man or woman she after. The killer kills so that there is no evidence of a murder.

If you haven't read Alan Jacobson, yet, I don't know what you are waiting for. One of the best psychological thriller writers out there.

[Nikki in Niagara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the current book in the "Karen Vail" series at the time of writing. Karen is called to Hawaii to help with what they think is a serial killer. Karen confirms this and helps Det. Russel of HPD to track down the killer of sixty-year-old women who have asphyxiated without a mark on their bodies. I found this a little off-putting at first as Karen felt out of character. She was sarcastically bantering with everyone she met. Karen is like this but with more humour and not so brusque. Once all the characters were in place this toned down some. The rest of the book was typical of Karen Vail with a fast, intelligent crime and a race to capture the perpetrator at the end. I particularly enjoyed the crime here as it was genuinely unique.

[Vivien · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book except the past scenes.
Deputy Chief Ferraro is such an asshole, using personal issue to make trouble for Karen when she did nothing wrong but work the case. I hope something happens to him or his career because he deserves it, abusing his position for a personal vendetta, for a person he never met before.

[Vivien Tsang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book except past scenes.
Deputy Chief Ferraro is such an asshole, abusing his position to cause trouble for Vail before she & his brother-in-law, Chase Hancock, don't get on. I hope something bad happens to him or his career; he deserves it, dirty cops should all be exposed & Ferraro is a dirty cop.

[irv Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

You can not stop reading.

You are taken on a journey from one end of country to the furthest from the states and end up on a beautiful island. Then it gets crazy from there with a murder and poison great gets involved , then police and FBI gets involved. The author did a great job with the book and found a way to keep it interesting.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karen Vail at her regular PITA best. This one gets 5 stars for a lot of back story on the "unsub" and the very interesting way he has found to never be there when his victims die. Like most my eBooks this was a Nook purchase.

[Sandra Burns · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series!

Fast, interesting read. Karen goes to Hawaii, to help find a serial killer. The killer, has an unusual way of killing, and chooses his victims by their first name.

[Mary Montroso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book

I loved the characters and the story line. Currently looking for more books from this author and this series. I read the entire book in one sitting. I highly recommend….

[Ron Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Alan Jacobson good read. His charachter Karen Vail has now become a familiar one to me, and I've come to really enjoy not only her abilities as an FBI profiler, but her wit and verbal agility with all her FBI "brass". Absolutely enjoyable, I highly recommend Jacobson's Karen Vail series.

[Gary Hahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely recommend. Unfortunately this is currently the last in this series. There seemed to be a few spots the storyline was interrupted by too much back and forth with Karen and a detective she had gone to help. Don't believe those sidebars were actually needed for the story though.

[Alan Kirsch · Rating 3 out of 5]

red death

Good story. Interesting details. I feel there was too much stuff that didn’t need to be told. Took too long to find clues. I enjoyed reading and was not able to put it down.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Vail moment!

Karen did not disappoint. The subject matter was very thought provoking as to not only how to kill remotely but also how Karen figured it out. Excellent read!

[Kathy Beaver · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karen vail is back

Another great adventure with Karen I love her snark and how she thinks beautiful Hawaii don’t hurt either another great read thx

[Lottie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book !!

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

8.75 - 9.0

[Christina Mages · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of twists and turns. A really good book

[Jill Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love, and miss Karen Vail. I hope to hear more from her.

[BxerMom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE Karen! She is smart, sarcastic and bad ass. If I’m ever murdered I want her on my case! This is a great series and one I highly recommend.

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too disturbing to finish ** child abuse trigger warning**

[Maria Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this #8 Karen Vail book, Vail had just finished up a case and is preparing to head east to join up with her fiancee, to make arrangements for their upcoming wedding, when she gets a request by Detective Adam Russell to help profile in solving the mystery of 3 deaths all with a similar pattern, it looks like they had a heart attack. After clearing it with her supervisor, Vail heads west to Hawaii to review the evidence. She finds that all the victims had been asphyxiated but show no signs of trauma, so she has the coroner check for aconite residue. It is a poison that comes from the commonly called Wolfsbane plant which is sold as an oriental plant and easily brought. Most people get them because of their pretty flowers and don't really touch them, but the plant is poisonous especially the roots if ingested or touched. So they faced a dual question, who is the poisoner (male or female) and how is this person getting the poison to the victims, but all are called Mary and are in their 60's. While trying to figure this out, bodies keep dropping. Vail wants to put out a BOLO to all potential women, named Mary in the age group but the Deputy Chief Ferraro blocks it as unnecessary, which Vail realizes is because he has a negative opinion of her because of his brother-in-law of Hancock, a person who wanted to a profiler but never made the cut and who holds it against Vail. This creates problems in the investigation, until they figure out what products are being used to kill the victims (soap and chocolate) and this person has a trail of victims across the country. By tracing the family name through the brother who died in the Black Hawk down incident in Somalia, Africa, they find where this person has been and he has been using timeshare condos in every location that are all connected. The connection in Hawaii is the military cemetery called PunchBowl. Vail was forced to kill the killer to save Adam Russell. The copy I read was a special numbered edition in hardback published by Norwood Press.

[Ricki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glad to welcome Karen Vail back- it's been too long