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Joe Lucchesi #2
The Caller
In The Sunday Times bestselling novel ‘Darkhouse’, Alex Barclay took you on a terrifying excursion to hell and back. In ‘The Caller’, she leaves you stranded there…
One way in… no way out.
He targets victims in their own homes, subjecting them to a terrifying ordeal before leaving their lifeless bodies in their hallway for a loved one to find. at first the murders appear unrelated, the notion of a serial killer at large almost dismissed. But the killing hasn’t stopped.
Back on the job after a year out, NYPD Detective Joe Lucchesi becomes the reluctant lead in the high-profile investigation. Battling with physical pain and tension in the task force and at home, he struggles to make progress.
Then just when he feels close to making a breakthrough, the investigation itself is rocked by tragedy, and the body count rises…
One way in… no way out.
He targets victims in their own homes, subjecting them to a terrifying ordeal before leaving their lifeless bodies in their hallway for a loved one to find. at first the murders appear unrelated, the notion of a serial killer at large almost dismissed. But the killing hasn’t stopped.
Back on the job after a year out, NYPD Detective Joe Lucchesi becomes the reluctant lead in the high-profile investigation. Battling with physical pain and tension in the task force and at home, he struggles to make progress.
Then just when he feels close to making a breakthrough, the investigation itself is rocked by tragedy, and the body count rises…
432 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
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393 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
March 20, 2012
Joe Lucchesi has recently returned to his job as a detective in the New York Police Department. He, his wife and teenage son have returned from life-threatening incidents in Ireland where Lucchesi's family were threatened, his wife tortured, his son's girlfriend killed and their peace of mind destroyed by a deranged killer. That killer was never caught, and he won't leave Joe alone.
In the meantime, Joe and his partner are part of the team investigating a series of extremely violent deaths, where for some inexplicable reason, a killer is mutilating the teeth of his victims. Initially the killings were thought to possibly have some homosexual element, but as the number of victims increases and two survivors – one female, one male are identified, the reasons become even more obscure. Along with the phone calls from the killer who tortured his family, Joe is also receiving letters from somebody who knows something about this current case.
THE CALLER is the second book featuring Joe Lucchesi, the first being Darkhouse. THE CALLER covers the period of time after the family have returned to America and the immediate aftermath of their experiences. Joe's wife Anna is housebound, scared, and scarred physically and mentally from an ordeal covered by the earlier book. Joe's teenage son Shaun is rebellious, dealing with his trauma by drinking too much and causing problems for his parents at every turn. Joe is tied to his work, guilty about what happened to his family but unsure what to do other than try to recover his position as family head and protector.
THE CALLER concentrates fairly heavily on Joe and his family, and to a certain extent, the personal lives of the other member's of Joe's work team. There are a lot of references to the back-story – – none of these are overly fleshed out, but they do provide a précis of the past. Whilst the provision of some back story detail is always preferable to the assumption that the reader will have read earlier books in the series, the level of concentration here gave THE CALLER a feeling of constantly looking backwards and a real disconnection with current day events. Those current events - a serial killer with a distinctive MO, ended up as a fairly pedestrian serial killer plot. Seemingly disconnected victims, an unknown perpetrator, unidentifiable by unexplained survivors, an accumulation of clues and information from friends and family of the victims, and a sudden connection. Bit of cop-jep and a twist at the end which was obviously coming, but elegantly tied off by the author.
Whilst it seems that the back-telling of Joe's personal story; the concentration on Joe and his family; on Joe's feelings and thoughts; are designed to flesh him out as a character, the book lacked focus and direction. It maybe that reading Darkhouse first would give THE CALLER that focus, but on its own, the back fill was more distracting than illuminating. Combine that with a reasonable but predictable serial killer plot and THE CALLER didn't quite live up what it sometimes threatened to promise.
In the meantime, Joe and his partner are part of the team investigating a series of extremely violent deaths, where for some inexplicable reason, a killer is mutilating the teeth of his victims. Initially the killings were thought to possibly have some homosexual element, but as the number of victims increases and two survivors – one female, one male are identified, the reasons become even more obscure. Along with the phone calls from the killer who tortured his family, Joe is also receiving letters from somebody who knows something about this current case.
THE CALLER is the second book featuring Joe Lucchesi, the first being Darkhouse. THE CALLER covers the period of time after the family have returned to America and the immediate aftermath of their experiences. Joe's wife Anna is housebound, scared, and scarred physically and mentally from an ordeal covered by the earlier book. Joe's teenage son Shaun is rebellious, dealing with his trauma by drinking too much and causing problems for his parents at every turn. Joe is tied to his work, guilty about what happened to his family but unsure what to do other than try to recover his position as family head and protector.
THE CALLER concentrates fairly heavily on Joe and his family, and to a certain extent, the personal lives of the other member's of Joe's work team. There are a lot of references to the back-story – – none of these are overly fleshed out, but they do provide a précis of the past. Whilst the provision of some back story detail is always preferable to the assumption that the reader will have read earlier books in the series, the level of concentration here gave THE CALLER a feeling of constantly looking backwards and a real disconnection with current day events. Those current events - a serial killer with a distinctive MO, ended up as a fairly pedestrian serial killer plot. Seemingly disconnected victims, an unknown perpetrator, unidentifiable by unexplained survivors, an accumulation of clues and information from friends and family of the victims, and a sudden connection. Bit of cop-jep and a twist at the end which was obviously coming, but elegantly tied off by the author.
Whilst it seems that the back-telling of Joe's personal story; the concentration on Joe and his family; on Joe's feelings and thoughts; are designed to flesh him out as a character, the book lacked focus and direction. It maybe that reading Darkhouse first would give THE CALLER that focus, but on its own, the back fill was more distracting than illuminating. Combine that with a reasonable but predictable serial killer plot and THE CALLER didn't quite live up what it sometimes threatened to promise.
September 23, 2012
Wasn't a fan of this one compared to Darkhouse and I wouldn't recommend it. I don't usually like using spoilers but I was so confused by the plot I can't really discuss it without giving anything away.
March 7, 2019
My God, what a load of shite. I've never been so angry at a book for absolutely wasting my time. It was a fairly decent plot that was literally battered in the same way as the victims in the book were. I felt no connection towards the victims because we hardly knew who they were. There were too many irrelevant characters, with their only purpose being to rack up the death toll. The characters went from being happy to being intensely angry in 0.000279 seconds for no apparent reason. Towards the end, it started getting intense and I thought to myself 'maybe this bit will make up for the 'watching paint dry' feel of the rest of the book, however, the plot goes from the killer holding someone hostage, then cuts to the detective having a jaw operation. Congrats! Alex Barclay wins the award for the most irrelevant sub-plot ever! Vibe completed killed and it never picked back up. I didn't even understand the ending. At all. Why did the killer kill people for their teeth? What the fuck was the relevance of teeth? No one will ever know because it makes no sense!
Excuse the French but this book deserves harsh comments because it was literal shite.
Excuse the French but this book deserves harsh comments because it was literal shite.
February 12, 2018
Thoroughly enjoyable book, was gripped from start to finish.
November 6, 2024
I wasn't too invested in this book to begin with, however I couldn't put it down throughout the middle of it. I felt disappointed at the end. It didn't make me go "wow" and at times lost direction and I found myself a bit confused. Didn't love it, but didn't hate it.
May 31, 2019
This book never really came together. There were a lot of good elements in it and as I was reading along and intrigued my wife placed an order through the book depository and I added the first in this series "Darkhouse" as well as the first in the authors other series "Blood Runs Cold". I don't regret getting those books but I sure hope they come together a lot better than this one.
The book starts off with a bang. A good kind of gross murder. We are then introduced to the lead detective Joe Lucchesi whose family as well as him have just survived a living hell in dealing with a killer of their own. The past ordeal is referenced quite a bit and as I did not read the first book in the series I appreciated it. When an author has an ongoing series it is difficult to satisfy everyone. I also have to admit I select most of my books out of the bargain bin so to speak with often no idea of the author or the stories and I always get mad at myself when I realize I have picked a novel that is part of a series which I have not read. Those who have not read any in the series naturally don't mind the past being referenced to a degree so as to get you up to speed. Admittedly though it is a fine line for the author not to dredge up too much of the past so as to not bore readers who have been loyal too. Personally in this case, I did not think there was overkill in referencing the past. It had to be referenced to set the stage for the present.
The one murder leads to a few murders and the fact that work is done to the mouth/teeth area by the killer. Now I don't know if it was the weirdness of that aspect that kind of kept me wanting to know why he was doing this - it was like yeah I need to know what rationalization/justification this psycho has with regard to the mouth but again I never got a satisfying answer.
Also the perpetrator was given away quite early but again the lack of depth into the perpetrator and the reasons why he is killing is never brought out in a satisfactory way. Doesn't it seem odd that we want to know what sparks the psycho? I know I do and sometimes the reasons can be quite actually good and you can actually appreciate what drove the poor soul so crazy. However, this never happens in this book. There are just so many loose ends. This book could have used a lot more writing like another third if not half.
And the ending is weak. We see why the killer wanted to kill a certain individual and it was because of a lie she perpetrated on him but again we know he was lied too but what was lie and how did it so harm the killer - THAT WAS NEVER TOLD and it just makes no sense. Like give me some details please. And the ending is like a tangent focusing on an event that happened that involve three people that were never really part of this story. Like how do these three clowns tie into all the other murders???? I just don't see it.
So I admit there is a lot wrong with this book but I also have to admit it was an interesting story, an easy read and in my opinion a lot of what was written was pretty good but it just needed so much more. I think I will have more of a better read on the author when I read a few more of her books. This one had potential and I liked what I read but if this tends to be the norm (the faults I have mentioned) then that would not be a good thing. It is because I liked what I read (though some of it was admittedly confusing) I will rate this a four star book. I can see a lot of other reviewers scoring this very low so keep that in mind too!
The book starts off with a bang. A good kind of gross murder. We are then introduced to the lead detective Joe Lucchesi whose family as well as him have just survived a living hell in dealing with a killer of their own. The past ordeal is referenced quite a bit and as I did not read the first book in the series I appreciated it. When an author has an ongoing series it is difficult to satisfy everyone. I also have to admit I select most of my books out of the bargain bin so to speak with often no idea of the author or the stories and I always get mad at myself when I realize I have picked a novel that is part of a series which I have not read. Those who have not read any in the series naturally don't mind the past being referenced to a degree so as to get you up to speed. Admittedly though it is a fine line for the author not to dredge up too much of the past so as to not bore readers who have been loyal too. Personally in this case, I did not think there was overkill in referencing the past. It had to be referenced to set the stage for the present.
The one murder leads to a few murders and the fact that work is done to the mouth/teeth area by the killer. Now I don't know if it was the weirdness of that aspect that kind of kept me wanting to know why he was doing this - it was like yeah I need to know what rationalization/justification this psycho has with regard to the mouth but again I never got a satisfying answer.
Also the perpetrator was given away quite early but again the lack of depth into the perpetrator and the reasons why he is killing is never brought out in a satisfactory way. Doesn't it seem odd that we want to know what sparks the psycho? I know I do and sometimes the reasons can be quite actually good and you can actually appreciate what drove the poor soul so crazy. However, this never happens in this book. There are just so many loose ends. This book could have used a lot more writing like another third if not half.
And the ending is weak. We see why the killer wanted to kill a certain individual and it was because of a lie she perpetrated on him but again we know he was lied too but what was lie and how did it so harm the killer - THAT WAS NEVER TOLD and it just makes no sense. Like give me some details please. And the ending is like a tangent focusing on an event that happened that involve three people that were never really part of this story. Like how do these three clowns tie into all the other murders???? I just don't see it.
So I admit there is a lot wrong with this book but I also have to admit it was an interesting story, an easy read and in my opinion a lot of what was written was pretty good but it just needed so much more. I think I will have more of a better read on the author when I read a few more of her books. This one had potential and I liked what I read but if this tends to be the norm (the faults I have mentioned) then that would not be a good thing. It is because I liked what I read (though some of it was admittedly confusing) I will rate this a four star book. I can see a lot of other reviewers scoring this very low so keep that in mind too!
May 27, 2021
О так, детектив, де здається навіть автор не знає чим закінчиться книга. What?!
"The Caller" Alex Barclay - детектив з позначкою на книзі "міжнародний бестселер". Дійсно, анотація вау. Вона обіцяє кровожерливий детектив, після якого буде страшно заснути. Ага-ага, мрії авторки та того хто писав анотацію залишились лиш мрією.
А книга про серію дивних самогубств, які ніби і самогубства, ніби і вбивства. Навіть поліція не знає що робити з цим усім. Так проходить декілька років, аж раптом хтось (наш бравий детектив) вирішив розкрутити цей клубок.
За законом жанру він відкриває страшний секрет кожного "самогубця", ще страшніший секрет і мотив вбивці, плюс шалене життя самого детектива.
Збірна міфів та стереотипів. Сумнівне задоволення.
"The Caller" Alex Barclay - детектив з позначкою на книзі "міжнародний бестселер". Дійсно, анотація вау. Вона обіцяє кровожерливий детектив, після якого буде страшно заснути. Ага-ага, мрії авторки та того хто писав анотацію залишились лиш мрією.
А книга про серію дивних самогубств, які ніби і самогубства, ніби і вбивства. Навіть поліція не знає що робити з цим усім. Так проходить декілька років, аж раптом хтось (наш бравий детектив) вирішив розкрутити цей клубок.
За законом жанру він відкриває страшний секрет кожного "самогубця", ще страшніший секрет і мотив вбивці, плюс шалене життя самого детектива.
Збірна міфів та стереотипів. Сумнівне задоволення.
November 8, 2024
One way in…no way out.
He targets his victims in their own homes, subjecting them to a terrible ordeal before leaving their lifeless bodies in the hallway for a loved one to find. At first the murders appear unrelated , the notion of a serial killer at large, almost dismissed. But the killing hasn’t stopped.
Back on the job after a year out, NYPD Detective Joe Lucchesi becomes the reluctant lead in the high profile investigation. Battling with physical pain and tension in the task force and at home he struggles to make progress.
Then just when he feels close to making a breakthrough, the investigation itself is rocked by tragedy, and the body count rises.
This book is “The Caller” by Alex Barclay and while it’s a good book, it would have been even better if I had read the first (debut) book “Darkhouse”. There is a lot of things that would have made more sense if I’d read the debut book but there is nothing on my copy to let me know this. I looked up the Author and realised my mistake but I had already read enough of the book to just put it down. So I would definitely read “Darkhouse” first.
He targets his victims in their own homes, subjecting them to a terrible ordeal before leaving their lifeless bodies in the hallway for a loved one to find. At first the murders appear unrelated , the notion of a serial killer at large, almost dismissed. But the killing hasn’t stopped.
Back on the job after a year out, NYPD Detective Joe Lucchesi becomes the reluctant lead in the high profile investigation. Battling with physical pain and tension in the task force and at home he struggles to make progress.
Then just when he feels close to making a breakthrough, the investigation itself is rocked by tragedy, and the body count rises.
This book is “The Caller” by Alex Barclay and while it’s a good book, it would have been even better if I had read the first (debut) book “Darkhouse”. There is a lot of things that would have made more sense if I’d read the debut book but there is nothing on my copy to let me know this. I looked up the Author and realised my mistake but I had already read enough of the book to just put it down. So I would definitely read “Darkhouse” first.
December 12, 2021
Summary:
After everything that happened in Ireland, Joe, Anna & Shaun move back to the states. They’re all trying to move on with their lives & Joe goes back working for the NYPD. Joe finds himself working on a high-profile murder investigation but he & his buddies struggle to make any progress. Just when they feel that they’re close to making a breakthrough, the investigation itself is rocked by tragedy & the body count rises. That’s when they realise that they are dealing with a deadly serial killer.
My Thoughts:
To start with, I did like the basis of the series & I did like the Lucchesi family. But this series did frustrate me at times. In Darkhouse, my frustration came from Barclay’s writing style & her pacing. I felt it was all over the place. In The Caller, my frustration came from the fact that there are so many loose ends. The killer’s MO was all over the place & I still don’t know why he went off on a killing spree or how he chose victims. I was also really confused by the ending. If it were all tied up, it’d be a good series.
My Rating: * *
After everything that happened in Ireland, Joe, Anna & Shaun move back to the states. They’re all trying to move on with their lives & Joe goes back working for the NYPD. Joe finds himself working on a high-profile murder investigation but he & his buddies struggle to make any progress. Just when they feel that they’re close to making a breakthrough, the investigation itself is rocked by tragedy & the body count rises. That’s when they realise that they are dealing with a deadly serial killer.
My Thoughts:
To start with, I did like the basis of the series & I did like the Lucchesi family. But this series did frustrate me at times. In Darkhouse, my frustration came from Barclay’s writing style & her pacing. I felt it was all over the place. In The Caller, my frustration came from the fact that there are so many loose ends. The killer’s MO was all over the place & I still don’t know why he went off on a killing spree or how he chose victims. I was also really confused by the ending. If it were all tied up, it’d be a good series.
My Rating: * *
June 21, 2025
1. The introduces the reader with murder. At the beginning of the book, it shows us that the killer has a basement which apparently serves as his bedroom and workroom.
2. When the detective Joe Lucchesi was in extreme tooth pain he decided to visit the dentist. While he was at dentist chamber a phone rang. It was a threat from Duke to kill Joe’s wife. Then they learnt that there was a serial killer in town and the killer had already had two victims in his list. Both of the victims had their faces snatched after their death.
3. Joe and Danny were dealing with their domestic problems and also looking for the murderers. The motivation that is driving the killer is not so believable.
Finally we see,
1. It is an interesting book to begin with but it lost its direction in the middle.
2. When the detective Joe Lucchesi was in extreme tooth pain he decided to visit the dentist. While he was at dentist chamber a phone rang. It was a threat from Duke to kill Joe’s wife. Then they learnt that there was a serial killer in town and the killer had already had two victims in his list. Both of the victims had their faces snatched after their death.
3. Joe and Danny were dealing with their domestic problems and also looking for the murderers. The motivation that is driving the killer is not so believable.
Finally we see,
1. It is an interesting book to begin with but it lost its direction in the middle.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 27, 2021
I only read half of this book, which is a first for me! I usually read a book in a few days but here we are a week later and only half way in! It was all over the place and I couldn't get a hold of what was going on.
Others have said this was the second book, which I didn't realise so maybe that's why as I haven't read the first one.
Honestly, the style of writing has put me off even attempting to read the first one and then return to this one.
Others have said this was the second book, which I didn't realise so maybe that's why as I haven't read the first one.
Honestly, the style of writing has put me off even attempting to read the first one and then return to this one.
January 24, 2025
I don't think I've ever been so irritated reading a book.
First half of the book was like watching paint dry and confusing in some bits. I persevered🙃
The ending was underwhelming, we never found out the connection between the victims and the killer and the motive behind the teeth? Like what?
In the ending (epilogue) Duke Rawlins came back into the story and it had been so long since he was last mentioned that I completely forgot who he was.
Wouldn't recommend.
First half of the book was like watching paint dry and confusing in some bits. I persevered🙃
The ending was underwhelming, we never found out the connection between the victims and the killer and the motive behind the teeth? Like what?
In the ending (epilogue) Duke Rawlins came back into the story and it had been so long since he was last mentioned that I completely forgot who he was.
Wouldn't recommend.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 3, 2024
I actually only got to page 46 and was so confused having not realized it was the second book in the series. On top of it all, I really wasn’t enjoying what I was reading although, maybe, if it had read the first book, I would have known the backstory. Don’t feel like searching out a 20-year old book though.
August 28, 2017
Not bad but not what I was expecting at all from the blurb on the back. However, I ran out of books while on holiday and it happened to be among the books you could borrow in reception so it kept me occupied for a few days.
August 5, 2019
Okay story line but felt I was missing half the story as constant and frequent references to a previous story line. The actual story itself did not really come together for me perhaps because of the distraction.
August 17, 2025
This book was all over the place. It felt like there were multiple storylines cramped together and none got the coverage they would have needed. Characters were bland with inconsistent personalities. It felt rushed and incomplete near the end.
March 29, 2019
It ended a bit abruptly but overall pretty good.
April 24, 2019
Wonderful really enjoyed it
February 6, 2020
Realised while reading that this was book two, probably should have started with the first book.
While the story can standalone the ending is rushed.
While the story can standalone the ending is rushed.
May 21, 2021
This book had a good start but end was confusing and killings were never justified nor the killers intent...
May 5, 2023
I couldn't put this book down.
January 23, 2024
It was good, kept me wanting to read.
May 2, 2025
So disjointed! I know it’s a style choice but likelihood is that I won’t be reading anything by this author in future 😔
May 6, 2025
Insipid, lazy and boring
December 13, 2021
Things either aren’t interlinked or happen without good reasons… I don’t hate this book, but I was left confused about how the story just ended like that after all that had happened.
August 25, 2024
Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Pace: Slow
Format: Paperback
Pages: 432
Rating: 2*
When I read this book, I didn't realise that it was the 2nd of the Joe Lucchesi books and so it was a little confusing when there were references to his past that I didn't understand. Nothing too heavy but it would definitely have been better had I read the first one.
I read this in a day but was quite disappointed by the ending. Expected something more as the plot was a great idea but it was badly executed and the characters could have been really good but it just didn't uphold my expectations. I found the storyline and the writing jumbled. One moment I would be intrigued as it all started to pick up a little but then would immediately be brought back down to earth by yet another disappointment.
There just seemed to be a lot of missing details and nothing was explained. A big part of a book like this is working out who the murderer is and why they do what they do but for this book, the killer was very obvious and you never get any of the answers.
I found I learnt more about what happened in the first book to anything that happened in the actual book I was reading. Just all in all a confusing read with too many loose ends.
This book may tie in with a future book in the series, and although I didn't particularly like this book, I may read something more by this author but I'm not in a rush to do so. I wouldn't recommend this book, unless you have read the first one and want to follow the Lucchesi family to the end. I probably won't end up reading this book again. Even if in the future, I decide to revisit this series, I'd just skip this one.
Pace: Slow
Format: Paperback
Pages: 432
Rating: 2*
When I read this book, I didn't realise that it was the 2nd of the Joe Lucchesi books and so it was a little confusing when there were references to his past that I didn't understand. Nothing too heavy but it would definitely have been better had I read the first one.
I read this in a day but was quite disappointed by the ending. Expected something more as the plot was a great idea but it was badly executed and the characters could have been really good but it just didn't uphold my expectations. I found the storyline and the writing jumbled. One moment I would be intrigued as it all started to pick up a little but then would immediately be brought back down to earth by yet another disappointment.
There just seemed to be a lot of missing details and nothing was explained. A big part of a book like this is working out who the murderer is and why they do what they do but for this book, the killer was very obvious and you never get any of the answers.
I found I learnt more about what happened in the first book to anything that happened in the actual book I was reading. Just all in all a confusing read with too many loose ends.
This book may tie in with a future book in the series, and although I didn't particularly like this book, I may read something more by this author but I'm not in a rush to do so. I wouldn't recommend this book, unless you have read the first one and want to follow the Lucchesi family to the end. I probably won't end up reading this book again. Even if in the future, I decide to revisit this series, I'd just skip this one.
August 27, 2013
Un tueur en série qui s'attaque à ses victimes chez elles, sans effraction, comme si elles l'avaient laissé entrer... Qui leur fracasse le visage et leur fait passer un étrange dernier coup de téléphone avant de les tuer.
Un enquêteur à la famille meurtrie par un autre tueur, qui va pourtant devoir arrêter la tuerie...
Une écriture fluide, visuelle, à suspense et pas dépourvue d'humour...
Il aurait pu être intéressant de s'intéresser un peu plus au tueur et à son étrange manie de faire passer un dernier appel à ses victimes - mais le roman est plutôt écrit du côté des enquêteurs et des témoins, point de vue qui permet plus de suspense, choix qui se respecte.
En résumé, un très bon roman, dont vous risquez d'avoir du mal à sortir...
L'extrait
"Ils entrèrent dans le bureau d'Ethan Lowry.
- Ca le fait plus, commenta sobrement Joe. Tu vois ce que je veux dire, la pureté des lignes?
- Les gens adorent les séries policières et les émissions de déco. Si tu maries les deux, Joe, t'auras le taf de ta vie. Pense un peu à l'audimat: Les Experts font votre Relooking extrême.
Joe s'esclaffa malgré lui, aussi Danny poursuivit-il:
- L'inspecteur Joe Lucchesi: il enquête sur votre mort et sur vos goûts. Quels ont été vos derniers déplacements? Et pourquoi avez-vous choisi d'assortir ces rideaux-là avec ce tapis. Le mystère sera résolu après la pub. Cette saison, c'est le vert qui fait fureur dans les cuisines. A propos de fureur, les coups de battoir sont..."
Un enquêteur à la famille meurtrie par un autre tueur, qui va pourtant devoir arrêter la tuerie...
Une écriture fluide, visuelle, à suspense et pas dépourvue d'humour...
Il aurait pu être intéressant de s'intéresser un peu plus au tueur et à son étrange manie de faire passer un dernier appel à ses victimes - mais le roman est plutôt écrit du côté des enquêteurs et des témoins, point de vue qui permet plus de suspense, choix qui se respecte.
En résumé, un très bon roman, dont vous risquez d'avoir du mal à sortir...
L'extrait
"Ils entrèrent dans le bureau d'Ethan Lowry.
- Ca le fait plus, commenta sobrement Joe. Tu vois ce que je veux dire, la pureté des lignes?
- Les gens adorent les séries policières et les émissions de déco. Si tu maries les deux, Joe, t'auras le taf de ta vie. Pense un peu à l'audimat: Les Experts font votre Relooking extrême.
Joe s'esclaffa malgré lui, aussi Danny poursuivit-il:
- L'inspecteur Joe Lucchesi: il enquête sur votre mort et sur vos goûts. Quels ont été vos derniers déplacements? Et pourquoi avez-vous choisi d'assortir ces rideaux-là avec ce tapis. Le mystère sera résolu après la pub. Cette saison, c'est le vert qui fait fureur dans les cuisines. A propos de fureur, les coups de battoir sont..."
June 7, 2016
Time taken to read - 4 days
Pages - 406
Blurb from Goodreads
Back on the job after a year out, NYPD Detective Joe Lucchesi becomes the reluctant lead in a high-profile investigation. Battling with physical pain and tension in the task force and at home he struggles to make progress. Then just when he feels close to making a breakthrough, the investigation is rocked by tragedy.
My Review
Joe Lucchesi is back, after one years leave after a horrific event him and his family endured he is now investigating a serial killer. One who bashes his victims faces in, takes them through a ritual and reach out to seemingly random people. He struggles between his private life, his wife and son are still suffering the effects from what happened in the previous book and the case is high profile.
For me, I think the biggest issue was that I hadn't read the previous book I just picked it up not realising it was part of a series. There is a lot of reference to book one, the Lucchesi family are all struggling to recover from whatever happened and not knowing the full story probably impacted on my enjoyment.
There are twists and turns in the book, it goes at a decent page and it does engage you but for me I felt there was heavy focus on book one which I missed out on. I would certainly read this author again but I think I would go and start at book one, I think people who have read the first will no doubt really enjoy this one, 2/5 for me though.
Pages - 406
Blurb from Goodreads
Back on the job after a year out, NYPD Detective Joe Lucchesi becomes the reluctant lead in a high-profile investigation. Battling with physical pain and tension in the task force and at home he struggles to make progress. Then just when he feels close to making a breakthrough, the investigation is rocked by tragedy.
My Review
Joe Lucchesi is back, after one years leave after a horrific event him and his family endured he is now investigating a serial killer. One who bashes his victims faces in, takes them through a ritual and reach out to seemingly random people. He struggles between his private life, his wife and son are still suffering the effects from what happened in the previous book and the case is high profile.
For me, I think the biggest issue was that I hadn't read the previous book I just picked it up not realising it was part of a series. There is a lot of reference to book one, the Lucchesi family are all struggling to recover from whatever happened and not knowing the full story probably impacted on my enjoyment.
There are twists and turns in the book, it goes at a decent page and it does engage you but for me I felt there was heavy focus on book one which I missed out on. I would certainly read this author again but I think I would go and start at book one, I think people who have read the first will no doubt really enjoy this one, 2/5 for me though.
August 28, 2016
Started reading this book but am getting bogged down by the oblique references to what happened before, in the previous book, which I haven't read.
Joe, his wife Anna, and son Shaun, have obviously had something horrid happen to them when they were living in Ireland. It impacts on the story because the perpetrator of that evil keeps contacting Joe, and he has to interrupt his work day to check in on Anna, who is quite obviously suffering from the after shocks of the previous trauma. In addition, their son is also having problems related to the incident in the past and is acting out in school and getting drunk all the time.
The case Joe is covering has a murderer who bashes his victims in the face and then shoots them. As always, the murderer is found but there are some unanswered questions. I can't ask them here because I don't want to spoil things for others.
Not sure that I enjoyed this book. It was missing some connections that bugged me.
Joe, his wife Anna, and son Shaun, have obviously had something horrid happen to them when they were living in Ireland. It impacts on the story because the perpetrator of that evil keeps contacting Joe, and he has to interrupt his work day to check in on Anna, who is quite obviously suffering from the after shocks of the previous trauma. In addition, their son is also having problems related to the incident in the past and is acting out in school and getting drunk all the time.
The case Joe is covering has a murderer who bashes his victims in the face and then shoots them. As always, the murderer is found but there are some unanswered questions. I can't ask them here because I don't want to spoil things for others.
Not sure that I enjoyed this book. It was missing some connections that bugged me.
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