Living Death (7)

Katie Maguire #7

by Graham Masterton

DS Katie Maguire and her team are stretched to their limit. A gang of dognappers is terrorizing Cork. The city's drug trade is at an all time high. Now they have a missing girl to find, too—and all in the glare of the media spotlight. As Katie closes in on the truth, she realizes that the three cases might be connected. But with every second she spends investigating, the clock ticks on for the missing girl, trapped in a living death.

Genres: Horror, Mystery, Crime, Fiction, Thriller, Audiobook, Ebooks

438 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2016

About the author

Graham Masterton was born in Edinburgh in 1946. His grandfather was Thomas Thorne Baker, the eminent scientist who invented DayGlo and was the first man to transmit news photographs by wireless. After training as a newspaper reporter, Graham went on to edit the new British men's magazine Mayfair, where he encouraged William Burroughs to develop a series of scientific and philosophical articles which eventually became Burroughs' novel The Wild Boys.

At the age of 24, Graham was appointed executive editor of both Penthouse and Penthouse Forum magazines. At this time he started to write a bestselling series of sex 'how-to' books including How To Drive Your Man Wild In Bed which has sold over 3 million copies worldwide. His latest, Wild Sex For New Lovers is published by Penguin Putnam in January, 2001. He is a regular contributor to Cosmopolitan, Men's Health, Woman, Woman's Own and other mass-market self-improvement magazines.

Graham Masterton's debut as a horror author began with The Manitou in 1976, a chilling tale of a Native American medicine man reborn in the present day to exact his revenge on the white man. It became an instant bestseller and was filmed with Tony Curtis, Susan Strasberg, Burgess Meredith, Michael Ansara, Stella Stevens and Ann Sothern.

Altogether Graham has written more than a hundred novels ranging from thrillers (The Sweetman Curve, Ikon) to disaster novels (Plague, Famine) to historical sagas (Rich and Maiden Voyage - both appeared in the New York Times bestseller list). He has published four collections of short stories, Fortnight of Fear, Flights of Fear, Faces of Fear and Feelings of Fear.

He has also written horror novels for children (House of Bones, Hair-Raiser) and has just finished the fifth volume in a very popular series for young adults, Rook, based on the adventures of an idiosyncratic remedial English teacher in a Los Angeles community college who has the facility to see ghosts.

Since then Graham has published more than 35 horror novels, including Charnel House, which was awarded a Special Edgar by Mystery Writers of America; Mirror, which was awarded a Silver Medal by West Coast Review of Books; and Family Portrait, an update of Oscar Wilde's tale, The Picture of Dorian Gray, which was the only non-French winner of the prestigious Prix Julia Verlanger in France.

He and his wife Wiescka live in a Gothic Victorian mansion high above the River Lee in Cork, Ireland.

Reviews

[Kay*FindMeInThePages* · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I’ve read in the Katie Maguire series and also the first book by Graham Masterson. This book read well as a standalone, but there were tie-ins to previous books, such as an ex-boyfriend. I picked this book up as a crime thriller and while it was that, there was also a good bit of gory horror and animal cruelty which I skimmed. In this story Katie deals with dognappers, a missing child and an influx of drugs while her boss works to destroy her career. At times the Irish slang was hard to understand, but necessary as the story was set in Cork, Ireland. I enjoyed the plot but could have done without the detailed horror aspects.

*ARC provided via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

[CL · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great DS Katie Maguire story. Her ex-boyfriend is back and wants to reconcile. Meanwhile the team is trying to find a missing girl, a dognapping ring and find where all the drugs in the local community are coming from. Great read. I would like to thank the Publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read this ARC.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Graham Masterton has held my complete attention with his DS Katie Macguire series this summer, well worth the bingeing I have been doing. Masterton impresses with this Irish police procedural collection, with crimes as chilling and graphic as I have ever experienced in a piece of fiction. There’s strong narrative flow and characters who build off one another throughout the series. Masterton never ceases to amaze with the ideas he uses in the books and finds wonderful ways to captivate the reader.

Personal matters continue to plague Detective Sergeant Katie Macguire, who does her best to carry on from one day to the next. Criminal goings-on in Cork seem to be at an all-time high, which means DS Macguire and her team are constantly pressed into action. After numerous dogs are taken from a rural facility, the confrontation leaves one of the criminals dead and the owner in a heap of trouble, as self-defence is not a foregone conclusion. DS Macguire focuses her attention on this case, as it seems to have some additional threads that could lead to something larger.

All the while, a young woman goes missing outside a club and no one has any clue what’s happened. Truth be told, she has been kidnapped by a ruthless group, who perform odd and gruesome tests on her, leaving her permanently maimed and paralysed. After another man is found to have undergone similar mutilations, DS Macguire cannot help but step in to aid in that search as well.

If that were not enough, a family member of a local criminal gang comes forward to speak anonymously with DS Macguire about a crime she is aware of, hoping that it will help bring her family to justice and keep her out of the limelight from all the accusations. Juggling all this and the newly homebound John, her former lover and fresh from his amputation injuries, DS Macguire has to keep things on the straight and narrow, while her romantic life heats up once more! Another busy thriller that proves Masterton’s abilities, complete with a cliffhanger.

Just when I am sure that Graham Masterton has shown me everything he has to offer, he pens a new and exciting piece that offers new pathways to successful storytelling. Masterton pulls the reader in, while keeping them on their toes with gruesome acts of barbarity, all wrapped into an Irish police procedural that builds as the series progresses. I remain amazed at the hard work the stories appear to show and how Masterton provides countless new and exciting twists to keep things from getting stagnant.

Masterton is a master storyteller and proves it throughout this series. Clear narrative direction gives the reader a path to follow as the series cements itself with depth and complexity. Strong character development that builds from novel to novel helps to offer something the reader can enjoy as they ‘check in’ on a handful of recurring characters, all of whom have a story of their own. While she does work hard, the development of DS Katie Macguire is most prominent in her personal life, which Masterton has perfected throughout these novels, offering drama and some tense moments of indecision. Masterton offers plot twists cliffhangers to keep the reader coming back, which has worked effectively for me. Peppered with Irish idioms, I am learning to speak the local slang and happy to forge onwards to see what else is to come with these chilling stories.

Kudos, Mr. Masterton, for yet another winner!

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

[Ruth Bernardez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love these books but must say I am starting to dislike the character. So her fiance lost his legs ib part because of her and after her rocky relationship and how much she loved him, she suddenly stopped doing so. Then she meets a man, goes to bed hours after meeting him and next day she is already thinking in a live with him, marriage and even children. This from a resolute professional with intelligence enough to tackle the most vicious criminals. The sex scenes are as cringey as ever

[Rodrigo Acuna · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Crime Thriller That's Not for the Faint-Hearted"

The Katie Maguire series is entering the realm of sadism and medical horror and just to make it more brutal animal torture all rolled into what would be a good story without the hipper depravities, her character for the most part is very interesting and logical, but in the romance department Masterton has decided to give this poor women a lobotomy that goes against her normal nature, she can not enjoy the company of men without becoming a discombobulated teenager, and that ruins the story.

I did enjoy the plot and the characters but the gore and violence are making it less likely that I will read the next book; some of the passages were stomach churning, even exaggerated to a ridiculous degree, why he feels this is needed I do not get it because he has a very good style, and his plots would not suffer if he toned the violence down.

[Jude Grindvoll · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this one - Masterson really knows how to keep the pages turning - but there were just too many flaws to give this more stars.

The biggest problem for me was that the actual police procedural/crime solving aspect of the book was flimsy at best, and the writing skewed towards horror rather than crime. Which is fine if that is what you're writing, but that isn't the case here. People generally pick up crime because we want to see what goes on behind the crimes rather than just the crimes themselves. Sadly, that was lacking here or, rather, it was just too lacking in detail to be of interest.

The second thing was that there was just too many ridiculously shocking events piled one on top of the other to the point where I actually burst out laughing during a scene which was meant to be deadly serious - not the effect I assumed the author was going for.

Third, a thoroughly horrible protagonist. I mean do you really expect your readers to empathize with a character who is basically repulsed by a man who has lost his limbs? Flawed is great; complex is great. Shallow and offensive is just off putting! She fell out of love with this guy before he lost his legs - leave it at that! I'm not even going to get into how dispensable this character was... Great portrayal of disability all round.

Fourth, the misogyny.

Fifth, the sex/rape scenes. Eww. Just eww. Please don't talk about baroque curves and Leonardo da Vinci when a woman is being violated in the most disgusting and depraved way imaginable. Rape scenes are the not the place to get poetic - creative writing 101. When you try and write rape scenes in any way other than the disgusting, violent, humiliating experience that it is, you just come off as a psychopath.

[Bookread2day · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written tough and gritty thriller. It's Halloween and people of Cork are out partying. A young girl leaves a club crying, she calls for a taxi to take her home. A young boy who she doesn't even know offers her a lift to her house. She is not driven home, but dropped off at St Giles Clinic. The driver of the car slowly edge the rear wheel over her legs. The young girl wakes up in the clinic, but everything about clinic doesn't seem good. Another part of this exciting thriller is a gang are stealing dogs in the city. The gang terrorises a dog kennel owner in Cork. The dognappers rapes the owners wife. When the gang go to take the owners dogs, the owner takes his revenge and shoots one of them. DS Katie Magurie and her team are flat out trying to find the dognappers and the missing young girl. With questions being asked what really happened at the kennel when the owner shot one of the gang.

[Joe Stamber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Graham Masterton has enjoyed a fine and varied career as an author, penning horror novels, thrillers and even the odd sex manual. Now that he's turned his hand to the excellent crime series featuring Katie Maguire, he draws on the skills he learned in other genres to make her escapades as hard-hitting as possible. Whether he's writing about some unfortunate victim coming to a nasty end or Katie Maguire enjoying a bedroom scene, Masterton leaves little to the imagination. I enjoy Masterton's style and the authentic Irish setting of this series. The novels weave together Maguire's professional and personal life to create a fascinating tale of her struggle to balance them both. Living Dead is a multi-threaded crime thriller that kept my interest from start to finish, starting with a horrific attack on a young woman that turns out to be part of a master plan to control the County Cork drug trade. Maguire is not a particularly pleasant character who makes mistakes and some questionable decisions, often making trouble for herself both personally and professionally. Living Death has some eye-rolling moments, but overall it's a great read, gritty and gruesome and definitely not for the faint-hearted, but more of the same for Graham Masterton fans.

[Maggie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read and enjoyed all the Katie Maguire books.
WARNING: If you want a 'true to life' 'down to earth' 'realistic' read then this series should be avoided. Each one is more unrealistic than the one before but I enjoy that and laugh at the madness. Nothing is set in stone with people dying in one book and alive again in the next.
Katie Maguire is a Garda Superintendent. She employs no risk assessment or management and sends her Guards into the most dangerous and precarious of situations with no thought for their or the bad fellas wellbeing.
We are constantly told that she does not sleep or sleeps badly. She often does not eat as she is too stressed with the job. Despite this she has an uncontrollable sexual appetite and will have sex with mostly anyone within a short time of meeting.
Katie has little to no moral compass or accountability. She does what she wants and takes no responsibility for the lives she destroys in the process
In this book there is a very strange mix of stories. There is a dognapping group in the area who are violent in their attempt to steal the dogs. They want them for fighting. The other story is about a health clinic purposely disabling people for a weird reason once revealed.
Katie's old love interest John is back and now recovering from injuries he sustained in previous book 'Buried'. He comes to live with Katie and she hires a carer for him. I am so surprised she did not give him over to her sister who seems to take on all of her strays!
The story is high on gore but the madness and unreality gave me a good laugh. I would recommend it I will await the next book.

[Icy_Space_Cobwebs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review: LIVING DEATH by Graham Masterton

Author Graham Masterton is noted for his prolific output, his devotion to imaginative horror, and to his immense talent and ability to engross readers. In the Katie Maguire Series, he applies that talent to crime--specifically in Cork, Ireland. In this seventh in the series, Detective Superintendent Katie Maguire copes with an influx of stultifyingly dangerous imported narcotics, a rash of dognapping, kidnapping, and a new beau. She also welcomes into her home an ex-lover, a double amputee, who still carries a torch Katie can't return. Meanwhile behind the scenes, an enemy of Katie 's goes to great lengths to destroy her career, and a madman creates "living deaths."

LIVING DEATH is rife with the entitlement of self, expressed through several different individuals. It is also rampant with extremes of violence and not recommended for the faint of stomach or heart. This was a story throughout which I rooted for the bad guys' comeuppance.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detective Superintendent Kate Maguire has a lot to deal with. For starters her double amputee ex has moved in and thinks he has a chance of rekindling their relationship. Then there are some vicious dognappers, Cork in Ireland is awash with illicit drugs and the story opens with a poor young woman teetering out of a nightclub picked up by a stranger and having her life turned into the 'living death' of the title. This is not a novel for the faint of heart, Graham Masterton came to prominence as a horror writer so this is not a cozy crime novel, there are some horrific scenes of cruelty inflicted on both humans and dogs described in graphic detail, there are also some spicy scenes. But the story is gripping and complex and builds to a thrilling climax. Some Cork slang is used which you may feel like a langer if you don't understand and there are also some Irish phrases. The pacing is good and the characters feel very real.

[Joe Geesin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two stories, one of dognapping, one of kidnap and mutilation of people, that become interlinked. One of the better plots and better written of the story so far, the only detraction the time spent on the intimacey of Katie's love life. But def better than the previous one, and some parts move on from there, others lead to the next.

[Kelly Braybrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Absolutely brilliant but every book in this series is brilliant. Go and buy this book or start from the beginning you won’t be disappointed.

[Debra Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok even as I cringed thru the graphic details I was sucked into the story.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plot was very good and I loved the story. DS Katie Magurie and her team are over worked, trying to find the dognappers, an influx of drugs, and a missing young girl. Also her Ex boyfriend John is back, now recovering from his legs being amputated due to injuries in the previous book 'Buried' and he wants her back. Her boss dislikes her and tries to set her up. The characters were very interesting, and the story moved at a good pace. There was lots of action and suspense that lasted to the very end. However, I feel the medical horror was to much and the brutal animal torture made me not only sad but nauseated as well. It was a lot of unnecessary gory detail that was so disturbing it ruined the read for me. Other than this, I really like this series so I hope the next one will not have the horror.

[Edward Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

May be arguably the best Katie Maguire to date. A bit on the gory side but Masterson brought his horror self deep into the details of this story wrapped in dognapping, dog fighting, kidnapping, betrayal & drug smuggling as well as a cast of smug, antisocial criminals.

Graham also finds a unique way to end one romantic relationship and start another.

Graham Masterson still retains his go to status for me.

[John Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Strong stomach required!

This was a very gripping story, although I just couldn't bring myself to read some of the explicit descriptions of dog fighting and had to skip these passages. This thriller was a mixture of medical horror and extreme canine cruelty. I found it difficult to even like the book's heroine, Katie Maguire, such is the level of duplicity concerning the men (and women) in her personal life. After reading this series of books, I ask myself who in their right mind would want to live anywhere near Cork?

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is one of the most disturbing series I've read. It's gruesome, graphic, and it can be very sexual at times. However, this book bothered me more than the other 6 strictly because of the dog fighting. I was brought to tears over the dog fighting. That part bothered me the most. There was one chapter that I skimmed because the animal abuse bothered me so much.

Other than that, another amazing book. I can't wait until the next one.

[Pen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have been a fan of this series until this book. Masterton also writes horror novels and seems to have forgotten this was a crime series. Far too much unnecessary and gory detail that did nothing for the storyline; though truth be told, I wouldnt know as I skipped over dozens of pages of graphic descriptions. The plot was good and the final page unexpected, however, I couldnt really get into this book due to skipping so many pages. Please keep the horror out of your crime books!

[Trina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this arc from Netgalley.

If you have a problem dealing with the abuse of animals (as I do), don't read this. I skipped the parts that contained animal abuse. The rest of this book was gruesome but I didn't have a problem with that. Katie, the main character, will make you want to smack her. Absolutely hated the way she treated John. The way that the book ended was kind of a cliffhanger.

[Carrol Vaughan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Slow start. Obvious finish.

I almost stopped reading this book because the circumstances of the crimes were so muddled. But I slogged through to a very obvious conclusion because I always want to be sure I have given an author a chance to pull me into their work. I won't be looking for or reading any more of this author's work.

[Anne Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Katie is in trouble. The man she loved was abducted in the last book to make Katie lay off local crime king, Bobby Quilty. Katie managed to rescue John but not before he had holes drilled into his feet to prevent his escape by his kidnappers. At the start of Living Death, John has had both lower legs amputated and is coming to stay with Katie. He believes they are reunited in every sense of the word and that wedding bells will be ringing as soon as he’s up on his prosthetic legs. Katie is not so sure. After all John has left her twice. Having him back in her life quickly shows her that it’s over. But how can she cope with the guilt because she feels responsible that he was disabled because of her. It’s complicated.

Then Katie’s personal life becomes even more complicated when she meets Connor, a pet detective the guards have brought in to try to track down some missing dogs. The pedigree dogs were stolen from a kennels. The owners were woken by the dogs barking and they both suffered at the hands of the thieves. Some of the dogs are offered back to their owners if a ransom is paid. The rumour is that three of them have gone for training so that they can take part in dog fights. As thousands of Euros are involved whatever the destination for these stolen pedigree dogs, it’s a lucrative and heartless business. Connor approaches the dog fight trainer saying he’s looking to breed with a dog before it fights. Katie goes along with him and finds out more than she wants to about how fighting dogs are trained. Actually, it was more than I wanted to know too. I ended up skipping the detailed description of violence. And once I’d given myself permission not to read such thinfs, I skipped the blow by blow account of a man being deliberately maimed too. I don’t think I’m especially squeamish but I don’t enjoy reading of such horrors. My imagination can fill in the dots. Also, I don’t think my understanding or appreciation of the novel suffered because I didn’t read every word concerning these tortures.

As well as the dog napping, Cork is being flooded with drugs and no one knows where they are coming from. More arrests are made being made than ever but the drugs just keep on coming. Meanwhile, a young and very drunk woman is abducted from outside a nightclub. The perpetrators run her over and then take her to a doctor but healing her is the very last thing on that doctor’s mind. And the young woman is not their first victim.

If all this wasn’t enough, Katie’s boss tells that a local drug smuggler’s daughter wants her to raid her family’s latest shipment when it arrives as payback for killing her boyfriend, who happens to be from a rival crime family, very Romeo and Juliet. Katie smells a rat and acts in a way that has some unforeseen and deadly consequences.

Living death is the usual blend of non stop action, and clever plotting, all held together by Katie Maguire. I’m getting concerned about Katie though. She does seem to be making some very strange decisions, especially when it comes to men.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fantastic instalment in the Katie McGuire series. Always great plots that tell a great story with lots of sub plots interweaving. With a whole host of characters with stories and plots of their own always give the reader plenty to think and summarise about. Like I’ve said before you generally know who the culprits are from early on so it’s not a mystery but it’s how with the Garda find them out and when. It’s this non stop action and pure drama that make me love it so.
I must say though that the only negative I have and it’s only came about with reading so many of them, but Katie is always getting involved with some man or another and she seems to jump into bed with them as quick as she can blink. That’s about the only thing I don’t like about her and I really don’t get this whole relationship/friendship with Kyna, it’s so chaste and innocent with lines like ‘Katie went to Kyna and she hugged her and then they kissed’ either let her be attracted to purely women or men as this innocent love with Kyna is making me cringe.

[L. Penn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! What a book! When is the TV series going to be made?
This novel starts with a thrash, bang, wallop, and doesn't let up. My goodness, a tale so tough and compelling it was a breath of fresh air. How Masterton isn't right up there with the regular publishing-endorsed-mob like Grisham, staggers me.
Graham Masterton kicks ass in clear detail with a pace so frantic it doesn't let you down, not even a little bit, nor in its brutal finale which not only matches, but betters many best-selling authors.
In short, I don't think I can do it justice except, if you want to read a true hard-hitting, police-procedural thriller, pick this up and begin. From intentional malice to bloody events, drug trafficking and dog-fighting, and a team of cops, good, bad, and corrupt, this story knocks the wind out of your sails with a teaser of the next frightening book to come. Whew! Great stuff, Mr Masterton!

[Balthazar Lawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know if I should be disappointed or not. This book had such a low body count compared to the other books in the series. However, there was still the high level of mindless and brutal violence and pain inflected upon innocent people.

Katie Maguire has to come to terms with the events that had occurred in the previous book in the series and the greatest of these is her ex-boyfriend John recovering from having his lower legs amputated. She also has to deal with stolen dogs, a dog napper with his head blown off, missing girls and a flood of drugs. It all comes together in one tragic even after another. Somehow Katie manages to cope, but only just.

This is another good read in the series and the ending is a cliff hanger for the next book in the series. Definitely a series of books that HAS to be read in order.

[Plum-crazy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another gory & gripping read from one of my favourite authors. Once more there is a lot of brutality & the inhumane way in which people....& animals... are treated, along with the perpetrators casual indifference to their suffering, makes it all the more chilling - Dr Fitzgerald has to be one of the cruellest, self-servicing villains I've read about for a long, long time *shudder*

Despite being a huge Masterton fan & enjoying this series, I've never really taken to Katie. This time I was starting to feel a bit more sympathetic towards her, as her attitude & guilt towards John I found understandable....but then she blew it - big time! One night with Conor & she's planning a wedding & kids - get a grip woman! Then she takes him home to stay under the same roof as her handicapped lover...really? Of course it all ends badly, well it does for John anyway - though I guess Katie isn't feeling so pleased with herself after the info revealed at the every end...

A cruel & at times nasty read but I loved it & for me one of the best in the series.

[Menion · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every time I think Masterton can't possibly invent a slimier villain, he finds a way to do it. The doctor in this one is possibly the most sadistic bastard since the villain from A TERRIBLE BEAUTY or the psychotic, religion hating bitch from BLOOD SISTERS. Jesus, I hope he doesn't base these psychos in reality too much, it's enough to give you nightmares.
While Katie comes off better as a cop in this one than she did in BURIED, in her personal life in this one she comes off as a callous, unfeeling bitch. She's still a damn good cop, but for the first time, she really isn't a very likable character. I never thought I would see that. Then again, that may be part of Masterton's genius: his main character is no dyed in the wool hero, but she is as flawed (sometimes seriously) as anyone else.

[Prasant · Rating 3 out of 5]

I guess Covid-19, had me exploring different types of books and I am quiet delighted to have read this one.

A really good author , who paid attention to the slightest of all details and keeps you engrossed into the story right away. This was my first book in the series and I did not have a problem, getting into the story.
The strong Irish accent was a little difficult to read at times, but I think it was apt for the situation.

Probably the only reason why my ratings came down would be because of the main character, Katie McGuire. Somewhere down the lane , I think I started disliking her personality.

Otherwise , it has a very good story line, and the description of the crimes is "horrible" . If you get what I mean.

[Sally Parker · Rating 2 out of 5]

The usual mixture of crime, violence and Katie Maguire's troubled personal life !

A young girl is abducted and vanishes without trace. Pedigree dogs are being stolen. Cork's drug problem is growing worse by the day. Can such different crimes somehow be linked ? As Katie struggles to cope with an increasingly complex investigation, she has also to deal with the problem of her former lover John, who, having become disabled, is staying with Katie during his recovery, and expects them to be together forever.
As with all the books in this series, I don't think the graphic descriptions of torture and murder add anything to the story, but no doubt they appeal to some readers. I just skip over them to the next part of the story !

[Maree · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost did not read this book as the first Masterton story was too gory and violent for me but I am glad I did. Yes, the violence is still forefront and this time animals are included, yew, but I enjoyed the relationship development between Katie and John, and Katie and Conor. I found Katies response to John's disability realistic as a horrific injury like his would change anyone. He behaves as a victim now not the strong, virulent male he was before. Conor is a natural antidote to John and Katie's attraction to him is expected. I loved the ending of the book where Conor's involvement is suddenly doubtful and so hope the next book delves further into his history.