Bevor er tötet

Mackenzie White #1

by Blake Pierce

In den Maisfeldern Nebraskas wird eine ermordete, an einen Holzbalken gebundene Frau gefunden, die zum Oper eines gestörten Mörders wurde. Die Polizei erkennt schnell, dass ein Serienkiller unterwegs ist – und dass seine Mordserie gerade erst begonnen hat.

Detective Mackenzie White, jung, schlagfertig und kleiner als die alternden, chauvinistischen Männer ihrer Polizeiwache, wird mit der Aufklärung des Falles beauftragt. So ungern es die anderen Polizisten auch zugeben, sie brauchen ihren jungen und brillanten Verstand, der schon bei vielen Fällen die entscheidenden Impulse gegeben hat. Doch auch für Mackenzie erweist sich dieser Fall als unlösbares Rätsel, etwas, das weder sie noch die anderen Polizisten auf dem örtlichen Revier schon einmal erlebt haben.

Als das FBI zur Hilfe gerufen wird, beginnt eine aufregende Verbrecherjagd. Mackenzie, die von ihrer eigenen Vergangenheit, ihrer gescheiterten Beziehung und ihrer unbestreitbaren Anziehung zu dem neuen FBI Agenten geplagt wird, muss gegen ihre eigenen Dämonen kämpfen, um den Mörder, der sie an die dunkelsten Ecken ihres Geistes bringt, zu jagen. Als sie sich in den Kopf des Mörders versetzt und sich intensiv mit seiner gestörten Psychologie auseinandersetzt, erkennt sie, dass es das Böse wirklich gibt. Sie hofft nur, dass sie sich noch rechtzeitig aus seiner Denkweise befreien kann, während ihr gesamtes Leben um sie herum einstürzt.

Da immer mehr Leichen auftauchen, beginnt ein hektischer Wettkampf gegen die Zeit, der Täter muss gefasst werden, bevor er noch einmal zuschlagen kann.

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

250 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 18, 2016

About the author

Blake Pierce is author of the bestselling RILEY PAGE mystery series, which includes seven books (and counting). Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series, comprising four books (and counting); of the AVERY BLACK mystery series, comprising four books (and counting); and of the new KERI LOCKE mystery series.

An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Blake loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.blakepierceauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.

Reviews

[TXGAL1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good story about a young female police investigator that is forthright and determined. I’m interested enough to put the second book in the series, BEFORE HE SEES, on my TBR list.

[Petra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got this when it was free on Amazon and I fell for the pretty cover. Unfortunately, the story was a little disappointing. It's a very formulaic tale with cookie-cutter characters: young, female detective fighting for respect in a male-dominated environment while chasing a fanatic serial killer and simultaneously having the typical relationship and family issues. The female lead was over the top intuitive and made the rest of the police force look like total idiots, which made a lot of the story too unbelievable. Quick, easy read without any depth to it.

[Alyssa Jones · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mackenzie White is a detective in a small town in Nebraska. A young and inexperienced officer, her older, male colleagues treat her with disrespect and undermine her authority. That is, until a serial killer starts targeting women in and around their town. When Mackenzie is the first to uncover a valuable lead, she is promoted to head the investigation. Local opinion quickly changes as she narrows down the killer.

Obviously the 1 star rating means that I did not like the book. However, let me preface by saying that this book was a free download. If you are stuck in an airport, out of books to read, or just want a quick and mindless page turner, this isn't the worst option - if it is still free.

Here are my top 4 issues with Before He Kills.
1. A realistic mystery/thriller needs to be REALISTIC. Mackenzie is the most stereotypical female character I have ever read about. She is pretty, extremely fit, can eat anything and stay thin, successful, the object of every man's eye, stuck with a dead beat boyfriend and underestimated because of her gender. Of course she pushes for equality and immediately gets it after uncovering one basic lead. A character must have flaws for the reader to relate to him/her. Blake Pierce over characterized Mackenzie to the point of being almost laughable. Furthermore, when a character is facing a challenge, it is important that he or she realistically resolves it and suffers from it to be a sympathetic problem.
2. A good mystery/thriller presents the predator discreetly to cause suspense and anticipation. Pierce almost immediately wrote from the serial killer's perspective and the took away the "whodunnit." From the beginning the reader knew who the serial killer was and why he was killing the women. Then it was just waiting for Detective Mackenzie White to catch up and figure it out. Very boring.
3. Good writing shows the reader, it doesn't tell the reader. Analogies and similes are to creatively describe what is happening; entertain and engross the reader. Explaining each simile and analogy defeats the purpose. If a writer needs to explain an analogy and why it relates to the story, he/she probably selected the wrong one.
4. Blake Pierce needs a new editor. This may have help with number 3 as well. However, the sheer number of grammatical errors was incredibly distracting. Pierce even got situational facts mixed up.

Overall, Before He Kills was a large disappointment.

[Janete on hiatus due health issues · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. Page 231. Since April 2020(because of the pandemic), I've been in a reading slump, but this book was the last straw for me! Too many cliche situations and characters; not much action and too much speaking, and not thrilling at all.

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

So glad I downloaded this one. Great mystery and plot and loved the characters. Twisted story that sucked me right in! Go read this!

[Emmyreads444 · Rating 5 out of 5]

OH MY FUCK. 5 STARS. I need every book in this series immediately

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won’t give a lower rating because of the audible book being narrated by a woman with a British accent when the setting is Nebraska, but I will tell you to read the physical book if you’re so inclined. It’s very jolting to have to keep reminding one’s self that we are in Nebraska not some town in England. However, I was somewhat unimpressed with the stereotypical small town cops and the very young woman who seemed a bit over the top in her role as a young detective. The cops’ complete disinterest in what the FBI agent had to say was ludicrous. I know there are turf wars and resentments but it was just a little overdone all the time. The story wasn’t awful overall which is why I gave it 3 stars. It did entertain me when I wasn’t rolling my eyes at some of the actions taken by the characters.

****POSSIBLE SPOILER BELOW ****

And why didn’t the author do a bit more wrap up? What happened to the last victim? Did White get into any kind of trouble for her final actions with the perp? I know she got into some trouble for acting after suspension but??? If you have nothing else to read, this isn’t a bad source of entertainment. But if you have a huge TBR list like most of us do....pass this one up.

[K · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love a strong female lead, but Mackenzie White is not that. Her character has no actual redeeming qualities. Her "brilliant" insights are super obvious to anyone who has ever seen an episode of Criminal Minds. Apparently the author thinks Omaha PD is filled with idiots, because Mackenzie is praised on every page for unearthing clues that any detective with 5 minutes of experience would notice.

There are roughly a million better murder mysteries than this one. Including the author's own Once Gone. Even at $0.00, you can do better.

The description makes it sound so exciting - it isn't.
(minor plot insights follow but they aren't really spoilers as they occur fairly early on and/or are obvious to predict)
Her "dark past" - her dad was murdered. Her "failed relationships"? She is 25 and has just broken up with her boyfriend of the past 8 years. Breaking up with your teenage boyfriend is more like successful end to a relationship. Her "attraction to the FBI agent" is like 3 pages of "oh he's cute and listens to my ideas".

[Ana Lelis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think the author knows what a strong female lead is. The character was a whining annoying woman who was so full of herself. Everything is and was all about her. She was the ''perfect young beautiful woman'' who had to remind us about that in every single chapter.

[MadameD · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before He Kills , is a good Thriller !
Blake Pierce developed the characters well.
Mackenzie is a brilliant detective , with a talent for profiling . She must fight to prove what she’s capable of , to her boss and her sexist colleagues.
I like the fact that the author didn’t used all the clichés to describe a great badass female detective. In others similars stories, written by others authors , the female detective is most of the time rude , to prove that she is tough . For me it’s a nonsense.
In this book the MC has personal issues, that makes her vulnerable and realistic, and she’s very smart .
This book is well written with a good plot. Now I can’t wait to read the next Mackenzie’s adventures !

[Mackey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm new to Blake Pierce and his books so I'm trying out the first books in each of the series he writes. Before He Kills is the first in the Mackenzie White series and is quite good, well written and White's character is relatable. It's pretty standard fare for crime fiction but appears to be the start of a good series.

[Apoorva · Rating 4 out of 5]

I, unknowingly, got introduced to this book one day when scrolling through GOOGLEPLAYBOOKS. It's my first audiobook and gosh I loved it; I was always very hesitant to try audiobooks; I felt that I would never get that feeling or image one gets when actually reading a book, and I was totally wrong about it. The audiobook gives you as much insight as to reading a book, plus the tonal usage gives an entirely different experience. For those who haven't yet given audiobooks a shot, please go do it, like right now!

This is my first book from Blake Pierce; it is a typical crime thriller, but how the story unfolds is incredible. As the story progresses, you think you can predict the next course of action, but that's when the author takes you by surprise with phenomenal characters and twisted plots. The book cover is eye-catchy, making you get the book to read instantly, especially for those who judge a book by its cover.

The book is addictive, brilliant, and character-driven, and a fast-read. I would recommend this book to all the psycho-thriller and crime thriller genre enthusiasts. Like me, they wouldn't wait to take up the next book in the series. The audiobook takes roughly 7 hours to complete, so I suppose reading the book should take a day at the max.

[Rissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love that she doesnt change her main character throughout the book. Most authors decide that they want to character to change and be something more something different but she made her character strong and resilient from the start. The case Detective White is working on is intriguing as all mystery novels should be but i was never really trying to figure out who killed the women. I needed more from the characters, i needed to believe that one of the main people were in on the kills, not just believing it was some random person.
I understand that in real life the killer doesn't usually work on the police force or is your partner or anythig crazy but this is fiction and i want crazy, suspense, and misleading trust.

For a mystery novel i want to be on the edge of my seat and questioning every character whoes good and whoes bad. I want there to be suspense and well mystery and i didnt get that from this book.

[Strega · Rating 2 out of 5]

First off - Blake Pierce needs a new editor. Some of the goofs were laughable, like, internet illiterate laughable. Each one jerked me out of the story, and I had to find my way back.

Which was a shame.

This is a good story. A bit formulatic - woman detective has to 'prove' herself, gets pushed off big case that reminds her of her past, solves it anyway while getting hurt/beaten/almost killed. But overall, it was a decent read.

[Renaissance I · Rating 1 out of 5]

Would not read again.

Didn't finish book and don't want to. Boring story line. Boring main character. I get it. They hate you because you are a young female police officer. Got tired of her saying it all the time honestly.

[Debby *BabyDee* · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've never read anything by Blake Pierce but this story did not appeal to my senses. Although the cover looks good and the description reads well, I just got tired of the MC continuous repeating how she needs to get the respect of her colleagues. After awhile it become boring.

I totally respect the MC as a woman detective and taking on a serial killer while trying to earn respect as an officer. I started reading this story but put it away as I got a little bored and disinterested. The story can use some development in places. I've had some hit or misses with new authors this year and this one was miss. I'm willing to entertain other stories from this author that could pan out a little better than this one and will welcome any recommendations.

2-Stars😒

[Ele0n0ra · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐ porque entretiene

Una historia bastante trillada de la mujer policía que tiene una belleza bastante llamativa, que no se siente feliz con su vida, y que lucha por empoderarse en un medio machista mientras sigue las pistas para atrapar a un asesino serial que le puede llevar a perder su carrera o ascender en el escalafón dentro de las Fuerzas de Seguridad.
No encontré nada original y es una historia muy predecible pero entretiene y como todo inicio de serie deja varios temas colgados sin resolver y seguramente tratará de hacerlo en los siguientes libros que no leeré.
👍 Recomendada para alguien que recién se inicia en el género policial.
👎 No recomendado para quienes se exasperan con el exceso de clichés y amantes de Stieg Larsson.

[Ana Maria]

Me gusta la descripción de los casos, y el ambiente que el autor genera alrededor de ello, pero, tengo un gran problema con la protagonista y con la superioridad con la que demarcan su personalidad.

[Authorjen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Before He Kills is another formulaic murder mystery with a flawed lead detective who has a traumatic past to come to grips with. I've read a thousand books just like it. While it was a good enough effort, it just wasn't original or interesting enough to call good. It was entirely predictable without a single twist or turn. There were even typos. (Noting, where it should have been nothing. Ug! Editing, please!)

It's hard to like the protagonist. It's not that she's unlikable, it's just that there's not much substance. Not much to like, dislike, or care about either way. And what was that mystery squeaky board she was hearing at night anyway? Just PTSD?

Since this is one of a series, I suppose the author will delve further into Mackenzie's personal issues in more detail in subsequent books. But I won't be reading them. I could not, in good conscience, recommend this book. Maybe to a middle school book club, but then again, it was a bit too violent for even that. It just wasn't very good, IMO. One and a half stars.

[Eppie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not the best crafted mystery--there were holes all over the story, terribly obvious red herrings, some pretty sloppy detective work, etc. Mostly, I was just annoyed that the main character seemed to think that people didn't like her because she was a woman, when in reality, she was kind of an unsufferable perfectionist who thought she was better than everyone else and seemed to lack basic curtesy. The fact that she has no relationships with female characters to offer contrast seems to support this. I'm sure that even if she did have female friends she would probably piss them off too for the same reason (like where she gets on the bad side of the school principal).

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book on my Kindle because I needed a book set in the state of Nebraska. This was a new to me author. I wasn't very impressed. Typical girl detective trying to prove to "the guys" that she is just as good or better than them. Because a serial killer was kidnapping strippers, tying them to crosses and then whipping them to death, the FBI was brought in. The agent was impressed with her, and at the end she is off to join the FBI. I guess there are two more books in the series, but don't think I will be reading them.

[Eve · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent read for the most part. It was nice to follow the mystery, take my guesses at the motivations and what would come next. Mackenzie was a strong protagonist who I enjoyed following (even when some of the things she did frustrated me). I enjoyed learning about her past and her present, the relationships she had with others and how they were effected by her trauma. The end was definitely dumb (in respects to Mackenzie’s actions) but not entirely unexpected, I’d just hoped for better.

It’s unlikely that I’ll carry on with this series but I enjoyed it as a standalone nonetheless.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best series with a female detective that I have ever read! Blake Pierce is one of my favorite authors and has several different series out, all of which I love. This is a solid five star book. The main character, Mackenzie White, is absolutely real to me. She is working on her ability to get into the killer's mind, which helps her work on cases. But I like that she also has her times of self-doubt, makes mistakes, and breaks rules. In other words, she is a real person, not a superhero-type character. You'll find that the author creates some of the most amazing plots and each books makes the reader wonder how in the world the case can ever be solved.
I highly recommend this series, and anything by Blake Pierce.

[Linda Tucker · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book has an over-used storyline: young female detective, trying to overcome prejudices in a male-dominated work place. The author tries too hard to put the main character in place as a rogue thinker. She also needs a new editor. Some of the errors are so glaring as to be funny. I had to flip back several times to make sure it was as blatant an error as I thought it was.

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Riveting serial killer mystery with spunky, brilliant, and ambitious Detective Mackensie White as the protagonist. My only question is, "Why would the publisher/author choose a Brit to read the book which is set in Omaha, Nebraska?

[Francisco Rangel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lectura recomendada

Me gusto el desarrollo de la trama y el personaje principal femenino. Me mantuvo enganchado todo el tiempo. Lectura recomendada.

[Jerry B · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Before He Kills” was our first sampling of author Blake Pierce, who must write constantly given something like his ten series with multiple books each he juggles onto his booklist. Quantity does not necessarily equal quality, though, as this first police detective Mackenzie White tale is just too stereotypical to excite. She’s of course the comely and clever female in an otherwise apparently all-male cop shop; throughout this serial killer mystery White is seemingly the only detective who can find a clue. After three or four instances of moving the case along, now they all accept and adore her, etc., etc.

There’s little suspense either, as a few chapters first person by the villain spoils any aspect of the whodunit. Later, White is taken off the case for the shabbiest of reasons – but of course plows on regardless to a brilliant and “scary” conclusion. Hate to say, on balance, very skippable.

[Kimba Tichenor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read some of the later books in this series and they are much better. In fact, that is why I chose to go back and read this first book in the series (a mistake on my part). But this one relies too much on a formulaic recipe: a young female detective in a small town fighting for the respect of her male colleagues, while she takes on a serial killer and earns the admiration of an FBI agent. By itself, this would not be a problem except there is little subtlety in the author's presentation of this struggle, as a result her adversaries on the force appear dumb one-dimensional cavemen about which one wonders how they ever managed to solve a crime prior to MacKenzie's arrival on the force. This one-dimensionality makes much of the story difficult to believe.

Equally problematic is the author's sense of place. The events take place in a small town in Nebraska. Yet, it could have been any small town anywhere in the world, as beyond the initial reference to Nebraska, there is nothing in the book, unless you count a few references to cornfields, that suggests the author did any research on the setting or had ever even been to Nebraska. This fact becomes blatantly clear when you listen to the audiobook. For some strange reason, the narrator chosen for this book set in small town Nebraska was British. Who would have ever thought that every single person living in this town would be a transplant from over the pond and thus would be read with a British accent! While listening (assuming the discrepancy does not drive you nuts before you reach the end of the book), one can easily forget that this book is not set in England, because there is nothing to remind you it took place in Nebraska, or that matter in the United States.

[Gaby Franz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Empezó muy bien pero me encontré con problemas en la lectura. Odio que no usen la raya de diálogo utilizando el encomillado y reglas del idioma original.
Aparte de eso la historia se lee rápido y entretiene.
Como inicio de saga me agradó pero no me enloqueció.
La protagonista tiene demasiados rollos en la cabeza para mí gusto.

[Lauren-Eva · Rating 1 out of 5]

Seemed generic and very formulaic. The tension between the lead character and her coworkers seemed forced and unnecessary and detached from the story. It also made her coworkers and boss look like they were greatly incompetent.