Creepz

by Ruth Bainbridge

An alternate cover edition for this book can be found here and here.

A war has begun and NYC’s worst nightmare is here …

June 2017. New York is suffering under the worst heatwave in centuries, but it’s the barrage of grisly murders that has city dwellers on edge. Since the homicides don’t fit a pattern, the NYPD is treating them as unrelated, but Detective Grace Jarrod isn’t so sure. Graffiti left at the crime scenes points to the crimes being linked and part of a rampage.

The delivery of a cryptogram to her precinct proves her theory correct. A group calling themselves CREEPZ takes credit for the deaths and for the war they wage. They promise not to stop until a societal revolution is achieved. Jarrod leads the investigation and goes after the madmen that strike at will and profess to kill for love. Little does she know that the group of homeless drifters is led by a genius who believes himself God.

CREEPZ is an adrenaline rush of chills, intensity, and mind-numbing suspense. A mashup of murder, CIA PsyOps programming, political sex rings, and Aleister Crowley mysticism, the elements combine to produce a non-stop thriller that’s the must-read of the season!

In 1969: it was Charles Manson. In 1977: it was the Son of Sam. In 2017: it’s New York’s newest nightmare—CREEPZ.

475 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 1, 2019

Reviews

[Linda Strong · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1969: it was Charles Manson.
In 1977: it was the Son of Sam.
In 2018: it's New York City's worst nightmare--CREEPZ.

It's a heatwave that doesn't seem to quit and New York residents are suffering. The heat is not the only problem.

Detective Grace Jarrod is investigating a series of particularly gruesome murders. They seem random, but Grace notices that graffiti is left at each crime scene.

CREEPZ is the group taking credit for the horrendous murders.

Jarrod leads the investigation and goes after the madmen who strike at will and profess to kill for love. Little does she know that the cult's leader, a mysterious figure called Odin, runs a sex trafficking ring that extends into the White House and the presidential corridors of power.

This is a crime fiction mixed with suspense and mystery. It's a gritty, violent read, with graphic descriptions of sexual torture. Throw in a little horror and there's the making of a non-stop thriller. Not for the faint of heart.

Of note ... the ending is an unresolved cliff hanger which left me unfulfilled. Rating dropped to 3.5 Stars.

Many thanks to the author / Netgalley for the digital copy of CREEPZ. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

[OutlawPoet]

This is a massive DNF. Child rape and every blessed time the cop enters the scene we're told she's gorgeous. Every freaking time.

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

Warning: This book is rather graphic in its descriptions of violence and underage prostitution. If either of these topics bother you then this is not a book you should consider reading as it delves deep into the darkness that lurks in the minds of certain people. The story itself is good and quite chilling. Hopefully it won't give me nightmares now that I'm done reading and am sifting through my thoughts and emotions regarding it. Now is a good time to find something light and fluffy to read!

[Donna Fitzpatrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It has cult killers, conspiracy theories, and a female detective who is a very well-written character. Along with the main plot, there are several subplots. But the author does such a good job that all the threads are entertaining and easy to follow. And the ending will leave you with a case of the CREEPZ for a long, long time!

[Fee Roberts · Rating 1 out of 5]

CREEPZ by Ruth Bainbridge is a story of sex trafficking, and murders happening all over New York.

I felt a lot of the sex scenes in this book were for shock value more than anything. The characters are one dimensional, and the huge cliff-hanger was a big let down.

[Sabina D'agliano · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh

Kinda liked the characters and plot line for most of the book. Some parts were hard to read especially when it came to children being exploited. The ending though is what killed the book for me. I won't get into spoilers but it just ruined the whole thing for me.

[Paula Ptomey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creepz will grab you by the throat and not let you. You will try to stop reading and get on with your day, but you will be wondering what is next and quickly find yourself reading some more. "Just 10 more minutes". Won't happen. Ruth Bainbridge has written an amazing detective story that leaves you wondering what the next surprise will be. And generally it's not one you see coming. Great read!

[Sandra Knapp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intense, hard to read at times, and I never saw the end coming!!

Gritty and ugly in so many ways, but I have no doubt it is truthful and honest in the portrayal of human trafficking, and the difficulties in catching these monsters and bringing them to justice. The web of secrecy and protection they manage to pull together from the very wealthy or high placed is as disgusting as the crime it's self, and also frighteningly real. Not for the squeamish, but a very well told tale.

[Mike Bratek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creepz or just creepy!?

This book needs a good editor! There were just too many grammar and punctuation mistakes throughout. As for story, quite creepy and well, disturbing!
Characters flowed nicely with a huge twist at the very end still doesn't bring me love it, but it's okay and needs a bit polishing up a bit.

[Jerri · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe I'm not in the right frame of mind but this was just too hard to get started. It was all over the place and the dialogue was anybody's guess as to who was talking. Way too many extraneous people and events. I'm out.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

The plot is very interesting, but the pace was average, I was going to leave a four star review. But the end is surprising and there are some twists in this story line that really shake you up, so I ended up really enjoying the overall thrill of it. It is dark material at times.

[Andy Harvey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent bit worried before I started it because over seven hours to read and I might get bored, but no problem not one boring page from start to finish good exciting story with some very sick twisted characters.

[Meredith Flandreau · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put down Creepz. It was spellbinding. By Ruth Bainbridge, Creepz was decidedly creepy. I gave it 5 stars and I don't think it deserved 3.78.

[Murray Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creepz are everywhere

Creepz are everywhere even when you don’t think they are. Cryptic sayings and a puzzle to solve made this book interesting.

[Bob · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a compelling, if disturbing, book with two separate storylines involved. One is about a sex trafficker of underage girls and the other is about a psychopathic gang wreaking havoc on New York City. And this is the biggest problem for me with this book. The gang story is very compelling and is the main thrust of the book. The main character, Grace Jarrod, is a police detective trying to stop a vicious ‘war’ against the people of New York while seemingly being thwarted by the Police Commissioner and Mayor. I liked her a lot, and many of the other characters, even though I found the writing to be a little uneven, better in some places than others. The sex trafficking story is not as well written as evidenced by several scenes involving the President of the United States. At best, these scenes are unbelievable and at worst outlandish. They could never happen because the media follows the POTUS’ every move when he leaves the White House. Also, many of the scenes in this story part are disturbing and violent. I understand the motive (to show the villain, Daniel, as a cruel psychopath) but they could have been dealt with differently. There is very little background on Daniel such as what had he done for the past ten years? How did he become a powerful 'player' in NYC politics? How did he become a sex trafficker and drug dealer? Ultimately, this storyline is unnecessary as it adds nothing to the book and does not further it along. The book would have been shorter and the tension higher without it. There are some other things that bothered me such as referring to Grace’s police precinct as Midtown Precinct. It is either Midtown North or Midtown South or some other area's precinct. Also, there is no Midtown General Hospital. There are too many well known hospitals in NYC to name. Ms. Bainbridge frequently writes ‘breaths’ when she means ‘breathes.’ Is Dawson Rhodes a State Senator or a U.S. Senator. If he is a U.S. Senator, why isn’t he in Washington? She refers to Central Park West as CPW. This might be nitpicking, but I find this to be lazy writing; there should have been better research and better character history. I also absolutely agree with many other reviewers who were disappointed by the ending. It was a phenomenal disappointment and a disturbing let down. I think it can be best described as a gut punch. A cruel joke on the reader who has spent all this time on the book. I gave this book two stars, but it would have been higher if not for that ending. I, as well as a number of other readers, am hoping there will be a sequel, although since it has been five and a half years since publication, it does not seem to be likely. For this reason, I find that I am sorry that I ever read the book and I do not believe I will be reading any more of her books.