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Zoe Prime #1
Gesicht des Todes
FACE OF DEATH (Ein Zoe Prime Mystery - Buch 1) ist das Debüt in einer neuen FBI-Thrillerserie von Stella Gold.
Die FBI-Spezialagentin Zoe Prime leidet unter einer seltenen Krankheit, die ihr auch ein einzigartiges Talent verleiht - sie betrachtet die Welt durch eine Linse aus Zahlen. Die Zahlen quälen sie, machen sie unfähig, sich auf Menschen zu beziehen, und geben ihr ein gescheitertes romantisches Leben - aber sie ermöglichen ihr auch, Muster zu erkennen, die kein anderer FBI-Agent sehen kann. Zoe hält ihren Zustand geheim, beschämt, aus Angst, ihre Kollegen könnten es herausfinden.
Doch als ein Serienmörder im Mittleren Westen zuschlägt und Frauen an abgelegenen Orten und scheinbar zufällig erwürgt, ist Zoe zum ersten Mal ratlos. Gibt es ein Muster? Kann es überhaupt kein Muster geben?
Oder ist dieser Mörder genauso besessen von Zahlen wie sie?
In einem verrückten Wettlauf gegen die Zeit muss Zoe in den teuflischen Verstand eines Mörders eintreten, der ihr immer einen Schritt voraus zu sein scheint, und ihn davon abhalten, sein nächstes Opfer zu fordern, bevor es zu spät ist. Gleichzeitig muss sie ihre eigenen Dämonen in Schach halten, was sich letztendlich als noch bedrohlicher erweisen kann.
FACE OF DEATH ist ein actiongeladener Thriller mit herzzerreißender Spannung und das erste Buch in einer spannenden neuen Serie, in der Sie bis spät in die Nacht blättern können.
Die Bücher Nr. 2 und Nr. 3 der Reihe - FACE OF MURDER und FACE OF FEAR - werden in Kürze erhältlich sein!
Die FBI-Spezialagentin Zoe Prime leidet unter einer seltenen Krankheit, die ihr auch ein einzigartiges Talent verleiht - sie betrachtet die Welt durch eine Linse aus Zahlen. Die Zahlen quälen sie, machen sie unfähig, sich auf Menschen zu beziehen, und geben ihr ein gescheitertes romantisches Leben - aber sie ermöglichen ihr auch, Muster zu erkennen, die kein anderer FBI-Agent sehen kann. Zoe hält ihren Zustand geheim, beschämt, aus Angst, ihre Kollegen könnten es herausfinden.
Doch als ein Serienmörder im Mittleren Westen zuschlägt und Frauen an abgelegenen Orten und scheinbar zufällig erwürgt, ist Zoe zum ersten Mal ratlos. Gibt es ein Muster? Kann es überhaupt kein Muster geben?
Oder ist dieser Mörder genauso besessen von Zahlen wie sie?
In einem verrückten Wettlauf gegen die Zeit muss Zoe in den teuflischen Verstand eines Mörders eintreten, der ihr immer einen Schritt voraus zu sein scheint, und ihn davon abhalten, sein nächstes Opfer zu fordern, bevor es zu spät ist. Gleichzeitig muss sie ihre eigenen Dämonen in Schach halten, was sich letztendlich als noch bedrohlicher erweisen kann.
FACE OF DEATH ist ein actiongeladener Thriller mit herzzerreißender Spannung und das erste Buch in einer spannenden neuen Serie, in der Sie bis spät in die Nacht blättern können.
Die Bücher Nr. 2 und Nr. 3 der Reihe - FACE OF MURDER und FACE OF FEAR - werden in Kürze erhältlich sein!
283 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 29, 2019
2355 people are currently reading
3036 people want to read
About the author
Stella Gold
5 books37 followersDebut author Stella Gold is author of the ZOE PRIME MYSTERY series which includes FACE OF DEATH (Book #1), FACE OF MURDER (Book #2) and FACE OF FEAR (Book #3). Stella would love to hear from you, so please visit www.stellagoldauthor.com to receive free ebooks, hear the latest news, and stay in touch.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 269 reviews
August 31, 2022
RATED: 2.5⭐️
Ah, NO. This series will not be getting a read from me.
Ah, NO. This series will not be getting a read from me.
December 30, 2020
At first, I wasn’t enjoying to book very well and I think it was the “numbers” and all the odd combinations that popped all over. I’m familiar with numbers in nature and the Fibonacci sequence. After the first few chapters I was able to get into the grove of the book and greatly enjoyed it. The main character, Zoe, is very socially awkward within herself and others, which can be a huge drawback in many jobs. It seems she has finally gotten a partner who doesn’t superficially judge her and fir e her to be something she’s not. I’m glad there are sequels to thus book so we can see her continue and perfect her unique, and extraordinary, skill set. Very different than Blake’s other books and I applaud him for stretching his own style. Great job! Looking forward to more great books.
February 26, 2020
This wasn't a bad book --held my interest and moved along at a fairly good pace. There were no major errors in grammar, continuity, etc. But I found it very difficult to believe 1) that no one knew Zoe's "secret" (that she is a math whiz and sees numbers and patterns everywhere --think Reid from Criminal Minds and 2) that anyone at the FBI would ever see that as a negative. The entire plot of the book hinges on her having this incredible skill but not wanting to tell anyone, including her new partner. I was interested in that very aspect --i loved Numbers on TV - so found it incredibly annoying. Maybe later books get better. Detective with a secret is a well-worn trope and when the secret doesn't even make sense . . . .
June 16, 2022
Great start to this series! The story was a bit slow in the beginning but good overall - I would definitely read a sequel. 👍🏻
March 7, 2023
This is another book that’s been on my shelves for a long time (Dec2020). Based on the book summary, I thought the story would either be really interesting or really annoying. Based on personal experience, people who are mathematic wizards, who tend to apply mathematic calculations, formulas and statistics to anything and everything they see, are definitely fascinating – for a while. However, after a while, they can be kind of annoying. So, I’m thinking this story is either going to be really interesting or really annoying. For what it’s worth though, from the get-go, I found Zoe’s character kind of endearing and amusing, especially her attempt at dating.
The book summary lays out the premise for the primary storyline: the tracking of a serial killer. The first half of the story has Zoe and her partner, Shelley, investigating the murders, collecting clues, and profiling the killer. There is a secondary storyline and that is the relationship between Zoe and Shelley. Because of her condition (Synesthesia), Zoe tends to go through a lot of partners; they find her “weird” and don’t like working with her and always request a new partner – until Shelley. Shelley is Zoe’s newest partner, an FBI newbie agent fresh out of training. Shelley is the first partner that Zoe has revealed her condition to.
In the second half of the story, Zoe and Shelley narrow down their profile of the killer and discover the pattern that he is killing in. They focus their search for him based on where they believe he will kill next based on his killing pattern. The end comes quick; the story is a pretty quick read at 217pgs. It gets really intense and scary for Zoe and Shelley. Very satisfying ending.
Once again, I like Zoe. She’s not the bad@$$ kind of female, law enforcement type of character that I like the most, she’s more of that quirky, dorky, brilliant type of MC that I also like. Her condition gives the author a different sort of perspective to create stories around Zoe. I look forward to the next installment.
The book summary lays out the premise for the primary storyline: the tracking of a serial killer. The first half of the story has Zoe and her partner, Shelley, investigating the murders, collecting clues, and profiling the killer. There is a secondary storyline and that is the relationship between Zoe and Shelley. Because of her condition (Synesthesia), Zoe tends to go through a lot of partners; they find her “weird” and don’t like working with her and always request a new partner – until Shelley. Shelley is Zoe’s newest partner, an FBI newbie agent fresh out of training. Shelley is the first partner that Zoe has revealed her condition to.
In the second half of the story, Zoe and Shelley narrow down their profile of the killer and discover the pattern that he is killing in. They focus their search for him based on where they believe he will kill next based on his killing pattern. The end comes quick; the story is a pretty quick read at 217pgs. It gets really intense and scary for Zoe and Shelley. Very satisfying ending.
Once again, I like Zoe. She’s not the bad@$$ kind of female, law enforcement type of character that I like the most, she’s more of that quirky, dorky, brilliant type of MC that I also like. Her condition gives the author a different sort of perspective to create stories around Zoe. I look forward to the next installment.
July 18, 2020
I found this book fascinating! Brilliantly written, it delves into a real but rare mental phenomenon.
FBI Special Agent and profiler Zoe Prime suffers from a rare mental condition which also gives her a unique talent and gift—she views the world through a lens of numbers and patterns. This condition being diagnosed in her as a young child brought alienation and verbal abuse from her over righteous mother. It’s “the devil’s gift” she would say berating her. However, her “gift” allows her to see patterns that no other FBI agent can see and aids her to successfully solve cases. As such, she can tract down a serial killer, because she is able to think the same as a serial killer. She examines, identify’s, and sees the scientific and mathematical pattern a killer follows. (Thankfully, the author did not get real zealous with psychiatric scientific mumbo jumbo explanations).
However, Zoe keeps her condition a secret, ashamed, and in fear her colleagues may find out. Unable to relate to people or have any real relationships, she has been assigned new partners on a regular basis, the latest partner being Shelley. Together, they must work to trust each other to capture a monster whose favorite method of killing is slicing the victim’s neck open with wire. Clues that don’t make sense, victims that don’t make sense, places that don’t make sense. Now there’s a race against the clock!
Zoe learns the hard way that sometimes patterns aren’t exactly what they seem.
FBI Special Agent and profiler Zoe Prime suffers from a rare mental condition which also gives her a unique talent and gift—she views the world through a lens of numbers and patterns. This condition being diagnosed in her as a young child brought alienation and verbal abuse from her over righteous mother. It’s “the devil’s gift” she would say berating her. However, her “gift” allows her to see patterns that no other FBI agent can see and aids her to successfully solve cases. As such, she can tract down a serial killer, because she is able to think the same as a serial killer. She examines, identify’s, and sees the scientific and mathematical pattern a killer follows. (Thankfully, the author did not get real zealous with psychiatric scientific mumbo jumbo explanations).
However, Zoe keeps her condition a secret, ashamed, and in fear her colleagues may find out. Unable to relate to people or have any real relationships, she has been assigned new partners on a regular basis, the latest partner being Shelley. Together, they must work to trust each other to capture a monster whose favorite method of killing is slicing the victim’s neck open with wire. Clues that don’t make sense, victims that don’t make sense, places that don’t make sense. Now there’s a race against the clock!
Zoe learns the hard way that sometimes patterns aren’t exactly what they seem.
January 9, 2022
5/10
Ya que he sacado el hacha a pasear y la tengo afilada, voy a aprovechar y termino de usarla 😁
Vamos por partes, o mejor por cortes:
1 Novela de asesinatos bastante al uso que tiene de protagonista a una traumatizada agente del FBI. Lo sé, otra vez un protagonista roto emocionalmente o con grandes remordimientos sobre sus hombros. Lo interesante es que nuestra agente especial está obsesionada con los números y gracias a ellos es capaz de ver cosas que nadie más puede, así como realizar cálculos inverosímiles. Bueno, ni tan mal.
2 El asesino en serie que tiene el papel de némesis, también parece padecer la misma condición que la protagonista con el tema numérico, bueno igual ya es algo repetitivo, pero le daremos una oportunidad.
3 Las matemáticas que parecían poder ser muy importantes durante la trama, me gustan las mates que le vamos a hacer, al final no son tan determinantes y aportan mucho menos de lo esperado. Continuamos para bingo.
4 Y por el último y el remate final que hace que se quede en 2 estrellas y gracias, es la traducción. Me bajé este libro de Amazon que estaba de oferta gratis y solo puedo decir que ningún traductor patrio ha hecho semejante matanza. Es imposible entrar en la historia cuando no dejas de ver expresiones mal conjugadas, ausencia de preposiciones y alguna falta de ortografía que otra, bufffffffffffff, imposible no ponerse de mala leche.
¿Entonces por qué no lo abandonaste? Pues bueno, además de ser un poco masoquista, son apenas 200 páginas y con una traducción en condiciones se hubiera llevado un 6.5-7 seguro, ya que la historia sin ser nada original es entretenida.
Obvia decir que no voy a continuar con los siguientes ni por casualidad.
Ya que he sacado el hacha a pasear y la tengo afilada, voy a aprovechar y termino de usarla 😁
Vamos por partes, o mejor por cortes:
1 Novela de asesinatos bastante al uso que tiene de protagonista a una traumatizada agente del FBI. Lo sé, otra vez un protagonista roto emocionalmente o con grandes remordimientos sobre sus hombros. Lo interesante es que nuestra agente especial está obsesionada con los números y gracias a ellos es capaz de ver cosas que nadie más puede, así como realizar cálculos inverosímiles. Bueno, ni tan mal.
2 El asesino en serie que tiene el papel de némesis, también parece padecer la misma condición que la protagonista con el tema numérico, bueno igual ya es algo repetitivo, pero le daremos una oportunidad.
3 Las matemáticas que parecían poder ser muy importantes durante la trama, me gustan las mates que le vamos a hacer, al final no son tan determinantes y aportan mucho menos de lo esperado. Continuamos para bingo.
4 Y por el último y el remate final que hace que se quede en 2 estrellas y gracias, es la traducción. Me bajé este libro de Amazon que estaba de oferta gratis y solo puedo decir que ningún traductor patrio ha hecho semejante matanza. Es imposible entrar en la historia cuando no dejas de ver expresiones mal conjugadas, ausencia de preposiciones y alguna falta de ortografía que otra, bufffffffffffff, imposible no ponerse de mala leche.
¿Entonces por qué no lo abandonaste? Pues bueno, además de ser un poco masoquista, son apenas 200 páginas y con una traducción en condiciones se hubiera llevado un 6.5-7 seguro, ya que la historia sin ser nada original es entretenida.
Obvia decir que no voy a continuar con los siguientes ni por casualidad.
October 15, 2020
Face of Death by Blake Pierce is the first book in the Zoe Prime Mystery series. FBI Special Agent Zoe Prime has a rare synaesthesia causing her to see the world through numbers and patterns. She and her new partner Shelley hunt down a serial killer who is killing his victims with a thin wire garotte in seemingly random locations. An interesting and captivating mystery. It is a shame that Zoe feels that she needs to hide her talents due to her upbringing. I love that her partner is so supportive and hopefully Zoe will become more confidant. A nice introduction to the series.
March 14, 2022
The best part of this novel is the detectives phenomenonally rare ability...BUT otherwise this killer is very similar to a Criminal Minds killer, the lead detective makes too many mistakes for me...yes, I like my detectives to be infallible until later in a series...I need to know they are actually good at their job! This one just missed the spot for me...
September 3, 2020
An interesting book about a killer and his abductor having a similar characteristics.
October 15, 2020
This main character really interests me (I knew a child with this “gift”years ago) I found this a nonstop read, despite the timeline listed. Really kept my interest. Audiobook version well read by Ulka Mohanty. (9-19-20)
The boy I knew with the “gift” worked for the Gov’t before he graduated high school. Through the Cold War into the modern desktop experience, he started on computers with memory stored in units that filled whole buildings, literally. He never wore a uniform and served his country well. (RIP B.F.)
The boy I knew with the “gift” worked for the Gov’t before he graduated high school. Through the Cold War into the modern desktop experience, he started on computers with memory stored in units that filled whole buildings, literally. He never wore a uniform and served his country well. (RIP B.F.)
August 2, 2020
Just an ok book. Easy reading. I would not rush to read another book in this series.
May 4, 2020
Magnificient Thriller
My first book by Blake Pierce amongst several in the series and it was indeed an excellent read. The book is about a serial murderer, killing at random (or not) and chased by a genius detective who has a unique inborn blessing of seeing the world in numbers that sets her apart from others in solving such heinous crime. While there is no relation between the murders in any manner or any pattern, the method of killing is common. The book is fast-paced from the very starting and the author has brilliantly detailed the movement of the characters, their beliefs and describes their facial expression such that it creates visual imagery for the readers. The protagonist is very meticulous, pays attention to detail and together complemented by her gifted ability to see the crime scene in numbers, she unfolds the pattern and is able to predict the psychological behaviour of the killer and the next possible location of thr murder. The book is gripping to the end until the killer's identity revealed and the last victim rescued. A fantastic and recommended read for all thriller fans and I am already half way through the second book in the series "Face of Murder".
My first book by Blake Pierce amongst several in the series and it was indeed an excellent read. The book is about a serial murderer, killing at random (or not) and chased by a genius detective who has a unique inborn blessing of seeing the world in numbers that sets her apart from others in solving such heinous crime. While there is no relation between the murders in any manner or any pattern, the method of killing is common. The book is fast-paced from the very starting and the author has brilliantly detailed the movement of the characters, their beliefs and describes their facial expression such that it creates visual imagery for the readers. The protagonist is very meticulous, pays attention to detail and together complemented by her gifted ability to see the crime scene in numbers, she unfolds the pattern and is able to predict the psychological behaviour of the killer and the next possible location of thr murder. The book is gripping to the end until the killer's identity revealed and the last victim rescued. A fantastic and recommended read for all thriller fans and I am already half way through the second book in the series "Face of Murder".
September 3, 2020
The book is about a serial murderer, killing at random (or not) and chased by a genius detective who has a unique inborn blessing of seeing the world in numbers that sets her apart from others in solving such heinous crime. While there is no relation between the murders in any manner or any pattern, the method of killing is common.
My first book by Blake Pierce was indeed an excellent read. The book is fast-paced from the very starting and the author has brilliantly detailed the movement of the characters.
The protagonist is complemented by her gifted ability to see the crime scene in numbers, she unfolds the pattern and is able to predict the psychological behavior of the killer and the next possible location of the murder. But the author didn't give that much detail to the serial killer's character other tha he is just a psycho.
The book is gripping to the end until the killer's identity revealed and the last victim rescued. A fantastic and recommended read for all thriller fans.
Exciting, unusual, and a complete change from the normal crime thrillers. Can't wait to buy book 2 .
My first book by Blake Pierce was indeed an excellent read. The book is fast-paced from the very starting and the author has brilliantly detailed the movement of the characters.
The protagonist is complemented by her gifted ability to see the crime scene in numbers, she unfolds the pattern and is able to predict the psychological behavior of the killer and the next possible location of the murder. But the author didn't give that much detail to the serial killer's character other tha he is just a psycho.
The book is gripping to the end until the killer's identity revealed and the last victim rescued. A fantastic and recommended read for all thriller fans.
Exciting, unusual, and a complete change from the normal crime thrillers. Can't wait to buy book 2 .
May 17, 2020
Okay, so let's start with the good stuff: this is a very quick read, a story with potential and not a total waste of time. Now for the rest: for me the writing was clunky with lots of abrupt or better yet little to no transitions from one part of the story to the next. Additionally for me there were a lot of disconnects, like how the killer was able to attack two women at the same time without one escaping, or why the protagonist's previous partners didn't want to work with her when she is brilliant and talented. It just didn't make sense for me. Nor do we ever get a real understanding of the killer's motivation. Overall, the characters just weren't developed enough for me to become invested in them or their success.
January 3, 2021
Très bon, je m’attaque au tome 2 Le visage du meurtre
July 5, 2021
Listened to the free audiobook as a way to remind myself why free books are not the way to go.
July 23, 2025
I just started reading the naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes so I had to keep this type of energy going and I believe I found it with this series!!!! The main character Zoe resembles Sloane from the naturals. I loved the walk through and the thought process we get while reading the book. I also like how the author didn't make the main character as "normal" it's a refreshingly new perspective that I didnt know I needed. Can't wait to see what case Zoe and Chelly get in the next book!
October 28, 2020
A very good, thought-provoking mystery that only drags in places. It is good to read about a strong, brilliant if different woman who can defend herself and solve murders. Definite role-model material.
March 31, 2022
Въобще не е лоша книгата. Сюжетът е доста приятен. Има едновременно убиец с психически отклонения и детектив от ФБР също с вид психическо растройство, което някои биха нарекли по-скоро дарба.
Чете се леко и липсват излишни описания и досадни подробности.
Чете се леко и липсват излишни описания и досадни подробности.
July 17, 2020
Wasnt a bad book but got me bored after a while
September 7, 2020
I really enjoyed this book. It was an interesting insight into the mind of someone with neuro-divergence. Plus just a good thriller/mystery type book. I think I'll be reading more of this series.
April 10, 2022
Enjoyable read. There are others in the series and I will definitely be looking to read these
May 29, 2020
It's not like Blake to write a book where half the book is details about character movements, thoughts, flashbacks, and facial expressions. I dont want to read about the character scratching an itch, then turning her head to left then right. After chapter 10, I scanned the pages until I got back to the storyline. I am addicted to the Riley Paige series and wish you could bring back Keri Locke. Having a homelife storyline as well is much more intriguing because it tells her complete life story and how she balances that life and work and how homelife affects her job as well. While the Zoe series is just starting, I hope you can follow suit with your other great series. You really do listen to your readers and consider their wants and requests. I gave this book 3 stars because I had to really try to maintain my focus on the book. Other than that, I will always, always be a Blake Pierce fan! I've read every series so far and cant wait to see what's next!
August 16, 2021
Muy bueno, mantiene el interés, el estilo es ágil y preciso, los personajes muy bien delineados,no abusa de las descripciones, despierta emociones,Hay intriga,suspenso y un poco de acción. Me ha gustado. La version leida en kindle tiene errores, necesita una revisión, a ratos es como si la hubiera traducido un dispositivo automático,esto le resta calidad y lectores en español,merece la pena revisarla.
December 23, 2019
This is book one of the Zoe Prime Mystery series and follows FBI Special Agent Zoe as she uses her special sense to help solve cases. She suffers from an unusual type of synaesthesia that allows her to view crime scene clues as numbers and patterns floating across her mind’s eye and allows her brain to interpret all these clues and get evidence from this that no-one else can visualise. This special way of viewing the world meant Zoe had a very hard and trying childhood, with a mother who treated her view of the world as evil and demonised her.
She was left lacking in interactions with other children and unable to form normal friendships and relationships. This has led to her having problems keeping partners at work and comments about her blank look and lack of emotions. She now has a new partner called Shelley, who whilst younger and less experienced than Zoe, is already well thought of and advancing rapidly. Their first case together is an escaped prisoner, on the run and killing people in his path. They reached the latest location shortly after the crime occurred and Zoe can immediately see the path the prisoner took and where he would likely be going and they could find him. They solve this case quickly and are soon put onto another.
Zoe can’t manage small talk with others and there is a cringe-worthy date placed in front of readers, where Zoe realises all of her mistakes afterwards, in her complete lack of interaction with her date, but still can’t put much of it into practice. Her new partner is also in this awkward position and has to try and find out how to best work with Zoe and to get some back and forth flow of ideas between them. Their next case involves a trail of three dead women so far, found in lonely and out of the way locations, seemingly at random, but killed in the same manner. There is nothing linking the victims, no reason they were selected by the killer and this is not going to be quite as simple to solve as their last case.
Zoe can see no pattern and it appears the attacks are completely random, maybe this is the pattern – no pattern! He has cleaned the scenes after himself and practically no clues are left behind for the agents to pursue. Zoe may well have met her match and found a killer more obsessed with numbers and patterns than she is. Zoe refuses to let her fellow agents know about her strange ability, but also refuses to seek any help from the psychiatrist her former mentor suggested for her. She has a lot of dark secrets from her past that still affect her and have led her to keep her ability secret, even from her fellow agents and partners.
They are in a race against time to try and stop him before he kills another victim. They know where they think he is heading, but only have a vague idea of his height, weight and build. Zoe has to fight her own demons from her past and also this killer with possibly a similar affliction. Whether she can succeed on both fronts is yet to be seen and if she can manage to keep her partner, maybe she is finally evolving in her relations with others and the showing of emotion. A fascinating subject to use as a tool for the main character and makes for a very different view of crime scenes. A great and easy read and an enjoyable thriller. I look forward to reading the next in the series. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
She was left lacking in interactions with other children and unable to form normal friendships and relationships. This has led to her having problems keeping partners at work and comments about her blank look and lack of emotions. She now has a new partner called Shelley, who whilst younger and less experienced than Zoe, is already well thought of and advancing rapidly. Their first case together is an escaped prisoner, on the run and killing people in his path. They reached the latest location shortly after the crime occurred and Zoe can immediately see the path the prisoner took and where he would likely be going and they could find him. They solve this case quickly and are soon put onto another.
Zoe can’t manage small talk with others and there is a cringe-worthy date placed in front of readers, where Zoe realises all of her mistakes afterwards, in her complete lack of interaction with her date, but still can’t put much of it into practice. Her new partner is also in this awkward position and has to try and find out how to best work with Zoe and to get some back and forth flow of ideas between them. Their next case involves a trail of three dead women so far, found in lonely and out of the way locations, seemingly at random, but killed in the same manner. There is nothing linking the victims, no reason they were selected by the killer and this is not going to be quite as simple to solve as their last case.
Zoe can see no pattern and it appears the attacks are completely random, maybe this is the pattern – no pattern! He has cleaned the scenes after himself and practically no clues are left behind for the agents to pursue. Zoe may well have met her match and found a killer more obsessed with numbers and patterns than she is. Zoe refuses to let her fellow agents know about her strange ability, but also refuses to seek any help from the psychiatrist her former mentor suggested for her. She has a lot of dark secrets from her past that still affect her and have led her to keep her ability secret, even from her fellow agents and partners.
They are in a race against time to try and stop him before he kills another victim. They know where they think he is heading, but only have a vague idea of his height, weight and build. Zoe has to fight her own demons from her past and also this killer with possibly a similar affliction. Whether she can succeed on both fronts is yet to be seen and if she can manage to keep her partner, maybe she is finally evolving in her relations with others and the showing of emotion. A fascinating subject to use as a tool for the main character and makes for a very different view of crime scenes. A great and easy read and an enjoyable thriller. I look forward to reading the next in the series. I received an ARC copy of this book from BookSprout and I have freely given my own opinion of the book above.
January 16, 2020
FBI Special Agent Zoe Prime suffers from a rare condition which also gives her a unique talent—she views the world through a lens of numbers. The numbers torment her, make her unable to relate to people, and give her a failed romantic life—yet they also allow her to see patterns that no other FBI agent can see. Zoe keeps her condition a secret, ashamed, in fear her colleagues may find out.
Yet when a serial killer strikes across the Midwest, strangling women in remote places and seemingly at random, Zoe, for the first time, is stumped. Is there a pattern? Can there be no pattern at all?
Or is this killer as obsessed with numbers as she is?
In a mad race against time, Zoe must enter the diabolical mind of a killer who always seems to be one step ahead of her, and stop him from claiming his next victim before it’s too late. At the same time, she must keep at bay her own demons, which may ultimately prove to be even more threatening.
An action-packed thriller with heart-pounding suspense, FACE OF DEATH is book #1 in a riveting new series that will leave you turning pages late into the night.
This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believeable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building that adds so much to the story.
Can't wait to read more of these.
Recommend reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Yet when a serial killer strikes across the Midwest, strangling women in remote places and seemingly at random, Zoe, for the first time, is stumped. Is there a pattern? Can there be no pattern at all?
Or is this killer as obsessed with numbers as she is?
In a mad race against time, Zoe must enter the diabolical mind of a killer who always seems to be one step ahead of her, and stop him from claiming his next victim before it’s too late. At the same time, she must keep at bay her own demons, which may ultimately prove to be even more threatening.
An action-packed thriller with heart-pounding suspense, FACE OF DEATH is book #1 in a riveting new series that will leave you turning pages late into the night.
This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believeable.
Great suspense and action with wonderful world building that adds so much to the story.
Can't wait to read more of these.
Recommend reading.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
March 10, 2020
Gripping and Fresh
It's hard not to like our protagonist Zoe, with her damaged past and complicated present. Her self imposed isolation and distrust of others , combined with a brilliant mind and an unusual, and very much secret, ability leave her conflicted with trust issues and failed relationships both personal and professional. The storyline not only gives a gripping psychological thriller but explores the very human side of Zoe and her fledgling relationship with her newly assigned partner. This plot is cleverly thought out, nicely detailed and well paced. Another great book by Blake Pierce
It's hard not to like our protagonist Zoe, with her damaged past and complicated present. Her self imposed isolation and distrust of others , combined with a brilliant mind and an unusual, and very much secret, ability leave her conflicted with trust issues and failed relationships both personal and professional. The storyline not only gives a gripping psychological thriller but explores the very human side of Zoe and her fledgling relationship with her newly assigned partner. This plot is cleverly thought out, nicely detailed and well paced. Another great book by Blake Pierce
September 21, 2021
As another reviewer wrote, this book was free of grammatical errors, so yay. That's about the best thing I can say about it. I thought the premise of a killer murdering to match a mathematical equation was interesting. But I thought the "secret" of Zoe's abilities was dumb - isn't profiling important and wouldn't her logic be incredibly helpful in predicting a suspect's actions? Instead, she is ashamed of her skills (this is mostly her mom's fault) but they end up leading the team to the killer.
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