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Violet Darger #9
Couple Killer
A shadow walks the streets at night. Stalking couples in their cars. Flashlight in one hand. Gun in the other. Killing people is so much fun.
When multiple murders terrorize a small town college campus, FBI profiler Violet Darger heads to rural Michigan to investigate. As soon as she arrives, a grim history begins to emerge.
The crimes have progressed steadily over a period of 18 months.
Indecent exposure to stalking.
Stalking to rape.
Rape to murder.
The UNSUB's emphasis on power and control rapidly verges toward full blown sadism. He grows ever bolder, ever more vicious.
What could be more dangerous than a killer aroused by expressions of rage? Increasing brutality. Overkill.
Understanding his psychological motivations will guide the efforts to stop him.
Darger digs into the history. Tries to figure out how the perpetrator advanced unchecked to graver and graver trangressions.
What she finds buried in the police records unsettles her as much as the murders themselves.
While a faceless killer terrorizes the campus, the school administrators remain focused on burying the story.
The revelation creates another complication: The students feel disenfranchised. Angry.
Prostesters gather on lawns. Ignore the citywide curfew. An uprising brewing all over campus.
Darger must navigate an uncooperative administration, a powder keg of a campus, and a killer as savage and dangerous as any she's ever faced.
When it all boils over, chaos descends on the townspeople. And the killer walks among them.
When multiple murders terrorize a small town college campus, FBI profiler Violet Darger heads to rural Michigan to investigate. As soon as she arrives, a grim history begins to emerge.
The crimes have progressed steadily over a period of 18 months.
Indecent exposure to stalking.
Stalking to rape.
Rape to murder.
The UNSUB's emphasis on power and control rapidly verges toward full blown sadism. He grows ever bolder, ever more vicious.
What could be more dangerous than a killer aroused by expressions of rage? Increasing brutality. Overkill.
Understanding his psychological motivations will guide the efforts to stop him.
Darger digs into the history. Tries to figure out how the perpetrator advanced unchecked to graver and graver trangressions.
What she finds buried in the police records unsettles her as much as the murders themselves.
While a faceless killer terrorizes the campus, the school administrators remain focused on burying the story.
The revelation creates another complication: The students feel disenfranchised. Angry.
Prostesters gather on lawns. Ignore the citywide curfew. An uprising brewing all over campus.
Darger must navigate an uncooperative administration, a powder keg of a campus, and a killer as savage and dangerous as any she's ever faced.
When it all boils over, chaos descends on the townspeople. And the killer walks among them.
448 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 31, 2022
1463 people are currently reading
2119 people want to read
About the author
L.T. Vargus
52 books1,095 followersLex Vargus is the co-author of over 20 thriller and horror novels.
FIND LEX ON:
Amazon - Twitter - LTVargus.com
BOOKS BY LT VARGUS
The Violet Darger series
The Victor Loshak series
The Charlotte Winters series
FIND LEX ON:
Amazon - Twitter - LTVargus.com
BOOKS BY LT VARGUS
The Violet Darger series
The Victor Loshak series
The Charlotte Winters series
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 121 reviews
April 3, 2022
This can't have been written by Vargas. I've read literally all the books in this series, and enjoyed -- to one level or another -- all of them. This one is a HUGE exception. First, there was very little focus on Darger or Loshak. The vast majority of the book was a collection of stunted observations of spoiled campus students at a major state university. One of the main characters was a girl with blue hair. I guess she was supposed to represent a typical college student, but almost from Page 1 I really just wanted to smack her. She was rude, narcissistic, condescending, and WAAAY too impressed with herself. I was hoping she'd be one of the early victims, but no such luck. The writing was horrible, too. All the sentences were disjointed. All the descriptions of events were five times as long as they should have been. Finally, I found the plot boring as hell. Just awful.
April 23, 2022
I'm a rabid Violet Darger fan and of course am always thrilled to be back in her world. I consumed the series so fast that I didn't even bother spending the extra time it would have taken to review books 1 thru 6. It's THAT good. At any rate, I'm trying to rectify that with these latest entries, (having provided reviews from book 7 onward) until I reread the series and review them properly. What I'm essentially saying is a love, love, LOVE this series.
Enter "Couple Killer," the latest adventure tossed into the fray, one I was eager to embrace like all the others. It had a strong start, a VERY strong start. Someone's slaughtering couples at a college campus, and Darger and Loshak are called to lend their expertise. There's thrilling tension. Shocking brutality. Superb dialogue. There's also, strange to say, "cruelty" on the authors' parts for managing to get me attached to characters whose fates were already sealed. Had me feeling some kind of way. Damn their talents in character developments sometimes, even those with short page times.
But while this book had its shining features I've grown to love from this series, there came a point when it took a rather sharp turn into a wild, chaotic new direction. It stopped being a Violet Darger murder-solving book and became a mass college mayhem. Once that riot subplot barrels its way into play and then stayed there, it lost me considerably. I was over it rather quickly, was hoping the story would get back to solving a crime, but that reprieve never came again. It was so dang bizarre. And rather unwelcome. Darger and Loshak were drastically reduced to background status. Chapters began to read sloppily, disjointed, and painfully repetitive. Things became frustrating because characters were doing stupid things or nonsensical things. How could the killer be like 3 feet away and those confronting him STILL can't lay a mark on him, even when armed? Worse, how could that happen more than once?
Because Darger and Loshak were both cast aside once the plot took a radical new direction, much of the latter half this book was spent on the perspectives of side characters you don't even really get to know too heavily. Worse, the traumatic events those side characters were going through had little emotional impact on the overall story. Like, is that one young cop still hiding after seeing his buddy have a heart attack? What even was the point of these random chapters? They essentially had no point at all and felt way too much like filler. The big reveal of the killer was incredibly unsatisfying too, didn't hit like I wanted it to hit. In a sense, while the reveal was seemingly KIND of a big deal for the sake of driving a specific plot point home, at its core it still fell flat for me. I just didn't care for the decisions the authors made in this entry for moving the story along, and too much time was spent doing something I didn't like. It honestly came to a point where it didn't really feel like a normal Violet Darger book anymore. Hmm.
Despite these complaints, though, I still enjoyed much of this entry for the most part, up until that point when the college mayhem plot exploded onto the scene and caused the entire story to take a nosedive. The great parts contributed greatly to the 3-star rating, but dang. It came dangerously close to falling lower on my scale. But every series is always allowed a bad apple or two. I'm still pumped as ever for the next entry. Hoping I can see more focus on Darger and Owen, though.
Enter "Couple Killer," the latest adventure tossed into the fray, one I was eager to embrace like all the others. It had a strong start, a VERY strong start. Someone's slaughtering couples at a college campus, and Darger and Loshak are called to lend their expertise. There's thrilling tension. Shocking brutality. Superb dialogue. There's also, strange to say, "cruelty" on the authors' parts for managing to get me attached to characters whose fates were already sealed. Had me feeling some kind of way. Damn their talents in character developments sometimes, even those with short page times.
But while this book had its shining features I've grown to love from this series, there came a point when it took a rather sharp turn into a wild, chaotic new direction. It stopped being a Violet Darger murder-solving book and became a mass college mayhem. Once that riot subplot barrels its way into play and then stayed there, it lost me considerably. I was over it rather quickly, was hoping the story would get back to solving a crime, but that reprieve never came again. It was so dang bizarre. And rather unwelcome. Darger and Loshak were drastically reduced to background status. Chapters began to read sloppily, disjointed, and painfully repetitive. Things became frustrating because characters were doing stupid things or nonsensical things. How could the killer be like 3 feet away and those confronting him STILL can't lay a mark on him, even when armed? Worse, how could that happen more than once?
Because Darger and Loshak were both cast aside once the plot took a radical new direction, much of the latter half this book was spent on the perspectives of side characters you don't even really get to know too heavily. Worse, the traumatic events those side characters were going through had little emotional impact on the overall story. Like, is that one young cop still hiding after seeing his buddy have a heart attack? What even was the point of these random chapters? They essentially had no point at all and felt way too much like filler. The big reveal of the killer was incredibly unsatisfying too, didn't hit like I wanted it to hit. In a sense, while the reveal was seemingly KIND of a big deal for the sake of driving a specific plot point home, at its core it still fell flat for me. I just didn't care for the decisions the authors made in this entry for moving the story along, and too much time was spent doing something I didn't like. It honestly came to a point where it didn't really feel like a normal Violet Darger book anymore. Hmm.
Despite these complaints, though, I still enjoyed much of this entry for the most part, up until that point when the college mayhem plot exploded onto the scene and caused the entire story to take a nosedive. The great parts contributed greatly to the 3-star rating, but dang. It came dangerously close to falling lower on my scale. But every series is always allowed a bad apple or two. I'm still pumped as ever for the next entry. Hoping I can see more focus on Darger and Owen, though.
March 13, 2022
Full disclosure - I was provided an advanced reader’s copy of this book by the authors but have voluntarily provided a review. All opinions are my own.
Couple Killer is scheduled for a March 31, 2022 release
A Campus Terrorized
Remington Hills is a quaint college town near the campus of Southern Michigan University. What should be a place for students to be free to explore their individuality while seeking higher education has become a campus of people walking on eggshells. Over the past year and a half, the students have been terrorized by a flasher, a rapist, and now, a murderer. As the body count creeps toward the double-digit mark, Darger and Loshak are called in to assist. When they get there, however, they find a police officer force whose authority is throttled by the university president. Rather than mar the name of her school, investigations have been quashed, covered up, and ignored altogether. This has not gone unnoticed by a few astute pupils who have become outwardly vocal in their opposition and resistance to the ever-growing inept tactics. When the killer strikes again, Darger hatches a plan for a massive dragnet, but when the unrest on the campus erupts into a night of chaos will they catch their killer, or will he manage to blend into the masses and slip away to murder another day?
Couple Killer is the ninth in the Violet Darger series of books by author duo Tim McBain and L.T. Vargus. The case this time, while still involving a possible serial killer, is unlike anything that the duo has experienced before. Navigating departmental politics is one thing but throw in the PR Nightmare of a college official whose only concern is the image of the school and the dynamic changes drastically. Add in a student body who are becoming more restless and more vocal with each subsequent incident and the campus of SMU is a ticking time bomb just waiting for detonation. The killer in this one is clever, and a tad on the scary side in his execution as safety in numbers does not seem to be a concept that he is aware of. The action starts immediately with the reader being sucked into the narrative, not to be released until the final word. With Couple Killer, McBain and Vargus have proven yet again that this is their genre, and Loshak and Darger are their stars. Utilizing references to other well-known serial murder cases adds an additional depth that lends a credible believability to the story in addition to providing interesting if not morbid nuggets for persons like me who are intrigued with what makes people such as this “tick”. While there are a few other series that the duo has also written in this genre, the pair of Loshak and Darger are by far my favorites. With another case closed, I am eager to see what the duo dream up for the next assignment.
Couple Killer is scheduled for a March 31, 2022 release
A Campus Terrorized
Remington Hills is a quaint college town near the campus of Southern Michigan University. What should be a place for students to be free to explore their individuality while seeking higher education has become a campus of people walking on eggshells. Over the past year and a half, the students have been terrorized by a flasher, a rapist, and now, a murderer. As the body count creeps toward the double-digit mark, Darger and Loshak are called in to assist. When they get there, however, they find a police officer force whose authority is throttled by the university president. Rather than mar the name of her school, investigations have been quashed, covered up, and ignored altogether. This has not gone unnoticed by a few astute pupils who have become outwardly vocal in their opposition and resistance to the ever-growing inept tactics. When the killer strikes again, Darger hatches a plan for a massive dragnet, but when the unrest on the campus erupts into a night of chaos will they catch their killer, or will he manage to blend into the masses and slip away to murder another day?
Couple Killer is the ninth in the Violet Darger series of books by author duo Tim McBain and L.T. Vargus. The case this time, while still involving a possible serial killer, is unlike anything that the duo has experienced before. Navigating departmental politics is one thing but throw in the PR Nightmare of a college official whose only concern is the image of the school and the dynamic changes drastically. Add in a student body who are becoming more restless and more vocal with each subsequent incident and the campus of SMU is a ticking time bomb just waiting for detonation. The killer in this one is clever, and a tad on the scary side in his execution as safety in numbers does not seem to be a concept that he is aware of. The action starts immediately with the reader being sucked into the narrative, not to be released until the final word. With Couple Killer, McBain and Vargus have proven yet again that this is their genre, and Loshak and Darger are their stars. Utilizing references to other well-known serial murder cases adds an additional depth that lends a credible believability to the story in addition to providing interesting if not morbid nuggets for persons like me who are intrigued with what makes people such as this “tick”. While there are a few other series that the duo has also written in this genre, the pair of Loshak and Darger are by far my favorites. With another case closed, I am eager to see what the duo dream up for the next assignment.
February 23, 2022
I say WELL DONE!!! to L.T. Vargus and Tim McBain, the reason is they hid the culprit from me till about the end of Couple Killer. L.T. Vargus and Tim McBain kept me guessing on everything. I was kept on the edge of my seat turning the pages. I was given clues that pointed to several people needless to say I was wrong on all accounts. I was given mystery, suspense and bloodshed. I love the dynamic between Darger and Loshak it's always fun, I love how they work together. In my opinion this is a great continuation of the Violet Darger Series. If this is your first book of the Violet Darger Series it is a standI voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced reader's copy.
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April 7, 2022Book 9 in the Violet Darger Thriller series is here!
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April 2, 2022
The story is set in a Southern Michigan University where the students have been invaded by a sinister shadowy figure. Starting with flashing unsuspecting women to a rapist and now there is a murderer stalking couples !
Darger and Loshak come onto the scene to assist the local police investigate the murders of young Kyle bled out on the steps of Auto Zone and his unfortunate girlfriend shot in the backseat of his car.
He is stalking his victims taking them down in twos.
Three dead couples. Darger knows this is escalating and she’ll need to come up with a profile to find the killer soon.
This is the ninth book in The Darger series. I hope there are many more the writer’s are definitely in their genre.
Darger and Loshak come onto the scene to assist the local police investigate the murders of young Kyle bled out on the steps of Auto Zone and his unfortunate girlfriend shot in the backseat of his car.
He is stalking his victims taking them down in twos.
Three dead couples. Darger knows this is escalating and she’ll need to come up with a profile to find the killer soon.
This is the ninth book in The Darger series. I hope there are many more the writer’s are definitely in their genre.
April 30, 2022
Not my favorite Vargas book by a long shot.
I’ve been enjoying this author for quite a while but was massively disappointed in this one. Dark, brutal, but not a page turner unless it was too hurry up and finish to get it over with. Many pages devoted to what the author seemed to be trying for as gory poetry. Just icky best describes this book. I’m a Michigander so like this Michigan author but I’m done for awhile.
I’ve been enjoying this author for quite a while but was massively disappointed in this one. Dark, brutal, but not a page turner unless it was too hurry up and finish to get it over with. Many pages devoted to what the author seemed to be trying for as gory poetry. Just icky best describes this book. I’m a Michigander so like this Michigan author but I’m done for awhile.
April 21, 2022
This was one of the most boring “thrillers” I have ever read. I had to skim through the second half of the book just to finish it. There was no compelling reason to be interested in any of the characters and there was an entire chapter devoted to eating trail mix. Only read this if you have trouble sleeping. It will definitely put you right out. These writers mailed this in.
April 29, 2022
not up to their usual standard
This book seemed almost like it was written by someone else. I had a hard time recognizing the voice I’ve grown used to with Darger and Loshak. And the riot, the chase, none of it even seemed plausible. Way too much descriptive prose added unnecessarily to the book. Show don’t tell is paramount, I get that, but this was over the top.
This book seemed almost like it was written by someone else. I had a hard time recognizing the voice I’ve grown used to with Darger and Loshak. And the riot, the chase, none of it even seemed plausible. Way too much descriptive prose added unnecessarily to the book. Show don’t tell is paramount, I get that, but this was over the top.
April 2, 2022
Longwinded and Awful
I really like the series But I don’t know who wrote this book! It was Awful! It’s as if the writer was trying to write differently it was Longwinded and Boring!
I really like the series But I don’t know who wrote this book! It was Awful! It’s as if the writer was trying to write differently it was Longwinded and Boring!
April 3, 2022
Fast-paced with a lot of twists and turns. Highly recommend!
May 9, 2022
Always a pleasure.
Darger and Vargas never disappoint, solo or together. You'll never be bored by these FBI agents and their fascinating cases. Just plain great crime fiction.
Darger and Vargas never disappoint, solo or together. You'll never be bored by these FBI agents and their fascinating cases. Just plain great crime fiction.
March 4, 2025
This one stopped and made you think. The serial killer is described as normal, your average Joe, someone that you could interact with. The Couple Killer is targeting couples at a university while they are parked in their cars. Agents Violet and Loshack are having a hard time on this case. There are cover-ups on the crime at the college, campus police are very under trained on police procedures. It's a mess while the killer goes on killing. This book is very well written has lots of action. Will the Agents get their killer? You need to read it and find out. I highly recommend this book and this series.
March 31, 2022
I mean I did not expect what happened, I don't think anyone could expect that. so if you're ready to be freaked out just get ready, because this is wild y'all, five stars, very exciting read! I wanted to say the word for what happened but I don't want to ruin it for you, so you'll have to find out yourself!
February 22, 2023
Roommates Brain and Cody going back to their room after a night of pledge partying find a trial of blood. Cody tells Brian he thinks it's a pledge horror scavenger hunt. Curious they follow it first to a car, then to the parking lot of the local Auto Zone store when they find a body. Cody laughing still thinking that it's a pledge trick goudes Brain into going over and checking out the body that they find there. To their horror Brian finds that the body is not only real but alive and seriously wounded.
Darger arrives at SMU (South Michigan University) to meet Loshak at the scene of this latest double murder. She's introduced to Officers Kidney and Dixon who explained that the body of the male had been found here at the Auto Zone and the body of the female a few hundred feet away. That it looked as though the man had been shot in the truck of the car and had crawled to the store to find help.
The campus police in this story are less than helpful and truthful. Are more concerned with making the University President, Whitman happy so they don't lose their jobs than solving a crime. Let alone do the right thing. President Whitman is more concerned with making sure that the University has a good reputation than the welfare of the students. Therefore when the reports of a flasher started they were ignored. Reports of rape began, they were buried. Unfortunately, when the murders began they couldn't hide or bury those.
At what becomes, in my opinion, a breaking point in this book, the President holds a press conference to announce that there will be a curfew enacted immediately on campus. That everything except the Homecoming Game will be cancelled. That there will not even be attendance allowed at the game. That announcement causes an immediate reaction from the students that should have been foreseen. A roving band of angry protesters turned into a riot that had devastating consequences. Giving the killer the cover he craved.
Ooh the killer. I dare you to figure out who the killer is before the reveal.
I'll admit at this point that I had a difficult time writing this review. Not because this book was bad NO! Just the opposite. Because I had so much I wanted to put in but was at a loss because I didn't want to make this review too long. I didn't want to put in a bunch of spoilers. I didn't want to write a book about this book. There are so many great characters in this one it was hard to choose which direction to go in.
Thanks to L.T. Vargas and Tim McBain for a copy of this book for an honest review.
Darger arrives at SMU (South Michigan University) to meet Loshak at the scene of this latest double murder. She's introduced to Officers Kidney and Dixon who explained that the body of the male had been found here at the Auto Zone and the body of the female a few hundred feet away. That it looked as though the man had been shot in the truck of the car and had crawled to the store to find help.
The campus police in this story are less than helpful and truthful. Are more concerned with making the University President, Whitman happy so they don't lose their jobs than solving a crime. Let alone do the right thing. President Whitman is more concerned with making sure that the University has a good reputation than the welfare of the students. Therefore when the reports of a flasher started they were ignored. Reports of rape began, they were buried. Unfortunately, when the murders began they couldn't hide or bury those.
At what becomes, in my opinion, a breaking point in this book, the President holds a press conference to announce that there will be a curfew enacted immediately on campus. That everything except the Homecoming Game will be cancelled. That there will not even be attendance allowed at the game. That announcement causes an immediate reaction from the students that should have been foreseen. A roving band of angry protesters turned into a riot that had devastating consequences. Giving the killer the cover he craved.
Ooh the killer. I dare you to figure out who the killer is before the reveal.
I'll admit at this point that I had a difficult time writing this review. Not because this book was bad NO! Just the opposite. Because I had so much I wanted to put in but was at a loss because I didn't want to make this review too long. I didn't want to put in a bunch of spoilers. I didn't want to write a book about this book. There are so many great characters in this one it was hard to choose which direction to go in.
Thanks to L.T. Vargas and Tim McBain for a copy of this book for an honest review.
November 14, 2022
A few months ago, I read an advance review copy of Couple Killer and my original review is included below this update. I recently I got the opportunity to get a review copy of the audiobook for Couple Killer from the authors. Natalie Naudus does an excellent job narrating this book, in my case her narration made the story feel like I was experiencing it for the first time. Furthermore, she does an excellent job of bring Darger and Loshak to life.
Couple Killer, the latest in the Violet Darger series is undoubtably the best of the series! Not only is this one of the best researched books I’ve read in quite a while, but the authors also did an excellent job setting the stage for a story set in a university town. When I had finished to book, which by the way happened in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down, I had a good background into serial killers and into several in particular. All Violet Darger books are action packed and filled with misdirection or several twists that keep your head swimming, Couple Killer not only fulfilled these elements, but took the Darger series into a much darker and grittier direction than the earlier books. The next episode in this series cannot come soon enough, I really want to know where Darger & Loshak are headed next. I received a review copy of this book from the author and chose to provide my review.
Couple Killer, the latest in the Violet Darger series is undoubtably the best of the series! Not only is this one of the best researched books I’ve read in quite a while, but the authors also did an excellent job setting the stage for a story set in a university town. When I had finished to book, which by the way happened in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down, I had a good background into serial killers and into several in particular. All Violet Darger books are action packed and filled with misdirection or several twists that keep your head swimming, Couple Killer not only fulfilled these elements, but took the Darger series into a much darker and grittier direction than the earlier books. The next episode in this series cannot come soon enough, I really want to know where Darger & Loshak are headed next. I received a review copy of this book from the author and chose to provide my review.
May 20, 2022
The worst Violet Darger book so far!
The main characters were hardly in the book. They were supposed to be looking for a serial rapist, who really was the primary character, so much so that the book was about him. Loshak and Darger were never close to catching him. This was a sub par effort by Vargas and Mcbain.
The main characters were hardly in the book. They were supposed to be looking for a serial rapist, who really was the primary character, so much so that the book was about him. Loshak and Darger were never close to catching him. This was a sub par effort by Vargas and Mcbain.
May 2, 2022
Authors turned political zealots! 🤮
I didn’t even want to finish this filth. The Authors turned political; when the majority know the real insurrection was 11/3/2021! Never buy a book of theirs again! Trash!
I didn’t even want to finish this filth. The Authors turned political; when the majority know the real insurrection was 11/3/2021! Never buy a book of theirs again! Trash!
May 13, 2022
Poor writing with too many sentence fragments made this hard to read or enjoy. As well the character
There were too many sentence fragments. This made it hard to read or enjoy. I've read a number of Darger books and enjoyed them but not this one.
There were too many sentence fragments. This made it hard to read or enjoy. I've read a number of Darger books and enjoyed them but not this one.
November 14, 2022
Unbelievable
This book unlike the others was not realistic. I was extremely disappointed in the content. To think that a naked man would run into a crowd and not think anyone would notice is beyond me. This must have been written in an hour.
This book unlike the others was not realistic. I was extremely disappointed in the content. To think that a naked man would run into a crowd and not think anyone would notice is beyond me. This must have been written in an hour.
August 27, 2024
bunch of chapters wasted on the riot
Similar to four books ago, a lot of wasted words in chapters describing the mob and the riot. Went on way too long. Book was good up until that point.
Similar to four books ago, a lot of wasted words in chapters describing the mob and the riot. Went on way too long. Book was good up until that point.
February 20, 2025
I understand that serial killer books need to have an actual plot and some fluff, but this particular installment went overboard. Chapters devoted to anonymous characters and their unrelated points of view.
February 11, 2024
Title: Couple Killer (Violet Darger Series)
Author: LT Vargus and Tim McBain
Story so far: This is book number #9 in the Violet Darger and Victor Loshak universe. Darger and Loshak are FBI profilers who consult on major crimes for the FBI’s BAU. As the book opens they are headed a small college town in Remington Hills the home of SMU. Unfortunately, SMU is being haunted by a killer similar to the Son of Sam or The Zodiac Killer. He has killed six people, raping and killing the females as the males are tied up and locked in the trunk where they can hear it all, then he kills the guys in the trunk, all without leaving a trace.
Sounds like a tall order for a University campus police force and local sheriff’s office to handle even without the University inhibiting their investigation. So the FBI was called and Darger and Loshak were assigned the case. As they arrive they note the similarities in the case with other famous serial killers and the progression of violence. Will they find the killer before he strikes again?
What did I like about this book? I have really enjoyed the why the authors have taken the history of serial killers and their psychology and brought it in and twisted it into an interesting fact paced thriller. The relationship between Darger and Loshak has grown since the beginning of the series and it has been really fun to experience.
What did I not like about this book? Not much really. I really thought this was great intense fact paced thriller about a killer who is not exposed until the end. I love when the authors of thrillers let us see glimpse of the killers but never tell us who they are.
If you like thrillers and books with serial killers as well as everyday life mixed than I would recommend this book and series to you.
My rating: 3.75 out of 5
Author: LT Vargus and Tim McBain
Story so far: This is book number #9 in the Violet Darger and Victor Loshak universe. Darger and Loshak are FBI profilers who consult on major crimes for the FBI’s BAU. As the book opens they are headed a small college town in Remington Hills the home of SMU. Unfortunately, SMU is being haunted by a killer similar to the Son of Sam or The Zodiac Killer. He has killed six people, raping and killing the females as the males are tied up and locked in the trunk where they can hear it all, then he kills the guys in the trunk, all without leaving a trace.
Sounds like a tall order for a University campus police force and local sheriff’s office to handle even without the University inhibiting their investigation. So the FBI was called and Darger and Loshak were assigned the case. As they arrive they note the similarities in the case with other famous serial killers and the progression of violence. Will they find the killer before he strikes again?
What did I like about this book? I have really enjoyed the why the authors have taken the history of serial killers and their psychology and brought it in and twisted it into an interesting fact paced thriller. The relationship between Darger and Loshak has grown since the beginning of the series and it has been really fun to experience.
What did I not like about this book? Not much really. I really thought this was great intense fact paced thriller about a killer who is not exposed until the end. I love when the authors of thrillers let us see glimpse of the killers but never tell us who they are.
If you like thrillers and books with serial killers as well as everyday life mixed than I would recommend this book and series to you.
My rating: 3.75 out of 5
Want to read
March 29, 2022Vernell Jones, 33, of Philadelphia admitted in the court to killing John Davis. He was found shot to death in a van on Dec. 18, 2001, outside the whitemarsh Township bridal shop where he worked. Authorities believe her boyfriend, Kenneth Harold Burno, fired the first shot into Davis' head. Tylar Witt took a plea deal and was sentenced in 2011 to 15 years in state prison. Now 23 years old, she is at the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla. According to inmate information available online, the first date she will be eligible for a parole suitability hearing is December 2021. One of the OG true crime shows, long before podcasts like Serial and My Favorite Murder hooked us in, Snapped premiered on the Oxygen network in 2004, and focuses primarily on women who are accused of committing murder or attempting to commit murder.
April 3, 2022
NO 'lamesauce' novel here!!
I dare, no, make that double dare, the most disciplined reader to put this novel down!
A long time reader of these authors (and, there is a GOOD reason for that!), it is a pleasure to follow along on their literary journey. They never disappoint, and this novel has it all.
Honestly, I can picture this fitting in a number of different genres... and doing so seemlessly! And, yes, Mr. McBain, right up there with author Thomas Harris!!
Without giving the storyline away, I will say that this work's treatment of a 'mob ~ in its whole sense and being', is the best this reader, anyhow, has ever read.
Just have to put this out there - I will never see an uncooked egg yolk again without thinking of it as 'unborn chicken goo'. Thank you so much for that, bahaha! 😂
I dare, no, make that double dare, the most disciplined reader to put this novel down!
A long time reader of these authors (and, there is a GOOD reason for that!), it is a pleasure to follow along on their literary journey. They never disappoint, and this novel has it all.
Honestly, I can picture this fitting in a number of different genres... and doing so seemlessly! And, yes, Mr. McBain, right up there with author Thomas Harris!!
Without giving the storyline away, I will say that this work's treatment of a 'mob ~ in its whole sense and being', is the best this reader, anyhow, has ever read.
Just have to put this out there - I will never see an uncooked egg yolk again without thinking of it as 'unborn chicken goo'. Thank you so much for that, bahaha! 😂
May 5, 2022
Took me a while to finish this book. Overall, 2.5 to 3 stars.
The beginning of this book is a solid 4 stars read, because I was hooked by the Violet Darger mystery storyline, which focuses on a serial killer’s escalating crimes. He began with flashing but graduated to rape, and now he’s escalated to committing brutal murders. About halfway in, this book took an odd turn, focusing instead on a subplot about a chaotic and confusing riot at a university.
I started the book mid-April but read sporadically after focus shifted from Darger & Loshak to secondary and tertiary characters, who weren’t interesting. The authors not only neglected their detective protagonists, but they seemed to have lost the mystery storyline.
I’m an occasional reader of this series, so please take my review with a pinch of salt.
The beginning of this book is a solid 4 stars read, because I was hooked by the Violet Darger mystery storyline, which focuses on a serial killer’s escalating crimes. He began with flashing but graduated to rape, and now he’s escalated to committing brutal murders. About halfway in, this book took an odd turn, focusing instead on a subplot about a chaotic and confusing riot at a university.
I started the book mid-April but read sporadically after focus shifted from Darger & Loshak to secondary and tertiary characters, who weren’t interesting. The authors not only neglected their detective protagonists, but they seemed to have lost the mystery storyline.
I’m an occasional reader of this series, so please take my review with a pinch of salt.
May 21, 2022
Worth waiting for.
First, I hope both of my favorite writing team are safe and well, far from those dangerous fires out your way.
Now for the review... Are you trying to give me a heart attack?! Good grief! Reading through yesterday til almost 2 this morning, so scared my poor little chihuahua got scared, too. It's not nice to scare your loyal fans, much less their precious dogs--a rescue no less! Geez Louise... Haha 😄 who am I kidding. This Darger/Loshak tale was my favorite. The story sucked me in and held tight through the last word. Meanwhile, my heart was beating so hard, while I was holding my breath it was like some kind of super hard yet fun rigerous exercise. I loved it! And Tobi and Andre found their powers. Thanks for an excellent read. Stay safe! ❤
First, I hope both of my favorite writing team are safe and well, far from those dangerous fires out your way.
Now for the review... Are you trying to give me a heart attack?! Good grief! Reading through yesterday til almost 2 this morning, so scared my poor little chihuahua got scared, too. It's not nice to scare your loyal fans, much less their precious dogs--a rescue no less! Geez Louise... Haha 😄 who am I kidding. This Darger/Loshak tale was my favorite. The story sucked me in and held tight through the last word. Meanwhile, my heart was beating so hard, while I was holding my breath it was like some kind of super hard yet fun rigerous exercise. I loved it! And Tobi and Andre found their powers. Thanks for an excellent read. Stay safe! ❤
February 16, 2023
It was okay… I had a few issues with it though. Darger ends up a background character, but she’s still running face first into trouble. Most of the story was told from disjointed points of view from characters you don’t even get to learn about. There are pieces of the novel that are totally irrelevant to the plot that end with cliff hangers. Is that officer still hiding? What happened to the first girl that got away? What about Andre? I also thought it was very unsatisfying that there isn’t some wrap up with the school president who I hated from the beginning. Another irritation - why did Dixon die but Kirby live? I hated his character. I also really disliked the last girl who lived. Just was so unlikeable as a character.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 1, 2025
I don’t mind the other books with only a couple narratives, but this multi-narrative storyline was told from too many perspectives. It felt like whiplash going back and forth to a dozen different narratives. I prefer the older books when it’s Darger’s perspective and the killers perspective. The storyline was wild and got jumbled near the end, and the story could have been simplified. It felt like an essay was being crammed with details just to make the story longer. The book was okay, but I was ready to be done with it. I want to read the next one to see if the writing gets back on track to the original writing style of the series. The book before this one was a hard one to get through as well. I want to love them all, so I’m holding out hope for the next book.
April 8, 2022
Darger & Loshak hunt down a campus serial killer. I really enjoyed the details shared about real-life serial killers as they were establishing this killers profile. I have a few little nitpicks. (Don’t scroll down if you haven’t read the book yet. These could be considered spoilers.)
Does nobody lock their car doors? Don’t trunks have release latches inside? Didn’t anyone read the Facebook posts about kicking out a tail light if you’re stuck in a truck? Also, where is everyone’s cellphone? Most college students have one glued to their hand at all times. Call for help! Despite thinking these things while reading, I still really enjoyed the book.
Does nobody lock their car doors? Don’t trunks have release latches inside? Didn’t anyone read the Facebook posts about kicking out a tail light if you’re stuck in a truck? Also, where is everyone’s cellphone? Most college students have one glued to their hand at all times. Call for help! Despite thinking these things while reading, I still really enjoyed the book.
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