Fatal Instinct

Jessica Coran #2

by Robert W. Walker

The FBI's Dr. Jessica Coran has hunted and trapped the most infamous serial killers in the country. Now she has been summoned to New York to find a modern- day Jack the Ripper nicknamed "The Claw." But her target is more cunning than anyone realizes. He knows he is being studied from afar. And he is painstakingly planning a special fate for his next intended victim... (This book is second in Robert W. Walker's Instinct series. Approximately 100,000 words. Also includes excerpts from Cuba Blue by Robert W. Walker and Lynn Polkabla, and Truck Stop by Jack Kilborn and JA Konrath.) About the Author Robert W. Walker is the author of more than forty thriller novels, including the acclaimed INSTINCT series featuring FBI medical examiner Jessica Coran. Praise for Robert W. Walker "Masterful." -- Clive Cussler "Ingenious." -- San Francisco Examiner "Gruesome." -- The Sunday Oklahoman "Frightening." -- Midwest Book Review." "Bone-chilling." -- Publisher's Weekly "Perfect for Patricia Cornwell fans." -- Mystery Scene "Walker is a master at the top of his game." -- Jack Kilborn

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 1995

About the author

Aka Geoffrey Caine, Glenn Hale, Evan Kingsbury, Stephen Robertson

Master of suspense and bone-chilling terror, Robert W. Walker, BS and MS in English Education, Northwestern University, has penned 44 novels and has taught language and writing for over 25 years. Showing no signs of slowing down, he is currently juggling not one but three new series ideas, and has completed a film script and a TV treatment. Having grown up in Chicago and having been born in the shadow of the Shiloh battlefield, near Corinth, Mississippi, Walker has two writing traditions to uphold--the Windy City one and the Southern one--all of which makes him uniquely suited to write City for Ransom and its sequels, Shadows in White City and City of the Absent. His Dead On will be published in July 2009. Walker is currently working on a new romantic-suspense-historical-mainstream novel, titled Children of Salem. In 2003 and 2004 Walker saw an unprecedented seven novels released on the "unsuspecting public," as he puts it. Final Edge, Grave Instinct, and Absolute Instinct were published in 2004. City of the Absent debuted in 2008 from Avon. Walker lives in Charleston, West Virginia.

Reviews

[Antonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ziemlich gut
Hab mich oft geekelt
Leider war das Ende nicht ganz sooo überraschend für mich.

[Ronald Wilcox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second in the Dr Jessica Moran series. The Claw is a serial killer in New York City who is disemboweling women and eating parts of their bodies. Dr Moran is sent from the FBI to help with the investigation. She believes that the Claw is actually two men working together but no one else believes her. Excellent at the beginning and the end of the book with great suspense but the middle is rather muddled - it almost felt like Walker wrote the beginning and the end then threw the middle section in to tie them together. Moran’s nemesis from the first book acts almost as a Hannibal Lecter advisor to Clarisse Starling from Silence of the Lambs

[Susan Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This author was recently recommended to me and I started with his first book which didn't hold me past the first 50 pages. I had this one on the shelf and decided to give it a go. It held. New York City has a cannibal serial killer. The FBI sends in Jessica Coran to assist the medical examiner in trying to ferret out clues to go on. This is a pretty grizzly story (the clue here would be the cannibalism) and wasn't the best I've ever read but certainly interesting enough for me to try Walker's next one.

[Sara Borrella · Rating 4 out of 5]

El libro me ha gustado. Como aspecto negativo destacaría que, para mi gusto, es demasiado explícito con ciertas partes desagradables de la historia. Como parte positiva, la historia da varios giros que te mantienen intrigada hasta el final.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another oldie re- read. If you love blood, gory thrillers you will love his books.

[Ingo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started reading this directly after Killer Instinct, November 22nd, 2012 (late in the night).
OK, but more 3.5 than 4. A few questions where not asked, which I found obvious, they could have proven the identity of real killer sooner.
While the book would have been shorter (10% I guess), it would not leave me with the feeling that they have not done all they could.
And near the end the explanation for uncovering the evidence about the identity feels rushed.
Could have been better.
What I really like that the author has no qualms about killing sympathetic persons, although in this book it is not a main role.
In time I will read more of this series, but for now I will try another new author.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. If you are queasy about blood and violence, you may want to skip this one. While the identity of the psychotic nut-case was pretty predictable towards the end, the ending was not.

[Gail · Rating 3 out of 5]

SCARY! gory and creepy- don't read at night

[Elaine]

Book 2 in the Jessica Coran series

[Leigh Mitchell · Rating 3 out of 5]

It takes me a while to get into these but when I do I find them difficult to put down. Working my way through the Instinct series books I have managed to pick up for free.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first one of his 'Instinct' novels that I have read. I will be watching for more.

[Stephen Braithwaite · Rating 3 out of 5]

Found this a bit heavy going hence the time taken to finish reading.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will probably read more in the series but this, one although good, just failed to keep me page turning.