Death Rites

by Bruce Elliot

The killer lives in a fantasy world of his own design. He lures young women into his home. And if they do not fulfill his fantasy, they die. Detective Touch Benson heard about the first ritualistic slaying from a woman who saw the grisly tableau left behind by the killer. The strange thing is, she saw it in a dream. Days before it happened.

224 pages, Unbound

First published February 1, 2002

Reviews

[Mansuriah Hassan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. I really couldn't put it down and found myself completely engulfed in it till the last page. This is the second series of LAPD Detective Touch Benson. The main characters, Amiel Touch Benson, and his partner Amanda Blaine are smart, funny, vulnerable and real, something you don't find often in other serial killer books. In this book, Touch and Amanda pursues a psychotic killer, Charles Grissom (who is delusional and thinks that he is the reincarnation of an Egyptian God). He commits a series of murder by luring young women and murdering them in ritualistic manner.

In Death Rites, Touch is consumed with grief and alcohol ever since his wife's death. Until he met Michelle Ransom, his childhood sweetheart. The trouble is, Michelle seems to be able to predict the murders through her dreams. The twist is when Michelle's own daughter was kidnapped by the killer. What happens next? Read this book to find out :)

The writings is excellent! We get a frightening peek into the mind of the psychotic killer. The author, Bruce Elliot writes in a very descriptive manner making you feel that you are a part of the story.. The pace is fast, pulling you along in its wake until you realize you have reached the end of the book! Highly recommended for admirers of the genre, and also for anyone who craves walking on the dark side (sounds spooky right?) :)

I am now in the quest to look for Elliot's first book from the Detective Amiel Touch Benson series.

[Dawn Olson-Cotie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent book. I enjoyed the characters and the storyline, although there were a few parts that didn't add up. The ending was a little confusing as to why some characters did what they did and how it all came about, but overall an easy and enjoyable read.

[Brett]

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