The Sixth Phase

Dennis McQueen #1

by Robert J. Randisi

He was so careful and clever that at first the cops had bodies but no reason to link the murders, nothing to indicate that they were the gruesome handiwork of one man. But a combination of instinct, police work and luck led one detective to suspect the truth--a truth so horrible that no one wanted to believe it. — But even as the terrifying reality became all too clear, there was still one question that no one could answer--why? What could possibly drive someone to commit acts so evil they sickened even seasoned police officers? As the police began to understand the madman's twisted motives, they also began to grasp the true horror of what had started the killing spree...and what they had to do to stop it.

Genres: Mystery

395 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Robert Joseph Randisi was a prolific American author, editor, and screenwriter, best known for his work in detective and Western fiction. He wrote over 650 books, including The Gunsmith series under the pen name J.R. Roberts, and edited more than 30 anthologies. A co-founder of Mystery Scene magazine, the American Crime Writers League, and Western Fictioneers, he also established The Private Eye Writers of America and created the Shamus Award. Randisi collaborated on novels with Eileen Davidson and Vince Van Patten, and created memorable characters such as Miles Jacoby, Joe Keough, and The Rat Pack. He received multiple lifetime achievement awards and the John Seigenthaler Humanitarian Award.

Reviews

[Josh Hitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Randisi is always a good read, and this is no exception. This is like a Columbo in that you already know the killer's identity. The pleasure is in seeing the detective finding it out, too. Det. McQueen starts seeing a pattern with bodies being sexually mutilated as in their genitals are hacked out and taken away from the scene. They are in all jurisdictions, and they are not killed the same, so they are not being looked at as serial killer, but McQueen thinks there is one. While he is trying to convince others, more bodies are piling up.

Highly recommended, it is a great detective procedural novel. It also has a fantastic last paragraph that caught me off guard. I thought it was a perfect ending.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writer Nicholas Turner's wife unexpectedly dies and he finds her journals which detail large numbers of kinky affairs with many people she comes into contact with, men and women. He is heartbroken and decides to kill everyone who must have made her betray him. He leaves town and takes up bodybuilding to alter his appearance. Then he comes back to wreak his revenge. He kills in different ways but always hacks away at their sexual organs.
Detective Dennis McQueen is called to the scene of the vicious murder of a plumber. Working with the medical examiner, he begins to see sort of a pattern emerging but has a hard time convincing anyone that there's a serial killer in the city because all the ways of killing are different. However, he convinces some higher ups and eventually a task force is formed with McQueen in charge. He has to hope the killer will make some type of mistake so the task force can catch him before he kills too many more people.

This book came out in 1999 and I picked it up at a garage sale. Readers need to be aware of graphic sexual and murder scene violence detailed in the book. The last paragraph contained an interesting twist.

[Kameka · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great mystery/suspense book as paperback supermarket books go. There was a point midway in the book where one easily knew what was going on and who the killer was. However, the story was still compelling and caused me to keep reading. I would have finished it easily in a day if I had been on vacation already and not reading it while home sick. The last sentence of the book was the real zinger. That was the most unexpected part. The story is perhaps a little gory in terms of the descriptions of the murders so if you're one who isn't able to stomach that, I'd pass this one by. However, if you have a strong stomach, I think this is a great book to read.

[Angie crosby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although you know the serial killers name from the beginning this was a good book with an awesome final twist. Some Sex scenes but they were easily skipable. The way the killer cut of victims genitals was awesomely original. I liked how they went back and forth between bits about the killer and about the detective looking for him. I do own this book, and it is one to read again and one I will recommend.

[Howard Spinner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book and its sequel, Cold Blooded, and found them both to be excellent police procedural stories about a task force catching serial killers in NYC.

[Amanda Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The last paragraph was a great surprise ending.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The last couple of chapters saved it from being 2 stars, but still unlikely to read it again.