Excellent writing and story, although being about a serial killer, it is gory. Good read!

This is a real departure from the other book I have read by this author. It shows that McCullough can turn her hand to different genres, narrative style and characterisation. Apart from the policeman none of the characters are particularly likeable and I have to admit the neuroscience setting sometimes passed me by even though I have a nursing background. I don't think it is necessary tio understand it the books is more about power, control and inner machinations. I had pegged the perpetrator but the twist at the end came as a surprise. I would read more from this series

This book is awful. From the ridiculous red herrings (guess who has a secret basement/tower/cabin/holiday house/Forrest? EVERYONE!) To the stupid ending to the no characterization of any characters to the redonkulous bits of 'character' shoved it. (The war vet detective has a super red apartment (which is somehow just fab) and knows tolkien well enough to reference tom freaking bombadil, but not other neckbeard shit, Desmonda super gymnastics (never previously alluded to), The killer is silently sawing through the steel deadbolt of the super secure flat for hours). to the super forced relationships to the MASSIVE amounts of conclusions jumping (I know, It's the 1960's. but even then police work wasn't all 'hurrrrr I has a hunch')

The only remotely decent bit is the killings. Before you discover the stupid ending previously mentioned.

I usually leave my books on trains for others to enjoy when I'm done, but this I'm burning. My good deed for the day.

Creepy, confusing ending.

A book of many parts; some complex, some ridiculously basic, some mixed genres, lots of stereotyping, and not traditional in that it is extremely late before there can be any hope of working out whodunnit. And then it's a combination of somethong that should have been looked at earlier and and amazing coincidence (falling down and finding the secret tunnel!
And yet...it's a great page turner. Setting it in 1965-1966 was probably a good plot device, but I did find it a bit unsettling.

Okay. Got confused about the characters, and found the last chapter like a whole other story. It was good and I liked the writing, but in whole it was not for me.

Well this book, had a lot going on it between the serial killings and massive list of suspects. There was a point when "all the pieces" fell into place which blew my mind and I loved that. However, that wasn't the ending and the story dragged on a bit further. So I think Colleen might have tried to do too much with one book.

3 1/2 stars: EXCELLENT

This book was alright, nothing too special in my opinion. I found it very long and drawn out and then a very rushed ending.

A murder mystery with a chilling premise. Screwed up family, faulty appearances, serial killer. And an end that’s not an end. So different than her other books. Quite good.

Outra grande historia, num estilo diferente de O Toque de Midas.

Há um assassino em série á solta, que virtualmente é invisível - não deixa qualquer pista de modo a revelar identidade ou motivação.

Situado nos anos 60, numa era em que o CSI ainda dava os seus primeiros passos e no meio de um clima de luta anti-racial, que se desenrola paralelamente á acção principal, o Tenente Carmine Delmonico vai perseguir e desvendar os vários mistérios que de desenrolam.

Com um final surpreendente, aconselho vivamente a leitura deste livro....se se atrever .....

As a fan of McCullough's _Tim_ (one of my all-time favorite books), and also of _The Thorn Birds_ and _The Ladies of Missalonghi_, I was incredibly surprised to spot this book at the bookstore. That didn't stop me, of course, from buying it immediately.

Briefly, the book takes place in 1965 in Connecticut and follows a detective, Carmine, as he attempts to solve a "multiple murder" case that is closely tied to the heavily endowed neurological research center, the "Hug," in the earliest days of forensic science and criminal profiling. This is a difficult case with many details and characters, and the climax and resolution, along with a surprise twist, occur in the last few pages.

McCullough is expertly detailed and accurate (from what I could tell), from the intricacies of neurological research to the 1960s setting and chronology. She is an excellent writer, but I agree with another review that pointed out that the first part of the book was overwritten - I was surprised to find quite so many details about a woman's outfit coming from a male detective, even if it was explained by one sentence, that a detective had to be observant of everything. Also, in the beginning, some descriptions are overdone. McCullough does fall into stride, however, and the writing isn't an issue within a few chapters.

Like other reviewers, I found this book to be impossible to put down - I read it in a little more than a day, even with working full-time. The story never stumbles or bores, and the characters, even though there are a lot of them, are easy to know and keep track of.

My biggest criticism of the book is the same as that of other reviewers, that there are a few red herrings and details that are not explained or tied up by the end of the story. Although I understood the overall outcome and general motive by the end of the book, I was left with many unanswered questions, such as the Hug's specific involvement and why the crimes were committed in the exact way that they were.

Other than the niggling of those questions, I really enjoyed the thrill of this book, and am wondering if there will be a sequel.