by John Lutz
First published 2014
Six women lie dead in a hotel room, their bodies bearing the brutal signature Frank Quinn knows too well. Five are teenagers, all tied up and tortured before death. Each forehead carries three carved letters: DOA. The former NYPD detective has tangled with this killer before. Both men carry scars from their previous confrontation, physical reminders of how close they came to destroying each other. Now the murderer has returned to New York, and Quinn must enter the hunt once again. The investigation becomes a psychological duel between two damaged men who understand each other's methods. Each move brings them closer to a final reckoning. Quinn knows the killer will strike again, adding more victims to his growing count. The question is not whether they will meet face to face, but whether Quinn can stop the murders before the killer claims his next target.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: cat-and-mouse, damaged-heroes
Setting: New York
Period: 21st-century
550 pages · Paperback · Constable
Content warnings: graphic-violence, murder