My opinion: I was kind of shocked by this novel. Most serial killer novels are more graphic than this novel was and I felt this novel had more of a psychological component to it. Although I missed the graphic aspects the crimes, I must admit that this novel was refreshing. It was much more of a "thinker" and "solver" book than what I was prepared for. I was also impressed by the writing, as well, as the author laid out the mystery superbly. I will definitely seek out more from this author. I must admit that I had the same enthusiasm as I had for the early James Patterson ALEX CROSS novels. It has been a very long time since I have had that type of excitement for a novel or that I would even compare two novelists. Note: This is a second book in the series. I didn't read the first book prior to reading this one, but I would recommend that readers read the first book, The Shepherd, prior to reading this one. My belief is that it probably gives an introduction as to The Shepherd Organization and the relationship between the two main characters, Frances Ackerman, Jr and Marcus Williams, in the first novel, which I believe would have bumped this up to 5 stars for me.Source: Netgalley for publisher
