Brian Kurtz is more than just an "angry young man." He's prone to fits of violent, uncontrolled rage. Under a professional's care, Kurtz is on an experimental medication used to treat PTSD, but instead of becoming calmer, the anger seems to simmer constantly now, dangerously near the boiling point all the time. And when it does boil over, Kurtz hunts down those who have wronged him, either in some real or imagined way, and takes out his frustrations by not only shooting them but savagely beating them.

Dub Walker's medical and Marine background led him to a career as an author and a police consultant, analyzing evidence and crime scenes. He's seen some ugly things over the years but never the level of violence this killer displays toward his victims -- one of whom was a personal friend of Dub's. Working with his colleagues in the Huntsville PD and his on-again, off-again girlfriend, TV reporter Claire McBride, Dub uses all his experience to try to lure the murderer out of hiding. He and Kurtz are now on a collision course, headed for a final confrontation that neither may walk away from.

But who is the anonymous, shadowy figure who seems to be helping, even encouraging Kurtz to kill? Even if Dub can stop Kurtz, will someone else get away with murder?

This is a pretty standard serial killer story -- in fact, Kurtz seemed a bit stereotypical and felt a little flat to me. I think maybe we spend too much time in his point of view (and in too many other points of view, when Dub is far and away the most interesting). Fortunately, however, there's the intriguing mystery here about who is pulling Kurtz's strings. I liked Dub a lot; he's tough, smart and has a dry sense of humor, as well as a touch of darkness in his past. The book certainly breaks no new ground for thriller lovers, but it's an entertaining and fast-paced read.

Book Summary

When Dub Walker’s close friend Sheriff Mike Savage becomes the victim of a gruesome murder, the forensic expert is called upon to track down the serial killer who's been terrorizing the county. Having been involved in more than 100 cases of foul play and witnessed the bloody remains of rape, torture, and unthinkable mutilation, Dub thought he had seen it all—yet the killer is unlike any murderer Dub has ever encountered. Vacillating between wildly divergent personalities fueled by post traumatic stress disorder—at times calm, cold, and calculating; at others maniacal and out of control—the psychopath taunts, threatens, and outmaneuvers Dub at every turn. The stakes are suddenly elevated as Dub uncovers a deadly conspiracy tainted with unrestrained greed, corruption, and ties to the military establishment and the medical community.