Steven James tells readers in the first sentence of his foreword that he had nightmares while writing this novel and I was actually afraid to read it, but who am I to turn down a good scary thriller. He'd have to be one cold- hearted beast not to have had some kind of adverse reactions while composing this work. This is the introduction to the young Patrick Bowers, homicide detective, the one who can't escape recurring nightmares when he was a teen and found a young girl murdered by a killer in a tree house and that of another little girl buried alive by the same man.

Steven James is the master storyteller, the complex plots, the literary prowess . . . and the dark natures of the savages he portrays so vividly. This is the story of Detective Patrick Bowers, who considers and contemplates things like heaven and hell, justice and reckoning, love and hate, good and evil.

OPENING MOVES holds off all restrictions on the evil of serial killers. Readers are evenly guided into the darkness of multiple characters which will run chills down your spine. I watch Crimminal Minds on TV and it has nothing on OPENING MOVES. James gives us an unforgettable plot.

It seems there is a killer who kidnaps victims and threatens to kill them if their loved ones refuse to follow precise acts which require them to deposit others at specific markers in the city. These markers are significant because they note the locations of crimes committed by some of the worst serial killers. Even though the instructions are followed, one of the victims experiences a gruesome mutilation.

Detective Bowers teams up with the rough Ralph Hawkins from the FBI, and as they argue and joke about who's leading the investigation, they seal a solid trust and friendship. Bowers meets the most intelligent Dr. Werjonic who implements the geographic profiling into Patrick's case and is added to the investigation as a consultant leading Patrick to the location of another terrible crime and killer.

Through most of the book, we're in Patrick's head as his first person accounts of what's going on in the investigation keep us on edge. With Patrick's growing knowledge and findings, with the help of Ralph Hawkins FBI, Dr. Werjonic and his departments help, he edges closer to finding the killer. Through the killers thoughts, we listen to his demonic logic, learning of his demented childhood, his "normal" double life, and his compulsion to do what he does while wondering if redemption can cover his deeds.

There is also another killer, the brilliant and excoriating young nemesis who has gained the nickname of "Maneater" in the most literal sense of the word. It's a familiar character to readers of this series, and now we know his origin.

From what I'm told, Steven James has written his darkest novel yet. Recalling true stories of evil serial killers and adding fictitious ones to the mix, this is not a book for the those who do not like gore, blood, body parts, etc. Prepare yourself for a horror of a ride, edge of your seat thriller of thrillers. A quick, pulsing read with sinister philosophical implications, a touch of faith, and a cast of dedicated pursuers of outlandish evil.

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