Back in March Don Winslow and Steve Hamilton both published tweets on the same day that were way too similar fluffing up the new Meg Gardiner book, UNSUB (Dutton). Both tweets compared it to The Silence of the Lambs and Seven, gee, I wonder if it has to do with the fact that they are all represented by the same agent, The Story Factory. Going into reading UNSUB, my hopes were not that high given the sloppy and forced publicity around it. Sadly, I was proven right.

UNSUB focuses on the return of a serial killer called The Prophet who was active in the 90s. The book opens with a young girl named Caitlin being woke up by the yelling of her father on the phone. Her father, a detective, was telling someone the next time the killer would strike. Caitlin sneaks into their garage which for some reason her father uses as a war room of sorts, the walls covered with photos of victims, “Faces. Flesh. Open eyes. Jagged slices. Blood. Her head began to pound.” Her father notices her in the garage and runs in saying, “Don’t look, Caitlin. Close your eyes.”

This was the first of my many problems in the believability of UNSUB, who puts pictures of dead men and women up on the walls of their house? (I mean other than the killer.) If it was just that I’d probably wouldn’t even mention it, but it wasn’t. The next chapter, Catilin is now part of the sheriff’s department and they are raiding a drug house at night. They manage to capture all the bad guys and the house is declared all clear. Except it isn’t. A noise is heard on the kitchen ceiling and the officer in charge says, “Upstairs. Two bedrooms. Go.” Wait. What? The house was cleared without checking the upstairs? It’s like we’re not even trying at this point.

It should be obvious that my tastes are not in line with regular America and I’m okay with that. I just read that UNSUB will be a TV series on CBS. That seems about right.

Meg Gardiner never fails to disappoint me and this book was very much worth the wait. Caitlin is a bad ass female cop that was assigned to narcotics but as the Prophet re-emerges and starts killing again she’s brought in on the investigation. She’s got a unique perspective because her father was the lead detective 25 years ago when the Prophet first appeared.

For this of us that love cop books and thrillers, this isn’t one to miss. It will have you hanging on for the ride and hoping that Caitlin doesn’t lose herself to the case.

Review: UNSUB by Meg Gardiner (UNSUB #1)

I was delighted to discover a new Meg Gardiner series, as I had quite enjoyed reading her Jo Becket series, all deeply psychological mysteries. UNSUB focuses on Alameda County, California, Sheriff's Detective Caitlin Hendrix, daughter of the former lead detective on the long-unsolved serial murder case of the Prophet, more than two decades before. A Narcotics detective, Caitlin is transferred to the Homicide detail at the beginning of a new series of killings mirroring the Prophet's reign of havoc.

Ms. Gardiner carries the reader to hell and back, never settling for an easy solution nor for glossy surface emotions. Indeed, nothing here is easy. Caitlin has to prove herself, as she is a homicide rookie, immersing herself in the cold cases from the Prophet's murders--cases she was first exposed to inadvertently at age nine. As her involvement intensifies, the killer targets her, just as her father, Detective Mack Hendrix, had been targeted by the Prophet. Her home life and her own life are in danger.
I won't say this is a one-sitting reading, but it is a can't-put-it-down, have-to-read-to-the-end engrossing mystery.

A serial killer is terrorizing the San Francisco area and the bodies bear the signature of The Prophet, a ruthless killer who has not been heard from in 20 years. Rookie detective Caitlin Hendrix is brought on the case because her father was the primary detective chasing The Prophet when she was a child. And he has never been the same...
An edge of your seat thriller!

The Zodiac Killer, dubbed the Prophet by the media, seems to be back after 20 years and young Narcotics detective Caitlin Hendrix is determined to stop his new rampage through the Bay Area. But is it really the original serial killer or a copycat?

Unsub is a gripping read, filled with surprises, and with an engaging (though obsessed) lead. But be prepared for plenty of gruesome details

This book would not let go! I found myself thinking about it at random times during the day, looking forward to reading again. Without a doubt the characters in the book felt the same about the case, needing to know, no closure, no real answers. For me, this was a perfect title at the perfect time

Probably more of 4.5/5

HOLY CRAP. This was incredible! The story was very captivating and so interesting. I am such a massive fan of the show Criminal Minds and I think that if you are a fan of that, then you will love this book too. It is such a quick read and enjoyable as well. Please give this one a read!

Loved!
So good. What a thriller! Highly recommend

Unsub by Meg Gardiner is on my list of favorite reads of the year. If you like Criminal Minds or are fascinated with reading about serial killers, I would highly suggest reading this book! The story is chilling with a lead character who is intuitive and determined, and a killer who is brutal and terrifying. Once you pick this one up you won’t be able to put it down. I’m anxiously waiting for book two to be released!

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Dutton, and Meg Gardiner for the opportunity to read Unsub. It was my pleasure to write an honest review.

First of all, don’t read this book while you’re eating, like I did. The murders are well described and graphic. They are disgusting, in a sick twisted way. This is why this serial killer’s chase was so intense.

Can’t wait for book 2!!

Many thanks for the publisher and NetGalley for the e-copy of this book.

My creepy reads have yet to disappoint this month and Meg Gardiner's Unsub is no exception. If you like your serial killers sadistic with a literary flair then this is absolutely the book for you. I went in to this one completely blind and I am extremely glad that I did. So the only thing I will say is this was a definite 5 star read for me and I have caught myself looking over my shoulder several times today eeeeekkkkkk!!!!!!! This. Was. Excellent. and I can not wait for the second in the series to come out. Thank you so much to Netgalley and Dutton Books for this arc in exchange for my honest review. I absolutely loved it.

A dark, twisted, gruesome psychological thriller. This book was hard to put down!

This is a great new series! I loved the main character, Caitlin. This was a fast-paced, thrilling read in search of a disturbing serial killer. I look forward to the next book in this series.

A great start to what should be an interesting series of books. Like to see more development of Sean's character in the next book.

An UNSUB is what the FBI calls an unknown subject. The Prophet had terrorized the Bay Area in the 1990s with 11 victims left with the ancient sign for Mercury etched into their flesh. The Prophet's cryptic messages and mind games drove the lead investigator, Detective Mack Hendrix, to the brink of madness since he failed to solve the series of ritualized murders. Now 20 years later, two bodies are found bearing the haunting signature of the Prophet. Caitlin Hendrix has been a Narcotics detective for 6 months and insists that she be transferred to Homicide to help find this ruthless killer. Caitlin has never escaped the shadow of her father’s failure to protect their city and is determined to decipher his twisted messages and stop the new carnage. But Caitlin ignores her father’s warnings as she draws closer to the Prophet with each new gruesome murder. Can she avoid repeating her father’s mistakes and redeem her family name?

This is a riveting thriller and a great start to a new series by this author.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and the Penguin Group in exchange for an honest review.

Holy hell! This book took me for a ride, tossed me around a bit, had me sitting on the edge of my seat and scared me! Caitlin Hendrix, a narcotics detective get the opportunity to work the case of a serial killer that haunted the San Francisco Bay area more than two decades ago and now seems to have re-emerged. Her father was the original lead investigator back then and the case very nearly took his life, and broke up his marriage to Caitlin's mother.. The case pulls Caitlin in, discoveries are being made but the killings continue and they are getting increasingly more gruesome. Can the killer be stopped and what are his motives?
I had never previously read anything by Meg Gardiner, but now I'm a devotee. This book is seriously good.

It's been awhile since I read a thriller that kept me in such suspense. This one is a classic story about the hunt of a serial killer, well written and full of twists. You just might lose sleep over this one! Looking forward to the next one in the series.

I first heard the word Unsub on Criminal Minds which is one of my favorite TV Shows. This book definitely reminded me of CM. The Unsub in this book was a serial killer known as the prophet.

Caitlin Hendrix is working the case and racing against clock to catch the killer. Interestingly, twenty years ago, her father Mack Hendrix was trying to catch the same killer and it nearly destroyed him. Throughout the story, we see Caitlin trying to solve the case and at the same time, ensure that the it doesn’t consume her. We also get to learn more about Mack and how the case affected him.

The tension in this book was maintained from the first page to the last. The body count kept going up and the detectives, for the most part seemed clueless. The Prophet was calculating, methodical and left no evidence behind. The murders were all twisted. The Unsub didn’t just kill but also left messages behind from graffiti, videos to symbols on the bodies. It seemed like there was a plan and but only one twisted mind knew exactly what it was.

The book had many scenes that stood out for me. There were moments when the killer made calls to the media and practically held the whole town captive. The author described these scenes so vividly that I can still see the terrified characters listening to the frightening voice of the killer. The tension was so high that I got caught up with the madness in the town. Like the characters, I was completely captivated(terrified too) by the Unsub.

As you can probably tell already, I liked this book. Everything worked out really well from the detectives working the case to the setting which was a town terrorized by a deranged serial killer. The book had memorable characters such that I became invested in them. Needless to say, my heart broke when The Prophet took some of them. The author made it easy to get attached to these people hence making this an emotional yet very disturbing read. If you enjoy Crime thrillers then you should definitely get this book.

A great psychological thriller that starts what's bound to be an equally thrilling series. Makes me want to look at some of her backlist!

I received a free advance copy of this from NetGalley for review.
Unsub is a book that if you are into serial murders and hard to solve crimes then look no further. Meg Gardiner brings Cailtin Hendrix, daughter of a retired police detective, in as her main character to solve a series of serial murders that drove her father to the brink of insanity. The young police woman takes part in the case of The Prophet, a horrible serial murder who has been loose killing for decades. Her father says walk away and yet she is draw into a horrible series of murders. The Prophet slowly draws her into his web of murder. The book is solid as far as a mystery crime novel, but at times I felt like I had read it before. The book is overly descriptive and it tends to bog down the plot with being wordy. Check it out from your local library. Don't buy this book and waste your money.