UNSUB by Meg Gardiner has gotten GREAT reviews, so when I started it and found my mind wandering, I put it aside for a couple of weeks and picked it up again.

I knew going in that the story involved a serial killer in the Bay Area with a catchy nickname, reminiscent of “The Zodiac Killer.” This time, the name is “The Prophet,” and this book is a dark, twisted thriller revolving around the apparent reappearance of a criminal who terrorized the Bay Area before disappearing a couple of decades ago.

Back in the initial hunt for The Prophet, Mack Hendrix was the lead police detective in the effort to stop the crime wave. His failure to do so has haunted him ever since. Now, his daughter Caitlin is also a police officer, whose focus has been narcotics. She looks to her father for help as she takes up the work of catching the killer whose victims bear the characteristics of The Prophet’s victims.

I suspect my lack of enthusiasm for this book is based on my own weird experiences. Living in Solano County in the Bay Area during the time of the Zodiac spree, I knew a man who was creepy. I saw a large flashlight in his car with clear red wrapping paper over the lens, held on with a rubber band. The Zodiac supposedly used a flashlight as he approached victims’ vehicles, possibly a large red flashlight to make people believe it was a police vehicle approaching. And as if that wasn’t enough, someone had tracked this guy’s schedule and he was always out sick or otherwise unaccounted for on the dates of the killings. I distanced myself from this creepy guy, but he contacted me by email in the year 2000 to tell me he had been “following” me online. So, yes, anything about the Zodiac brings up some less than positive feelings!

But, I digress. Lisa Gardiner has done a masterful job of plotting and character development showing both Caitlin’s strengths as a police officer and her softer, more human side. I expect we will see a string of stories featuring this feisty young woman. The ending was a bit abrupt, so that knocked off a star. The creepy factor almost knocked off another one, but the “it’s not you, it’s me” thing isn’t something I like to bring into my reviews. Thanks to Penguin Group/Dutton and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for my review. Three and a half stars, will show up as four.

This is my first time reading this author. She has a fan in me!! What a book. A serial killer, "The Prophet" is back. The main character, Caitlin, is the daughter of a detective who worked the case of the serial killer. Without giving too much away, he was not successful. Caitlin is promoted and she inherits the case. And let the thrills begin!!! This book grabs you and will not let go. Caitlin is very well developed and she has a tenacity that is very strong.The ending is one that will have you saying "OMG", You will do yourself a injustice to not read this book Spell-binding read. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review..

This book started out slowly for me but became a whirlwind of a thriller that I enjoyed ultimately, towards the end.

The Good: Once the investigation really took off so did the book. As Caitlin started to put clues together I really started getting interested in the outcome. I enjoyed the revelation the department had when finally figuring out what the Prophet was all about but this was also a weakness within the plot, in my opinion.

The Bad: Ultimately, this book relies on it's readers to suspend their disbelief quite a bit. From a rookie homicide detective solving the case when seasoned veterans couldn't do so in 20 years to a serial killer who was able to de-escalate and just stop killing for all those years as well. Also, as a reader who favors characters over plot, I found myself unable to really connect with Caitlin even once the killer attacked close to home.

In a Nutshell: A decent start to a new series and I'm hopeful the issues are just first book in series troubles and the followups will knock it out of the park. Will I read more by this author? Yes. Will I read more in this series? Yes, again. Would I recommend this book to fans of the genre. I would. 3 stars

Meg Gardiner delivers a spine-tingling suspense thriller full of surprises at the turn of every page. Gardiner introduces protagonist Detective Caitlin Hendrix who some would consider a rookie detective. Gardiner throws a monkey wrench into Caitlin’s learning curve: a killer from Caitlin’s past comes back to taunt her. The killer known as the Prophet surfaces after more than twenty years of being dormant and starts killing again. The author provides her readers with Caitlin’s backstory including the history her father has with the killer.

The storyline has many twists and turns and sometimes circles that readers don’t know which way the case is going. Gardiner places readers close to Caitlin so they can see and experience what Caitlin is thinking and feeling, tension builds quickly as the momentum of the storyline increases along with the body count. The author adds support characters to take the story in different directions. Gardiner provides details of each characters’ backstory, to the plot. She helps readers understand Caitlin’s boyfriend Sean as they see him mentoring Caitlin helping her to utilize reasoning skills. Gardiner continues to add additional information for each of the key characters, and she works at keeping her characters realistic to keep the storyline moving forward.

Readers see Gardiner developing subplots that add suspense and intrigue to Caitlin’s investigations. The author places her readers inside Caitlin’s head so they can see how she deals with the Prophet’s personal interest in Caitlin and her family. Readers come to understand Caitlin’s motivation to stop the killer. They see Caitlin having a sixth sense as she comes to know what and why of the murderer's action. Meg Gardiner hooks her readers as she shares some of Caitlin’s feeling with them. They are driven to continue reading until they find what is happening. The author keeps readers in the dark, not revealing the details of the tragic and dramatic ending until the very last. UNSUB takes readers through all the steps in a significant investigation. The UNSUB is a must read and earns a five-star ranking.

----------
"He took her," James whispered. "But I can't let him have her."
----------

What an extraordinarily creepy psychological thriller, full of obsession and madness and violence and the devastation that can trail in the wake of a quest for justice... The serial killer genre is well-established, and as a result, it's getting more difficult to tell a tale that feels original in its telling. Sure, the crimes vary from book to book, but the concept - killer increases his intensity and violence, cop(s) risk ever-increasing stakes (mostly in the form of their family/relationships and sanity) as they struggle to save everyone, killer taunts and teases and eventually overdoes it and gets caught - is pretty standard fare. That's true here too, to a degree - but it's the execution (no pun intended) that really made Meg Gardiner's latest stand out for me. The characters are fantastic - just the right levels of creepy obsession on the sides of both good AND evil. The plot is perfectly paced. The reveals come just often enough that you think you know what's coming next. And the writing is marvelous - easy to read (in language, if not always subject matter - the violence and aggression can be tough to read at times, but not inappropriately so), thoroughly engaging, and full of dark insights into human nature that resonate long after their pages are turned. This is a captivating tale and well worth the goosebumps!

This book is one I was looking forward to based on the concept of profiling. I had trouble from the start, however, with the writing style in terms of the author using very short, choppy incomplete sentences. I'm sure it's meant to increase the pace but it caused me to have a hard time getting into the story right from the start. The opening scene was very long and drawn out and I found myself getting bored which was the opposite of how I was supposed to be feeling. The Prophet is a serial killer who's returned to terrorize Caitlin whose father attempted and failed to track him down years ago. I thought much of the basis or concept for this story reminded me of books already out there...Seven, Silence of the Lambs, and Red Dragon. It seemed to be a compilation of those stories which we've already read. I was hoping for more uniqueness in this one. For whatever reason, I just didn't connect with this story although I think Meg Gardiner is a very good author. I wasn't crazy about that ending either, it seems to leave the reader hanging. Overall, this was an average read for me.

A serial killer thrillers are usually oodles of fun. This one sort of a mixed bag, though. Gardiner is a prolific author known for her series, since that's where the money seems to be, and she does come across as a pro, but it isn't necessarily a good thing, there's a certain quality to it, a specific bestselling slickness that usually translates into cardboard development free characters and soulless action and this is definitely the case with UNSUB. Sure, it's a dynamic fast paced thrill ride of a procedural and an easy read, but that's all it is and frankly the ending was a total cheat and absolutely pissed me off. What do you know, Gardiner's making this one into a series too, but the end doesn't justify the means, anyone investing time to read an almost 400 page book deserves a stronger, more definitive ending instead of that to be continued cop out. Anyway, it's an entertaining enough of a read and would have worked as a relatively entertaining movie too, but doesn't really wow or change my mind about commercial thrillers in general and this author in particular, despite some creative turns with literary inspired murders. Quick enough of a read. Thanks Netgalley.

UNSUB by Meg Gardiner is a very highly recommended psychological thriller/police procedural.

An UNSUB is what the FBI calls an unknown subject. Between 1993 and 1998 anyone who lived in the Bay Area knew about the UNSUB called the Prophet. The Prophet terrorized the area and was responsible for eleven ritualistic murders, all unsolved. Caitlin Hendrix understands the terror and harm the Prophet caused because her father, Mack Hendrix, was the lead investigator on the case. The case nearly destroyed him while tearing her family apart.

Twenty years later Caitlin is a detective on the Narcotics Task Force. When two bodies are found bearing the signature of the Prophet, the sign for Mercury on their bodies, it appears that the Prophet is back, or a copycat, and the killings are going to begin again. Caitlin asks and is reassigned to Homicide where they are hopeful that she can convince her father to share some of his knowledge and insight about the previous cases. As the body count rises along with fear and tension, the Prophet leaves horrifying videos and cryptic written clues. Soon he begins to target Caitlin

UNSUB feature extremely well-developed characters set in a fast paced, complex, riveting plot. Gardiner takes care to set the scene and establish her characters right away; then the action takes off and the tension steadily rises. Caitlin is a compelling, well rounded character and it will be exciting to see her return in another case. (And there will be a sequel, Into the Black Nowhere.) I'll be looking forward to the next case Caitlin is assigned.

Additionally, I was impressed with the skillful way Gardiner presented her complicated plot and the clues that needed to be deciphered in order to stop the murders and figure out who is the Prophet. The Prophet is intelligent and utterly evil, resulting in a gripping thriller with a terrifying killer. (The infamous Zodiac killer was the inspiration for the novel, so it is dark and disturbing.) But he is up against the intelligence and sheer determination of Caitlin, and she is a clever, serious adversary.

All in all, UNSUB is a perfect summer vacation thriller. This is definitely a stuck-over-night-at-the-airport book that will keep you awake and hold your complete attention - only you'll want to be in a well lite area, maybe near security.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Penguin Random House.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2017/07/unsub.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2047238551

An overlong blurb for what is actually a succinct, riveting story by a great author. Gardiner delivers a thrilling, fast-paced story about a serial killer with a rather explosive ending in UNSUB.

I've only read one other book by Gardiner, THRILLER, and I loved it. She just has this poignant way of writing that expresses so much with so few words with no need for flair. The story itself and the development of her characters sucks you in right away and you're rocketing from one development to another as everything unfolds. You can't help but try and guess who the UNSUB actually is as you try to put the clues together. It's non-stop. You get to the end of the book and your head's spinning a little because so much stuff happened and the ending is AMAZING and you're like shouldn't there be more? Oh there's always a sequel.

Caitlin's development throughout the book was fantastic. I really like how Gardiner paralleled her father there. Even though we don't actually see her father go through his portion of the story (he was the detective when the killer started killing twenty years prior), you get enough pieces of it and you see her start to get consumed by it despite her insistence that the very thing she's fighting against isn't happening (although it kind of it).

She's also a character, a woman, surrounded by people who love her. Her boyfriend and his daughter, and she's even good friends with her boyfriend's ex-wife. It's almost a sickly sweet kind of set-up that's almost too perfect, but it's so antithetical to female relationships in a lot of books that I gladly welcomed it. Granted there was some tension between her and a more senior woman in an involved force and that was kind of annoying, but at least it was pitched in a way that it was more of a personality thing with the other woman  because she was like that with everyone than a girl on girl dislike because vaginas are immediately adversarial. Caitlin had her moments too with the various other men she was working with but the head-butting with the woman just appeared more in-your-face, I guess, due to my own sensitivities to it.

The story itself was compelling as hell, especially when Caitlin started putting all the puzzle pieces together and she started figuring out just what the killer was modeling his kills after. Super freaky and terrifying. Have I mentioned the ending yet? Holy crap, someone get me the sequel immediately! I need it. I NEED to know what happens. I'm addicted at this point.

There really isn't much more I can say without spoiling things so I'll end it here. If you're a thriller fan you won't want to miss UNSUB. You won't be able to put it down once you pick it up. Who needs sleep anyway?

5

Wow, intense, gripping, and unputdownable. Did you ever think you could go hours with goosebumps? Well, with this book you can. The serial killer that drove Caitlin Hendrix's father mad is back, twenty years later. Now, Caitlin is on the team that is determined once and for all to get rid of "The Prophet". His crimes, victims and killing techniques are all over the place. This time he is out for vengeance and on a mission, he's not stopping this time.

The first in a series that has Caitlin Hendrix looking for the one her father "could not put away". I really liked this new character and seriously look forward to reading more in the series. Caitlin with her analytical skills and ability to solve puzzles really made me want to keep on reading. And I want to keep on reading with any future books in the series.

Thanks to Penguin Group Dutton for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Inspired by the Zodiac killer who was never caught comes a surprising thrilling and riveting novel that gives an amazing thought process into a killers mind.

Caitlin Hendrix was an undercover narcotics agent when the killer that disappeared more than 20 years ago resurfaces and taunts her to find him. Mercury calls out Caitlin when she is transferred to homicide to show that he knows that she is working on the same case her dad, Mack, couldn't solve. Mercury goes through several different obstacles and enlists people to be able to help him out in ways they didn't even know they were helping him, they were just pawns in his game. Mercury makes sure to let Caitlin know that she will be in the same position her dad was when he was in the mental ward and she will always be his little girl.

Caitlin refuses to play his games but is sucked in and the case starts to really take her over. It starts to affect her in ways she never fathomed. She is willing to go the distance in order to catch Mercury even if it kills her.

Meg Gardiner did an amazing job with this novel!! It was my first by her and I can say that I am very glad that I got the chance to read this one! I am even more excited about the next in the series.

This book was another wild ride that you didn't know what was going to happen next much less who the killer really was. His identity was revealed in the best possible way and was pulled together amazingly! The events were so well planned and I would like to say unpredictable!

This is one of those books that you don't want to know too much and the synopsis was the perfect amount of info to give you a small background and enough to go off of in order to understand past events that helped shape the future of what Mercury was doing.

Mercury is one sick man who could have used some mental help in more ways than one, which in turn makes him the perfect psycho killer. He was deranged enough to make you want him to fail but he was always one step ahead until the end.

A Dark Police Procedural

In the 1990s, the Prophet, a vicious serial killer, terrorized San Francisco and gave Caitlin Hendrix nightmares. Her father, the lead investigator, was nearly driven mad and his career destroyed by the taunting cryptic messages and lack of success in the catching the killer.

Now Caitlin is a Narcotics detective. She’s a relatively inexperienced detective, having only been at the job for six months, but when a new series of killings reminiscent of the Prophet’s begin, she’s tapped to work the case. Her father warns her against becoming involved, but Caitlin feels drawn to catch the brutal murderer.

Caitlin fears what working the case will do to her. She watched her father’s disintegration, but she equally feels drawn to stop the killing. Luckily she is supported by her boyfriend, Sean. He helps her keep a grip on reality.

The story is based on the Zodiac killing that terrorized San Francisco and the details are realistic. Caitlin is a smart lady who tamps down her fears to catch a killer. Sean is a good male character. He supports Caitlin without trying to keep her from doing what she feels she must do.

I recommend this book if you enjoy gritty, often gruesome, police procedurals. The pace is fast, the mystery is complex, and the writing is good.

I received this book from Dutton for this review.

UNSUB is an eerie, gritty Criminal Minds-type book about a serial killer that puts the tension and twists front and centre. The characters are a mixed bunch and while I can't say they stood out for me, I appreciated that the focus was more on the criminal profiling, multiple twists and nail-biting scenes. Some of the killer's methods of displaying his kills were imaginative to say the least and some verged on almost too gory for little old me. Almost.

The plot was fairly complex and was sprinkled with pockets of tension. The twists and red herrings had me guessing and second guessing my theories about the identity of the elusive Prophet. I was certain that one of my suspicions would be right and held on to that idea until near the end (I'm nothing if not stubborn) but I will have to admit defeat on this one. And while some of Caitlyn's epiphanies stretched the realm of plausibility it was still an enjoyable and very engaging read.

The only issue I had was that once they figured out the killer's cryptic code things got a little murky. There were a lot of victims and I found it a hard remembering each of them and how they fit into the killer's grand scheme. This scheme was complex, dark and is based on something that some people may be well versed in but I'm not one of them. I struggled a bit remembering the various levels in his nefarious plot.

The book ends with an intense scene while also giving readers a hint about the future of this fledgling series. I can see why this book has been optioned for a TV program. It's got all the makings for a solid criminal profiling-type show.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Dutton and NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary e-book copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

A serial killer known as the Prophet terrorized the San Francisco Bay for five years. Mack Hendrix, a homicide detective back then, was obsessed with solving the crime and finding the culprit. Unfortunately, he had never catch the Prophet and his obsession eventually destroyed not only his career but also his life including his family. Twenty years later, Mack's daughter, Caitlin, who now works as a narcotics detective is called to a crime scene. A murder has occured and it seems like the Prophet is back. Caitlin can't help not to get involved. She is determined to hunt and bring this psyco-killer down this time.

UNSUB was my first read from Meg Gardiner. It caught my full attention right from the very beginning up until the end. I wanted to know how it will end and who is the person behind unsub - the Prophet. I wanted to know if Caitlin will end up just like her father or she will succeed.

I personally like Caitlin. Sure she has her flaws, just like the other characters in the story, but her determination and dedication to her job are the things that I like about her. I also like her relationship to her parents, partner and his daughter.

This book was inspired by the infamous Zodiac Killer. I am familiar with the Zodiac Killer and have watched some documentaries about it so the idea of the story is not really that new to me. But the author did an excellent job on writing a very clever and well-crafted plot. The story is filled with amazing twists. The scenes are very instense and disturbing, not to mention those horrendous things that the Prophet does. I get goosebumps just thinking about it. The ending was unexpected for me. Just when I thought that everything turns out great! I'll definitely read the next book.

This book is really entertaining and a page-turner. I highly recommend it if you enjoy reading mystery and crime/police procedural books.

It had been a while since I have read anything from this author but with this book, Meg Gardiner shows she is still at the top of her game.

More, more, and more, please. I literally lost sleep over this book. This is because I could not stop myself from reading one more page that led to another page and another. This book has it all...strong characters, deceivingly evil sadist killer, great storyline, romance, surprises, and an amazing ending. I am sad that I have to wait so long for book two.

Caitlin comes swing right out of the gate. She does not let the fact that she is a newbie to the homicide unit keep her down. This includes facing danger and looking him in the eyes. Speaking of killer's; the Prophet is intelligent and kills with a purpose. Therefore, he is dangerous. Yet, it takes teamwork to stop a killer. Caitlin had strong male presence to help guide her.

Having seen every single episode of Criminal Minds I like to fancy myself an amateur behavior analyst. Not in the sense that I can actually analyze human behavior with any skill, but more along the lines of; I know the right terminology and how profiling works in a general way. So the minute I saw the title of this I was interested, Unsub stands for unknown subject and my hours of watching CM taught me this along with terms like victimology and escalation. This stuff fascinates me and UNSUB read just like one manic episode of one of my favorite shows.

Caitlin is a new officer and this is her first major case. I really liked her as a lead, she’s strong yet vulnerable inside, and she’s also super sharp and witty. The mix of her personal and professional lives was perfectly balanced, and her fathers connection to the Prophet killer was a nice addition.

The construction of this complicated plot was totally brilliant, the first half is fast paced enough, but around the halfway point things really get kicked into high gear and the tension is through the roof. It’s a deadly game of cat and mouse and the pacing is relentless. The Prophet was one of the scariest fictional killers I’ve ever come across, for as much as I read books with serial killers I normally don’t get that frightened but I have to admit that I was scared witless this time! He’s meticulous, ruthless, calculated and cunning and though he’s laid low for twenty years, he’s back with a vengeance. History is repeating itself in the worst possible way and things come to a head in an explosive, gripping conclusion.

I’ve been deliberately vague in terms of the plot, but trust me when I say, if you like serial killer novels or shows, this is a must read!

DNF @ 30%

I very rarely do not finish a book, I like to give them the benefit of the doubt but unfortunately I just could not gel with the authors voice. While the plot was something I would ordinarily love, it just did not grab my attention. The premise of the book was intriguing and I may try and go back and finish at a later date because I am interested as to what happens.

This is the first in a new series by Edgar Award-winner, Meg Gardiner, and it is a "don't miss" mystery. The police genre is not the same as a thriller; it focuses on the business of a police investigation, the criminal motivation, the psyche of the unknown subject (aka Unsub), the relationships of the detectives, the impact of the job on their home life, and the obsessive draw of the job to the police detective. In this case, Gardiner creates a pretty bad-ass female detective, Caitlin Hendrix, whose father was a policeman twenty years ago, obsessively chasing a serial killer named The Prophet who was terrorizing the Bay area. Yep, the Prophet is back and Caitlin, her ATF badass of a boyfriend, and her fellow detectives go down the rabbit hole into the nine circles of Dante's hell. What I appreciate most about this book that I obsessively finished in twenty-four hours, is Gardiner's ability to create deep, engaging characters who are so complex, who do stupid stuff, act heroically, and yes, even make choices that they knew are wrong but they can not help themselves; in other words, they are quite human. Honestly, this is the best detective book I have read in ages, even better than the famed Norwegian writer Jo Nesbo. I will be waiting breathlessly for the second in the series; it cannot come soon enough.

I think I've read way too many similar books lately, because this one didn't stand out for me. Sadly, I couldn't connect with the characters or the story and I thought it had way too many clichés, even for a serial killer book. The book was a bit confusing and too many things were going on at the same time. I think other people will probably enjoy it because my experience has played an important part in my evaluation.

UNSUB by Meg Gardiner is a deep, twisted, and evil psychological thriller that was inspired by the never-caught Zodiac Killer who destroyed a young detective’s family, and terrorized California’s Bay Area in the late 1960s.

He calls himself “The Prophet" and he is back in the area to continue killing and tormenting the police with his cryptic messages. But this time “The Prophet” has focused all his attention on Detective Caitlin Hendrix, the daughter of Detective Mack Hendrix, who worked the case all those years ago. This grueling case landed Mack in a psychiatric hospital for 6 months due to a mental breakdown, destroyed his marriage, and sent him into early retirement from the police department. Will Caitlin take down “The Prophet” for good, or will she have a mental breakdown just like her father?

This story was emotional, riveting and disturbing! This is a story that will stay with you and make you more aware of your surroundings. You might even find yourself checking your doors and windows at night. I am already looking forward to the next book in this new series!

*I want to thank NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.