Galley of the Dead
By Chris Carter

4 stars.

Enthralling thriller that builds tension as you read through the novel.

This book sets up the two LAPD heroes who speciality is the most violent of crimes. This story certainly fits into this.

The plot, although scary is believable and the characters generally well developed.

‘Thirty-seven years in the force, and if I was allowed to choose just one thing to erase from my mind, what’s inside that room would be it.’ That’s what a LAPD Lieutenant tells Detectives Hunter and Garcia of the Ultra Violent Crimes Unit as they arrive at one of the most shocking crime scenes they have ever attended.

In a completely unexpected turn of events, the detectives find themselves joining forces with the FBI to track down a serial killer whose hunting ground sees no borders; a psychopath who loves what he does because to him murder is much more than just killing – it’s an art form.

This title has been reviewed by https://books-reviewed.weebly.com/ This title was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in return for an open and honest review.

#GalleyOfTheDead #NetGalley

This file was corrupted and I never got to enjoy this novel. What a shame!!

At the opening of this novel Detective Carlos Garcia and Robert Hunter of the LAPD Ultra Violent Crimes Unit find themselves at one of the most horrific crime scenes they have ever seen with parts hacked off the body, blood all over the walls and a strange looking code carved into her back. This is just the start of a rampage by a serial killer who is on a special quest to create a 'gallery of the dead'.

Chris Carter has yet again come up with imaginative scenarios for his psychopathic killer to arrange for his victims and this killer is definitely one of his creepier ones. Hunter and Garcia are forced to work with the FBI on the case in the form of Agents Erica Foster and Larry Williams, something neither group is happy about.

Although the novel had all the elements for a top thriller - gory deaths, a psychopath, interfactional tension between the FBI and LAPD - but somehow I didn't enjoy this quite as much as the previous book in the series. The novel was a tad long and over-explanatory in some places and then not explanatory enough when Hunter is hit with major insights and the reader is left totally in the dark as to how he made the connection. The suspense never really builds up, except towards the end where the race is on to find the killer and his final victim. Hunter himself seems a bit lacklustre in this outing but it could just be that his insomnia is catching up with him or that the author is taking his character for granted in this ninth episode. Overall, a good, gripping read which should keep fans of Robert Hunter happy until the next in the series.

Book blurb...
'Thirty-seven years in the force, and if I was allowed to choose just one thing to erase from my mind, what's inside that room would be it.'
That's what a LAPD Lieutenant tells Detectives Hunter and Garcia of the Ultra Violent Crimes Unit as they arrive at one of the most shocking crime scenes they have ever attended.
In a completely unexpected turn of events, the detectives find themselves joining forces with the FBI to track down a serial killer whose hunting ground sees no borders; a psychopath who loves what he does because to him murder is much more than just killing - it's an art form.
Welcome to The Gallery of the Dead.
My thoughts…
I have read the last two Chris Carter books and this one did not disappoint. Gallery of the Dead is a little confronting, however if you like books about psychopaths then this is the book for you.
Detective Hunter features again and uses his very clever skills to outwit the villain.
The story is written in such a way that the reader is in the moment along for the investigation with the FBI agents. Sometimes this may slow the story down, but if you are into the detail, then it will not be an issue.
Overall a good read.

I hadn't read any of Chris Carter's works before (and thought it was the Chris Carter from The X-Files!), but I quite enjoyed this and really liked the suspense and way it caught me off-guard there towards the end. I thought I'd missed something, but it was just a clever twist! Not bad at all!

EXCERPT: The room before them was plastered in crimson red - the floor, the rug, the curtains, the furniture, the bed, the walls. . .everything, and still, all that blood amounted to nothing more than a silly joke when compared to the centerpiece in the room. Linda Parker's body had been left on the bed, which had its headboard pushed up against the south wall. She was lying on her back, on blood-soaked sheets that had once been white. Her arms were resting by her torso, with her legs naturally extended, but the extremities to all four of her limbs were missing. Her feet had been hacked off at the ankles and her hands at the wrists, but that too played second fiddle to the killer’s main disturbing act. Linda Parker's body had been skinned, leaving behind a grotesque mess of brownish-red muscle tissue, naked organs and exposed bones. The smell of rotting flesh toxified the air inside the room.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: ‘Thirty-seven years in the force, and if I was allowed to choose just one thing to erase from my mind, what’s inside that room would be it.’

That’s what a LAPD Lieutenant tells Detectives Hunter and Garcia of the Ultra Violent Crimes Unit as they arrive at one of the most shocking crime scenes they have ever attended.

In a completely unexpected turn of events, the detectives find themselves joining forces with the FBI to track down a serial killer whose hunting ground sees no borders; a psychopath who loves what he does because to him murder is much more than just killing – it’s an art form.

Welcome to The Gallery of the Dead.

MY THOUGHTS: I ought to have liked Gallery of the Dead by Chris Carter more than I did. It has all the things I like in a book; plenty of bodies, mystery, no obvious suspects. Yet I found myself strangely disconnected from Carter's writing. At 512 pages it is a long book, too long for what it is. The author repeats himself and over explains things, which detracted hugely from my enjoyment. I kept getting the feeling that I was being lectured to, which is not why I read fiction. Both these problems contributed to my feeling no suspense when I ought to have been.

Other things also irritated me - the constant use of people's titles, e. g. Agent Fisher when, after we had met her, either Erica or Fisher would have done. Robert Hunter had the annoying habit of making huge leaps in his understanding of the crime with no explanation of 'how'. When his girlfriend is talking about having the roots of her hair touched up, he has this epiphany and rushes off. He doesn't share his epiphany with us.

Overall, a disappointing read for me. But, as reading is a very personal experience, you may be one of the many people who love this book. If you enjoyed the excerpt and like the summary, please go ahead and read Gallery of the Dead by Chris Carter. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster via Netgalley for providing a digital copy of Gallery of the Dead by Chris Carter for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the 'about' page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com for an explanation of my rating system.

This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

What an intriguing story! Gallery of the Dead kept me guessing throughout with plot twist after plot twist and a constant increase in tension as the story progressed. I loved it!

Holy Moly I think I just read my book of the year and it's only March. I've never heard of this author before, so what a great discovery for me as it looks like there are quite a lot in this series. I was too scared to read this one in bed so I saved it for day light. It's a heart thumping hunt for a killer-my heart that is. The Cops and FBI have combined forces and oh my goodness you won't see THAT coming. Lots of twists and turns made for such a thrilling, entertaining read.
Have to thank #Netgalley for the recommendation, I'm off to see what else this author can scare me with.

This was an absolute thriller!! Horrifying! Suspenseful! Held your attention every turn of the page. Great main characters - loved Dectectives Hunter and Garcia, individually and together as a team. I haven’t read any of Chris Carter’s novels before but I will be looking to read earlier ones.
Highly recommended read as a stand out thriller.
Thank you to Negalley and publisher Simon & Schuster Australia for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

‘Darkness, it seemed, had come to Los Angeles in more ways than one.’

Detectives Robert Hunter and Carlos Garcia of the LAPD Ultra Violent Crimes Unit are called to a crime scene. It’s one of the most shocking crime scenes they have ever seen. To try to make sense of what they have seen, Robert Hunter does some online searching, looking for patterns. While his search doesn’t seem to yield any immediate results, the FBI are quick to get in touch. This murder has some of the hallmarks of a suspected serial killer. The FBI and the LAPD UVC join forces to try to track this serial killer down. While they can recognise some of the pattern, they need to make sense of it all if they are to stop this killer.

The killer is sending a message, but how should it be interpreted?

Naturally, there are territorial and interpersonal issues when the staff of two different agencies need to work together. This adds to the tension and complicates the flow of information. But there’s a few more twists in this story before an unsettling ending. No spoilers here!

Warning: this is not a novel for the squeamish.

This is the ninth book in the Detective Robert Hunter series, and as time permits I’ll look for the other eight. Although a few elements of the story didn’t entirely work for me I’m intrigued by the character and want to read more.

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Australia for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

This book does not disappoint! Captivating and enticing right from the get go.

Wow, wow, wow! Hunter strikes again, geez I love the guy, he is sooooo totally cool.

Hunter and his partner Garcia arrive at a crime scene where they find the body of a young woman brutally murdered. In their long career, this is the worst case they have ever seen. When the FBI becomes involved the two officers find out the victim was the niece of the FBI. They join forces in an effort to catch the killer dubbed The Surgeon. As more bodies are found, a pattern emerges and the team realizes each body involves an artistic message.
This is the eighth book in the Robert Hunter thriller series and the first one I have read. Written by an author with a varied background ie burger flipper, exotic dancer, criminal psych, muso and now writer. I guess this would give you exposure to a lot of background matter for writing this type of book.
My favourite character was Garcia as he seemed very down to earth. I also liked the smart comments he made when the FBI annoyed him. The only character who I found annoying was the female FBI agent. Instead of getting on with the job of catching the killer, she wasted time making digs at Hunter and Garcia. Discovering she had a daughter didn’t help to soften that impact. Even after she was injured, my feelings didn’t change. I didn’t know what to make of Hunter and perhaps that was due to starting at the tail end? of the series.
The best parts of this book were the ones involving The Surgeon’s work or should that be art displays?. The details really grabbed my attention and left me eager for more.
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book in return for a free digital copy.

This is my first Chris Carter book and what a ride. He has a very unusual style of writing mixing fact with story telling. I really enjoyed the cliff hangers in the book because you sometimes had to wait a couple of chapters to find out what happened keeping me awake into the night. Although this was my first book and I could tell that there were previous books however it did not detract from the story. I recommend this book and will now look for more titles by this author

I don’t normally like to start a series part-way through, and this is book 9 of the Robert Hunter series by (New To Me)author Chris Carter - but was invited to request this by NetGalley, liked the sound of it from the description, and read positive reviews of the earlier books by GR friends.

A serial killer is leaving horribly mutilated bodies in different places, and with no apparent link between them. Hunter and his partner Garcia, detectives with LA’s Ultra Violent Crime unit, are assigned the murder of a model (and, be warned, her cat, in a way I found particularly awful) then join forces with the FBI team who have been investigating murders with a similar signature.

I read a lot of crime fiction, including a fair number of serial killer thrillers, so this series should’ve been right up my alley. I did like it, the plot, action and denouement were all good, and Hunter seems an interesting detective. I’m sure I would’ve appreciated him more if I had read the earlier books, and I may yet.

Where this lost a star for me is in the overly simplistic and borderline patronising writing style. Everything has to be explained in ridiculous detail either by Hunter, usually to his commanding officer, who is portrayed as an idiot, or in mini-lecture form as an aside by the author. While Hunter and Garcia are referred to as such, the other characters are constantly referred to by their full titles or names - instead of Fisher, or even Erica, the major FBI player is always Agent Fisher, or a victim is always Timothy Davis. A small point, but irritatingly distracting. It also bothered me that all the female characters are either victims, morons or shrewish ball-breakers - even Hunter’s girlfriend.

Other minor annoyances: each chapter ends on a hyperbolic cliffhanger, which got tiring; Hunter makes great intuitive leaps, but you don’t find out what for several chapters, so forget how. I found him a rather bland, emotionless hero; we know he is tormented by insomnia, but not why - I presume the earlier books would give more background to this.

Overall, a decent thriller let down by an annoying writing style.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster (Australia) and NetGalley for the free ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

A fast-paced thriller, which sees the police and FBI working together to track down a serial killer with a mysterious agenda - and no evidence or any clues as to why he chooses his victims and why each murder is unique. Almost every chapter of the book ends with a cliffhanger, making it hard to put it down!

Everything is obviously well researched and thoroughly explained. I can see this book appealing to a very broad audience as a result. Though I haven't read the rest of the series, that didn't at all interfere with my enjoyment of the book; though I suspect the little shock at the end might mean more to long term readers!

Overall a great read for anyone who's interested in novels which bring to mind the good old "serial killer takes on the law" genre which has declined so much in recent years.

Wow. I read The Crucifix Killer many years ago, and haven't read anything by Chris Carter since. After reading the book that is definitely going to change.

This story was totally gripping. I'm not sure I really like the writing style, but the story more than makes up for that. Now I have to go and catch up on all of the other books in this series! I'll definitely be reading more, and I would recommend this to anyone who likes a great crime story!

I start by declaring I am a fan. I love a murder mystery. This author can be very descriptive in the murder scenes. This book was no different. The team are sent to a truly disturbing death scene. One of the police declare it is the worst in his long career. Robert is soon being asked to join with the FBI to solve this crime. I devoured this book in a few days. A gritty but engaging story which ends with the door opened on the next book. Excellent I can't wait for the next book! Looking forward to it already!

What would you do to protect the one that you love? Robert Hunter & Carlos Garcia have just been called to a murder of a young woman and it is a bloody horrific case but Robert knows that there is something more to this murder, he has a feeling that this killer has done this before. But before they can even start investigating the FBI gets involved and Robert has worked with them before on cases but this one is going to be a tough one even though him & Carlos are the LAPD's Violent Crime Unit they have seen the worst. But the FBI wants to work with them but they aren't playing well together. Can they get themselves sorted and try stop the killer before someone else loses their life? Agent Fisher & Kennedy are heading up the FBI team but Fisher has something to prove and she seems to take over and that causes problems as they miss important clues but can Robert get them back on track? But the killer strikes again and now he is leaving more messages and Robert gets them but he is still ahead of them as they have misread them. The killer is clever as he leaves nothing behind but he takes something from each victim, can the team find the link between the cases? Just when they think that they are getting closer one of the team turns on them and tries to kill the team but why? Will they ever find the killer now or has he disappeared for good? A great solid read keeps you guessing at each turn. I like Robert as he is so dedicated to finding the killer and him & Carlos are a great team that just never give up. I like that Robert is so sharp and that they can bounce ideas of each other and that they have each other's back no matter what. I am not to sure about his relationship with Tracy why does he hold back so much? I have to give it to the killer he did have them for a long time but he couldn't outrun Robert and his brain. What would you do to protect the one that you love kill for them? I think that the team member had a choice but I am not too sure what I would do in their place or you pull that trigger and more onto the next member? I received a copy in exchange for my honest review via Netgalley & the publishing house.

Easily 5 stars.. I would give it more if I could! I am such a big fan for the Robert Hunter series and this might be the most gruesome yet!

Robert Hunter and Carlos Garcia are no strangers to shocking crime scenes working for the LAPD ultra violent crimes unit... but this killer pushes the limits. Without giving anything away let's just say don't go into this book if you have a weak stomach. This killer is clever but Robert Hunter is determined to track him down and stop him. This time Hunter and Garcia join forces with the FBI and the killer crosses state lines.

This is book 9 in the series and absolutely worth the wait since The Caller came out. If you are not familiar with this series do yourself a favour and read them ALL... if you can stomach I.

A very big thank you to Simon and Schuster Australia for an advance copy of this book via NetGalley... I feel honoured to be selected to read and review this in exchange for my honest opinions. I will definitely be recommending this book to all my reader friends