I was a fan of the first book because of Tully Jarsdel but this one didn't speak to me in the way I'd hoped. The Creeper was creepy, Dr. Varma was a blob, and the plot wandered too much. Sorry but this was a pass from me.

DNF. I couldn't really get into the story. I think the story is well written, and has a nice combination of genres, but there was something that made me leave it halfway. Perhaps I will try again another time.

2.5 stars, rounded up
I didn't read the first book in the series, so this was my first introduction to these characters. I honestly thought this book was a bit of a mess.
The overarching mystery of the Creeper was grisly and made me very intrigued at who this person was and why they were committing these crimes. Yet the book meanders into this weird side story of Varma and endless paragraphs of her pontificating about stopping crime and her ways to do it. I wanted more of the Creeper story and more investigating, but after the beginning pages, the reader gets a peripheral look at the crimes, but only from a distance. The investigation was really haphazard as well, I never got a sense of them moving towards a solution. And it doesn't come until the very bitter end, the last page as kind of an aside.
There was some promise throughout, one good twist that made the reading of the book worthwhile, but overall it was too muddled and went too many different directions for me.

This is the second in the Detective Tully Jarsdel series. I read the first and enjoyed it. I thought the main character, a former academic with an almost completed PhD in history was unique and interesting; the different slant on the protagonist, refreshing. In this book, not so refreshing….in fact, a bit of a boor.

The grisly background story is the pursuit of a serial killer dubbed the Eastside Creeper who does grotesque things to his victims. Unfortunately, the novel got bogged down with lots of digressions into other subplots as well as the psyche of Jarsdel. These threw off the rhythm of the novel and interrupted the suspense.

What kind of demented killer holds up in the victims house, lurking for days or weeks in the cellar, crawl-space or attic … listening to their conversations, secrets, and intimate details of their lives, before he quixotically decides to obliterate and brutally murder all occupants, man, woman and child alike. This monster is known for his overkill tactics and is not afraid to leave clues and DNA behind. As the murder scenes mount, the most vile and depraved crimes in the history of Los Angeles, the panic and palpable terror of the city escalates. This tale is a commentary on the nature of mankind. Naturally there are those who are innately evil, and shrouded in darkness and mayhem. But, there are others, like our main protagonist, Detective Tully Jarsdel, whose goal is to seek out sanity and justice, and provide order and end chaos.
Joseph Schneider proves to be a masterful storyteller and unspools a twisted and complex police procedural that features are intrepid hero, Detective Tully Jarsdel, a modern-day Sherlock Holmes. Tully is not your usual macho figure. No one would mistake him for James Bond, MacGiver or even Harry Bosch. He is sensitive, and somewhat charming in an unobtrusive manner. His skill set varies from the customary grinding and following usual procedures in a relentless fashion. He is sometimes thought of as “Rain Man” smart. On the threshold of receiving his Ph.D in history, he quits to join the police academy for a more purposeful and useful life. He is part of an elite homicide unit. Although having six years of experience in homicide he is still derided by some of his jealous colleagues, and not just behind his back, but to his face. He frequently will weather comments referring to him as: “the Professor” … 
“Dudley-Do-Right” .. and at times, “Dad.” Tully’s backstory is unique. He has two dads, being the product of the marriage of two gay professors. His fathers, Robert and Darius were heartbroken when Tully abandoned academia. They never miss an opportunity to point out their dissatisfaction.
Tully is assigned to the Murder Task Force, with the goal of ending the relentless scourge to the city by the monster, that the media has appointed as the “Eastside Creeper”. As the bodies pile up Tully detects discrepancies in the killer’s signature and MO. He is met with some disdain as the other task force members trivialize his concerns. The killer sticks his thumb in the eye of the task force by brutally killing someone close to the investigation. Tully ponders the discrepancies with his rumination … “Who benefits”. This is the central theme behind every act that our species commits. There is a boogeyman out there. With each murder Tully feels a profound misery, that is amplified by a sense of helplessness.
Joseph Schneider provides mounting excitement and pace as Tully starts to put the pieces together, effortlessly the reader finds the pages flying by. In a rather elegant manner the full measure of cruelty and depravity is experienced without providing a litany of grueling detail.
Intricate characterization of Tully and other eclectic supporting characters are provided in a layered, efficient manner. Even the city of Los Angeles proves to be an important character in this cinematic noir narrative. Few people in the US are aware of the presence of the Watts Towers , an artistic jewel located off the beaten path and in a somewhat dangerous part of town. A collection of 17 interconnected sculptured towers created by Simon Rodia over the course of 30+ years … made from discarded items of steel, pottery, glass … and without aid of machinery, scaffolding, bolts, rivets or welds. A testament to the genius and love of one immigrant in dedication to his new country.
Thanks to NetGalley and The Poisoned Pen Press for providing an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review. This is the second novel in the series, but can certainly be enjoyed as a stand alone. All the necessary backstory is seamlessly provided by the author.
I look forward to the continuing investigations of the unassuming Tully Jarsdel.

The second book in the series and in some ways better than the previous book. The positives are the plot, the investigation, the suspense. What I felt as negative was the narrative veering off too much with the sub plot, the pedantic prose and excessive gore with no explanation supporting it in respect to the subject. The plot holes were the failure of the task force to correlate the murder interval to the earthquake, nobody figuring out the evidence until the epilogue. All things said, I did like this book and would recommend it. Looking forward to the next one in this series.

What Waits For You by Joseph Schneider is a superb read with well-defined characters and plotline. Definitely a page turner and well worth a read!

How did a book with such a creepy and terrific prologue ended up being so disappointing? Seriously, I'm so mad right now! That first description of the crime scene, the sense of menace, gave me chills, so I don't know what happened to the rest of the book but from there it all went downhill for me.

I found the first book in the series so refreshing, with an academic/historian turned police detective as the lead and not your usual tortured detective, but everything I liked about him then it turned irritating now. If you behave like a pompous ass you're gonna be treated like one by your colleagues! So many pretentious dialogue and pedantic language. Ugh!

One of the things I loved about the first book was Tully's relationship with Morales, but in this case Morales is just a guest star, so another let down.

Why would you create such a great villain, the Creeper, and such atrocious crimes, to not take off the investigation until so far into the story? Instead there were pages and pages of side plots that didn't contribute anything to the main plot. I found Dr. Varma's plot and all her explanations about security, the environment and criminal quite boring.

The end was only mildly surprising, but the motive THAT character gave for its crimes and its actions while committing them was so ridiculous! I won't go into details about the actual ending cause I don't wanna give away spoilers, but I thought it was a complete scam. Almost 400 pages and you can't bother to give a real explanation?

It pains me to say that my relationships with Detective Tully Jarsdel ends here.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.