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On leave pending a review of her assault on her abusive ex-husband, Vail must battle forces determined to bring her down, as she fights to find Dead Eyes before he murders more young women. But the seventh victim is the key to all that stirs this killer...the key that will unlock secrets perhaps too painful for Vail to bear. These are secrets that threaten to destroy her, secrets that will bring down her storied and promising career. For Karen Vail, the truth rests at the heart of a lie. And uncovering it could get her killed...
With material meticulously researched during seven years of study with the Bureau’s vaunted profiling unit, Alan Jacobson brings refreshing realism and unprecedented accuracy to his pages, as he takes readers behind the scenes of the FBI Academy, where he worked with the actual profilers who have studied and interviewed twenty years’ worth of serial killers.
In Jacobson's tepid third thriller (after Hunted and False Accusations), FBI profiler Karen Vail is obsessed with bringing to justice the Dead Eyes Killer, who's gruesomely slain several women in Virginia. The action alternates between Karen's attempts to unravel the clues left behind at the crime scenes and glimpses of the Dead Eyes Killer himself as he stalks future victims. A messy divorce and custody battle threaten to distract Karen, as do her tentative relationship with a local detective and disturbing revelations about her family history. The author fails to put a fresh spin on any of the genre's clichés-the serial killer who taunts law enforcement, the FBI agent with an implausible connection to the case, the chaotic crime scene that contains clues only the hero can crack. Though Jacobson's research into the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit is evident, he overloads his story with too much information and unbelievable coincidences. 5-city author tour. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.In Jacobson's (The Hunted) enthralling and fast-paced thriller, FBI agent Karen Vail must ID a deranged serial killer while grappling with an abusive ex-husband, a custody battle for her teenage son, and the expected professional conflicts. The story reaches an incredulous conclusion but should keep suspense fans pleased. Actress/voice-over artist Lila Wellesley's expert, steady reading sustains the tension. Recommended for mystery and suspense collections in public libraries. [The Vanguard hc, recently optioned for film, was "strongly recommended for all popular fiction collections," LJ9/15/08.-Ed.]
—Phillip Oliver
Alan really pushed the limit in the most boring book since the dictionary. After reading the first chapter I wished that I was the first victim.
7 out of 12 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This book had so much going on that it was like several mysteries rolled into one. But it all came together at the end to make a very satisfying thriller.
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I absolutely love this book! I couldn't stop reading it once I started. This is definitely a must read!
4 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted September 10, 2008
She is an FBI profiler assigned to the Behavioral Analysis Unit and after dealing with a bank robbery, Karen Vail goes straight to the house of the victim of the Dead Eyes Killer. This brutal psychopath earned the moniker by putting steak knives into the eyes of the women he mutilated. This maniac eviscerates his female prey and uses their left hands as paint brushes to paint murals with their blood.-------------- The latest victim is his fourth Vail is part of a task force trying to end his spree before another deceased disfigured corpse surfaces. She is also having problems with her soon to be ex husband and their son Jonathan, who refuses to live with him insisting he is an abusive drunk. When she tries to talk to her ex, he knocks her unconscious. The next time they meet, she uses him as a punching bag, ending up in jail. After being released, her boss puts her on paid suspension pending the outcome of her assault trial. Jonathan ends up in a coma and Vail believes her spouse pushed him leading to his hitting his head. Still dealing with that trauma, she soon learns her mother is her aunt they get into a fight. A disgruntled former FBI agent insists Vail should be considered a suspect in the Dead Eyes serial killer case as she has a record of violence and the murderer seems to have insider information. Vail knows she must is riding on her finding the killer. ----------- Although some serial killer fanatics will insist Vail¿s personal problems are overwhelming especially the mama segue, fans will enjoy this enthralling entertaining thriller because her issues realistically intrude on her investigation. The author makes this work into a one sitting read mainly due to the complex stubborn yet vulnerable (though her son) heroine. Alan Jacobson provides a chilling police procedural as the heroine¿s personal life infringes on her professional life.---------- Harriet Klausner
4 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.pinkCricket
Posted October 17, 2010
WOW!This book sucked me in from the very first page.Found myself up until 3:00 in the morning for 2 nights because I could not put it down.Everytime I thought I knew what was going to happen next I was wrong.It kept my attention til the very end with some unexpected twist thrown in for good measure.For a free book this is worth every second of your time.Was a little sad to be done with the book!This is one of those books I felt was glued to my hands,I did not want to put it down!
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.redhddgrl
Posted February 2, 2011
downloaded another one by Alan Jacobson. I don't like his style or his storylines.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted January 21, 2011
This book started out well, the first 1/2 to 3/4 were very entertaining. The end was lame, a dissapointing twist from left field.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I got this on a free Friday so I am not complaing. I had a lot of problems with the characters in this book. The main character is the most selfish mother I have ever read about. Her son is in a coma so she has to get away, with her future boyfriend, to her mother's house, who is getting senile. She then finds out she her real mother makes her a relative to the killer she is trying to capture. That is just the beginning of a whole lot of unbelivable plot twists they want us to believe,
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.EG_John
Posted December 9, 2010
To make fiction work, one must suspend disbelief. I know this. I go into every novel hoping to be entertained and I don't spend a lot of time picking apart the "inaccurate" details of the story. But this book had me saying, "Oh, come on!" entirely too much. The lead character, while trying to profile a serial killer, had SEVEN personal tragedies. The "surprising" tie-ins between characters piled on, one after another. Just when I couldn't take any more, the author actually surprised me with the ending. This helped to make me feel like I hadn't wasted my 400+ pages.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.this book overall was great. the end i thought could have been better but it was still good. would recommend it to people who like to keep guessing.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.This was one of the best thrillers I have read in a long time. It was very suspenseful, the characters are very realistic, and the shocking twists and turns lead up to a fantastic end! Immediately purchased "Crush", Book 2 in the series...
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 16, 2009
I Also Recommend:
What a thrill. Keeps you up until it's done
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted October 1, 2008
The 7th Victim is a masterpiece! Having read every James Patterson and several Jonathan Kellerman, JD Robb and other spy/murder novels, the 7th Victim ranks up there at the top. Super character development for the lead profiler, Karen. Lots of suspense, turns and twists, and non-stop action --- very difficult to put down. Jacobson has succeeded in creating an unsettling and suspenseful edge throughout the book --- everything that could go wrong, did go wrong for Karen until it righted itself at the very end. So many family twists that we got to know the whole family intimately by the end, like peeling back an onion, it was done layer by layer - surprise! I can see the quality attention to detail about profiling, SWAT teams, with the appropriate language and procedures. All genuine and seemed realistic. Very enjoyable and I can see how it could be a great movie! I also reread The Hunted and enjoyed it again!
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.NookWormKP
Posted March 31, 2012
Fast paced, well written and an awesome twist! VERY entertaining
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 20, 2011
First book I've read by this author. Will be reading more.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 11, 2011
Had me from page one. A wild ride til the end, which blew me away...I never figured this one out!!! I'm reading Crush now!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 7, 2011
Good book
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted November 5, 2011
At first glance this story line seems predictible. However it sure twists and turns. Graphic violence however. The storyline kept me engaged.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted October 30, 2011
I couldn't put this book down. Blown away by the ending-didn't see it coming.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.grandmadeedee
Posted October 19, 2011
I really enjoyed this book.
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Overview
The Dead Eyes Killer lurks in the backyard of the famed FBI Profiling Unit. His brutal murders, unlike any others previously seen, confound the local task force, despite the gifted profiling skills of Special Agent Karen Vail. But along with Vail‘s insight and expertise comes considerable personal and professional baggage.On leave pending a review of her assault on her abusive ex-husband, Vail must battle forces determined to bring her down, as she fights to find Dead Eyes before he murders more young women. But the seventh victim is the key to all that stirs this killer...the key that will unlock secrets perhaps too painful for Vail to bear. These are secrets that threaten to destroy ...