Praise for Meg Gardiner's UNSUB
“Gardiner's novel breathes new life into the sub-genre with her mastery of police procedure; with superb characterizations of her heroine, the heroine's father and the killer; and with enough twists and turns to leave fans of TV's 'Scandal' and 'How to Get Away With Murder' short of breath. The result is an intelligent, sharply written, compelling page-turner that is satisfying on every level.”—Associated Press
“An adrenaline-fueled rush, this series first has newly minted narcotics detective Caitlyn Hendrix reassigned to homicide so she can track down a sadistic serial killer, the Prophet...Shades of “Silence of the Lambs’’ and the Zodiac Killer.”—Boston Globe
“Gardiner has created the perfect balance of vulnerability and violence in her main characters, all of whom are damaged in their own ways. When the killer becomes a 'hot knife through the center of (Caitlin’s) head,' UNSUB will already have a cold grip on your heart.”—Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
“Caitlyn’s desperate quest to stop the killings becomes all-consuming, and toward the end, the book is hard to put down. Fans will delight in the ending, which opens a pathway to a sequel... Thriller fans who like a strong shot of horror will be delighted by this gruesome and furiously fast-paced read.”—San Francisco Chronicle
“Incorporates thriller conventions, true-crime elements and literary allusions to produce a suspenseful page-turner.”—Houston Chronicle
“A really frightening book, in large part because of Gardiner’s deft use of close third-person narration… the tension in UNSUB is ratcheted way up because of our forays into the twisted mind of the Prophet…”—LitHub
“The writing is sleek and compelling and emphasizes the escalation of tension, which is a must for a story such as this.”—The Oklahoman
“Outstanding series launch...Taut pacing and sympathetic characters play against a terrifying villain, who will crawl beneath your skin and trouble your sleep. Thriller fans will eagerly await the sequel.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Ratchets up suspense to its cliff-hanging epilog that begs for a sequel. Edgar Award–winning author Gardiner, long praised for developing full-bodied characters while spinning intense psychological thrillers, does herself proud here...hope to see more of Caitlin Hendrix.”—Library Journal (starred review)
“Gardiner keeps the suspense at peak levels throughout the novel, conjuring creepy, atmospheric music in the minds of her audience, who will be anxiously perched on the edges of their seats anticipating every next horror. Those who worship at the altar of the thriller shall rejoice. The Prophet has arrived.”—Shelf Awareness
“The staccato delivery and non-stop thrills will have you holding your breath until the very end. There is not one wasted word in her delivery...And remember as you read, breathe in and don’t forget to breathe out. Repeat as necessary.”—The Florida Times-Union
“Move over, Zodiac. The latest of the countless fictional serial killers you've inspired gives you a blistering run for your money.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Based on the unsolved crimes of the real-life Zodiac Killer, this thriller is well crafted and psychologically complex, easily comparable to Jeffery Deaver’s Lincoln Rhyme series.”—Booklist
“Gardiner shines, as usual, with character development, building her grisly psychological thriller around detective Caitlin Hendrix, whose father failed to catch the killer decades earlier. Suspense fans should grab the opportunity to meet Caitlin on her first outing...”—BookPage.com
“This is one of those perfect serial killer fares that bring on the nightmares only a fantastic writer like Gardiner can create...This story is one of those ‘too good’ to review tales. Nothing can be given away when it comes to this plot. All that can be said is Meg Gardiner is an amazing writer and this is yet another book that proves that point to a ‘T.’”—Suspense Magazine
“In this satisfying psychological thriller inspired by the terrifying, never-solved, reallife ‘Zodiac’ killings, the brisk pace never lets up and the twists keep coming to the very last line...Meg Gardiner’s crisp prose and sharply drawn, believable characters maintain the reader’s interest from the first page to the last.”—Mystery Scene Magazine
“UNSUB, the new serial killer novel by Meg Gardiner, will surely delight the fans of fast-paced thrillers. Gardiner’s plots are always nail-biting and her twists are more like cliffs that she takes you to the edge of and then at the last moment pulls you back...a perfect summer read.”—Mystery Tribune
“Meg Gardiner has brought a new dimension to the sub-genre of serial killer novels. Her killer is a monster, but he is a monster that is more realistic than most fictional serial killers, thus making him more frightening...Gardiner has created a female detective who is empathetic, tough but not hard...no fan of psychological thrillers should miss Unsub.”—New York Journal of Books
“With a killer from your nightmares and a heroine who must risk everything to stop him, UNSUB grabs you by the heart and refuses to let go. A relentless, compelling thriller.”—Lisa Scottoline, New York Times bestselling author of One Perfect Lie
“‘Sleep Destroyer’ Meg Gardiner is up to her evil tricks again with UNSUB, a bracingly fresh serial-killer novel that hums like the third rail. It has all her trademarks—a complex, compelling heroine, a jet-fueled story, and elegant, crisp prose. I blasted through it in a single sitting last night and remain conscious today only due to espresso and the half-life buzz of reading adrenaline. An entrancing and stunning thriller!”—Gregg Hurwitz, New York Times bestselling author of The Nowhere Man
“Like The Silence of the Lambs, this novel scared the hell out of me. I dare you to try putting it down. The UNSUB, or unknown subject, at the heart of Meg Gardiner’s thriller is terrifying.”—Don Winslow, New York Times bestselling author of The Cartel
“UNSUB is a mesmerizing, unforgettable, nonstop thriller that never lets you go. The single most terrifying book of the past decade.”—Steve Hamilton, New York Times bestselling author of Exit Strategy
★ 04/17/2017
Near the start of this outstanding series launch from Edgar-winner Gardiner (Phantom Instinct), Caitlin Hendrix, a detective with San Francisco’s Narcotics Task Force, visits a crime scene in an Alameda County cornfield—a brutal double murder. The killer pounded nails into the chests of the two victims, forming the symbol for mercury, the hallmark of the notorious serial killer known as the Prophet who struck the Bay Area during the 1990s, then disappeared. The Prophet is no stranger to Caitlin: her father, Mack Hendrix, was the lead detective on the original case, which left him an emotional wreck and tore his family apart. Soon reassigned to homicide, Caitlin is determined to bring the unsub—or unknown subject—down this time and finish what her father started. As the body count rises, the stakes become even more personal, as the Prophet targets those closest to Caitlin. Taut pacing and sympathetic characters play against a terrifying villain, who will crawl beneath your skin and trouble your sleep. Thriller fans will eagerly await the sequel. Five-city author tour. Agent: Shane Salerno, Story Factory. (June)This review has been corrected to reflect updated agent information.
04/15/2017
The Prophet, a serial killer who terrorized the San Francisco area for five years in the 1990s, is back. Law enforcement authorities turn first to retired detective Mack Hendrix, who led the old case and whose partner was the last of the Prophet's 11 victims. Mack was so consumed and damaged by the Prophet case that he's now mentally unstable, but his daughter Caitlin, a narcotics detective with the sheriff's department, wants in on the new case. A newbie in homicide who has to learn to keep her thoughts to herself, Caitlin is the one who puzzles out the Prophet's chilling grand plan and takes the lead in the final operation that threatens those nearest and dearest to her. This skillfully plotted story, replete with graphic violence (a nail gun figures prominently) ratchets up suspense to its cliff-hanging epilog that begs for a sequel. VERDICT Edgar Award-winning author Gardiner, long praised for developing full-bodied characters while spinning intense psychological thrillers, does herself proud here. Think Thomas Harris at his most frightening, and hope to see more of Caitlin Hendrix. [See Prepub Alert, 1/8/17.]—Michele Leber, Arlington, VA
Hillary Huber does an outstanding job narrating this dialogue-rich psychological thriller. Twenty years after "The Prophet," a serial killer, drove her father to the brink of madness, feisty detective Caitlin Hendrix is drawn into the investigation of a ruthless madman who is using the same signature as the former killer in the same Bay Area. Huber sets a steady pace, conveying emotional scenes without overacting. As the killer sets his sights on her, Caitlin strives to maintain a balance between relentless pursuit and dangerous obsession. Huber's subtle vocal variations aid listeners in following the plot as well as differentiating the well-developed characters. Her confident performance adds chills to this serial murderer's evil story. S.C.A. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
2017-04-17
Move over, Zodiac. The latest of the countless fictional serial killers you've inspired gives you a blistering run for your money.Two decades after a mysteriously self-limited five-year murder spree that cost 11 Bay Area citizens their lives and cost Alameda County Sheriff's Department Detective Mack Hendrix his partner, his peace of mind, and much of his sanity, the killer whom police departments in two Bay Area counties have dubbed the Prophet roars back with a vengeance. Mack's daughter, Caitlin, a newly minted Narcotics detective with the ACSD, is detailed to Homicide in hopes that she can make use of her father's encyclopedic knowledge of the case. Ignoring her distraught mother's advice that "you're throwing yourself into the volcano," Caitlin struggles to tap Mack's memory for forgotten insights, fight off the attentions of obnoxious East Bay Herald reporter Bart Fletcher, and anticipate the next move of the Prophet, aka Mercury. The Prophet meanwhile dispatches two pairs of victims—a waitress and a supermarket checker are whipped, strangled, and nailed to death, and the deaths of two partners are broadcast live in a coffee shop to a horrified audience in an unforgettably grueling set piece—but has to settle for only one of still another pair he's targeted. Along the way, he leaves a series of taunting notes addressed to the wider public before focusing in particular on Caitlin, who luckily turns out to be just as clever as her diabolical prey when it matters most. Every detail Gardiner (Phantom Instinct, 2014, etc.) uses to grease the skids is over-the-top, but readers sucked into this vortex won't care; they'll be too busy counting down the hours to the appearance of the promised sequel, which seems poised to begin about five minutes after the final scene.
