‘Good job you didn’t turn on the lights …’ A student nurse has the shock of her life when she discovers her patient, prosecutor Derek Nicholson, brutally murdered in his bed.

The act seems senseless – Nicholson was terminally ill with only weeks to live. But what most shocks Detective Robert Hunter of the Los Angeles Robbery Homicide Division is the calling card the killer left behind. For Hunter, there is no doubt that the killer is trying to communicate with the police, but the method is unlike anything he’s ever seen before. And what could the hidden message be? Just as Hunter and his partner Garcia reckon they’ve found a lead, a new body is found – and a new calling card.

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But with no apparent link between the first and second victims, all the progress they’ve made so far goes out of the window. Pushed into an uncomfortable alliance with the confident Alice Beaumont, Hunter must race to put together the pieces of the investigation …before the Death Sculptor puts the final touches to his masterpiece.

My Review

Welcome to post number four on this fab #blogathon. I will be reviewing one book per month.

This is definitely my favourite of the series so far. We learn a lot more about Robert Hunter’s childhood – turns out he was a child prodigy – though we always knew he was highly intelligent. He went to a school for those with an exceptionally high IQ, which is where he met one of the other characters, but I’m saying nothing!

In this book, The Death Sculptor, we have a rather vicious murderer (that’s putting it mildly), with an unusual calling card. Let’s just say, the killer is very creative, and also likes to make the victims suffer. Unfortunately, I can’t say much more without giving the plot away.

The more I read of Carter’s novels, the more I find the stories so intriguing that I could almost say that I love them in spite of the blood and gore, not because of it. You could water it down (the goriness not the blood) and they would still be brilliant. The characters are well rounded, and the writing moves the story forward at a cracking pace.

As I said in my last review, Hunter and Garcia are becoming more real and likeable with each book, but I want to see some romance for Hunter now. And no pets please – in case they get killed.

Many thanks to @Tr4cyF3nt0n for inviting me to be part of the #CompulsiveReaders #blogathon.

About the Author

Born in Brazil of Italian origin, Chris Carter studied psychology and criminal behaviour at the University of Michigan. As a member of the Michigan State District Attorney’s Criminal Psychology team, he interviewed and studied many criminals, including serial and multiple homicide offenders with life imprisonment convictions. He now lives in London. Visit his website www.chriscarterbooks.com