The Assailant (Lieutenant George Hastings) [Hardcover]

James Patrick Hunt (Author)

Book Description

Series: Lieutenant George Hastings | Publication Date: June 9, 2009

CO-ED SLAIN. That’s the call that brings St. Louis Police Lieutenant George Hastings to the downtown banks of the Mississippi River, where Reesa Woods has been strangled and dumped. The hard-charging Hastings is no stranger to murder, but he’s stuck without any leads until a second body—also strangled—turns up across town and he knows he’s chasing a monster.

A talented doctor with an otherwise ordinary and enviable life, Raymond Sheffield has some very dark needs. His first victims are targets of opportunity, but his ambitions go far beyond that. He’s formed a taste for killing, and his only interest is in getting better at it.

As the violence mounts, the line between upstanding citizens and their secret desires gets thinner and thinner in this thrilling game of catch-me-if-you-can from acclaimed crime novelist James Patrick Hunt.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Colorless characters and a recycled plot line undercut Hunt's third procedural to feature Lt. George Hastings of the St. Louis police (after 2008's Goodbye Sister Disco). Assigned to look into the strangulation of a prostitute, Hastings doesn't get far on the case before a second hooker turns up dead. Those expecting a whodunit may be dismayed to learn about a quarter of the way into the story that the killer is a local surgeon, Raymond Sheffield. Eager to be recognized for his crimes, if only under the moniker Springheel Jim, Sheffield calls journalist Cliff Llewellyn to tip Llewellyn off that the two slayings are linked, that there's now a third victim—and that a public library book on Jack the Ripper contains a vital clue. Hastings is a competent enough investigator, but the reader has little basis to believe that without Sheffield's revealing phone call Hastings would ever catch the killer. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

In his third outing (after Goodbye Sister Disco and The Betrayers), Lieutenant George Hastings of the St. Louis PD is called out when the strangled corpse of a co-ed high-priced escort is discovered dumped on the banks of the Mississippi. When another woman is found strangled to death, Hastings suspects there might be a serial killer on the loose, but the city's powers-that-be want a quick end to the case. While the serial killer plot is not particularly fresh, Hunt's nail-biting storytelling keeps readers in its grip until the end. For those who like John Sandford and remember David L. Lindsey's Houston homicide detective Stuart Haydon.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Minotaur Books; First Edition edition (June 9, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312545789
• ISBN-13: 978-0312545789
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,980,728 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars well written serial killer thriller, June 11, 2009

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Assailant (Lieutenant George Hastings) (Hardcover)

St. Louis Police Homicide Lieutenant George Hastings leads the investigation into the strangulation murder of Reesa Woods, a high price call girl paying her way through college as an escort, whose body was found in the muddy banks of the Mississippi. The evidence is near zero and her associates refuse to speak. Soon afterward a second strangulation death, escort Adele Sayers, is found outside the city.

A regional task force is formed with George as number two as he and the team leader SLPD Chief of Detectives Ronnie Wulf bang heads. A third body with a different MO that of realtor Marla Hilsheimer is found clubbed to death. The killer gloats and taunts the cops with tips and clues to the St. Louis Herald reporter Cliff Llewellyn. Teaming up with Woods' associate Rita Liu, George struggles to prevent any more deaths from "Springheel Jim" as the killer calls himself to the media.

The latest Hastings police procedural (see GOODBYE SISTER DISCO and BETRAYERS) is a well written serial killer thriller, but uses the taunting PR fame grabbing by the psychopath that is typical of the sub-genre. The story line is fast-paced as the homicides and the taunting increase. Fans will enjoy the taunting in your face of THE ASSAILANT as even the members of the task force know that without the killer's help the case would remain hot.

Harriet Klausner

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Don't bother with this book, August 28, 2009

By 

Lisa (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Assailant (Lieutenant George Hastings) (Hardcover)

I'm not generally a fan of mysteries, but I picked this book up because I live in St. Louis and was intrigued by the cover. Well, I have to say I'm not at all impressed. Changing the names and locations of real streets and buildings in St. Louis doesn't do anything for the reader, especially those readers who live in the city. It's confusing and doesn't add anything to the story. I also noticed that the author must think his readers are stupid--many scenes had the characters explaining their actions to other characters, making the writing seemed very forced and laborious. He must not think we are smart enough to figure things out for ourselves, and that's the one thing I HATE as a reader. Don't assume I'm stupid. I don't think I'll be picking up any more of James Patrick Hunt's other books.