Customer Reviews

To Catch a Killer (Silhouette Romantic Suspense)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I loved the descriptive details of the characters in this book. I could hardly put it down. 5 stars, Highly recommended.

Ten years ago Kara Thistle left her small hometown in California to begin her FBI career. Now the lovely FBI special agent returns to Lantern Cove. It is a place Kara never expected to see again. But it is where the third body of a child has been discovered with the same MO of the high profile case her team is investigating. Kara is the lead of the Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team "CARD". They are seeking the serial killer that the media has dubbed the Babysitter. To make Kara's job even more difficult is the fact that she must work with her former lover - Lantern Cove Police Chief Matthew "Matt" Beauchamp.

Matt never expected to see Kara again, though he has never forgotten her. Due to their one night together, the guilt he still feels, and all the hard feelings between them, Matt still wants her. Then he learns her secret. Now their daughter, Briana, has been kidnapped by the Babysitter. Kara and Matt must somehow manage to put their history aside and focus on finding Briana before she becomes the killer's fourth victim.

***** FIVE STARS! This story is filled with vivid characters which seem to leap off the pages and into reality. The writing style is smooth, allowing the reader to actually feel a sense of danger. It is also obvious that Van Meter conducted A LOT of research, in a variety of areas and topics, in order to make the investigation plot realistic. Did she succeed? Oh, yeah! I bit my poor fingernails down to nubs while reading long into the night. I could not seem to turn the pages fast enough to my eagerness to see what would happen next. Kimberly Van Meter needs to write faster, because I want more - NOW! *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews

Originally posted at: [...]

Who says you can't go back home? Kara Thistle's been away for ten long years and is about to discover the many reasons why this is both true... and very very false. Enter Matthew Beauchamp - the main reason she's dreading this trip back to Lantern Cove. Taking off at a run from the very first page, this action-packed crime mystery will have you on the edge of your seat.

Kara Thistle is a woman who knows what she wants and will not settle for anything less than just that. Her strong will and intense determination are what makes her so successful as an FBI agent, although it does have a tendency to interfere with her personal relationships at times. I really like a strong female lead character, but Kara had a bad habit of pushing everyone and everything out of her line of sight and forging on, and to heck with the consequences. However, despite this one flaw, I did like Kara's character more and more as I got to know her. You begin to understand just why she is the way she is.

On the other hand, Matthew Beauchamp is the kind of guy you can rely on. He's steady, he's sure, and he's steadfast. He has a stubborn streak in him as well, but he's much better at working around it than Kara is, making him a good pairing for her. I liked Matthew a lot - he reminds me a lot of the kind of guy I'd go for - being both cautious and not afraid to take a risk at the same time. He's intelligent and creative and just what Kara needs to even out her life.

Aside from Kara's one major character flaw, the characters are interesting and the story is engrossing, bringing you in and holding you captive until the very end. You really are on the hunt with them, desperate to find the person responsible for such horrible murders. With twists and turns along the way, To Catch a Killer is a fast-paced story full of suspense and intense romance that you'll be glad you picked up.

When a child's body is found hidden in Wolf's Creek Ravine in the sleepy town of Lantern Cove, Police Chief Matthew Beauchamp will come face to face with the one woman he never expected to see again. It's been almost ten years since he last saw Kara but nothing prepared him for the emotional impact her presence causes. Kara had been engaged to his best friend Neal but she'd chosen her career over him and Neal had died soon after she left town.

FBI special agent Kara Thistle isn't comfortable being back in Lantern Cove and she definitely isn't thrilled with the idea of working with Matthew. Unfortunately that's where the sicko dubbed the `Babysitter' by the press chose to dump his latest victim. This case is taking an emotional toll on her and she's simply not ready to deal with issues from the past which she'd rather leave there.

As part of the Child Abduction Rapid Deployment team its Kara's job to piece together the clues left behind by the `Babysitter' and catch the killer before another child loses his life. So far none of the kids kidnapped and murdered seem to have any connection besides the nursery rhyme clues the killer leaves behind. It's a frustrating situation which only becomes more complicated due to Matthew's involvement and their past connection. There are things Matthew's unaware of and Kara would prefer to keep it that way but when the `Babysitter' targets someone precious to Kara she has no choice to be honest with Matthew - and clue him into a few truths about his old friend Neal. As the pieces begin to fall into place and they begin to close in on the killer, Kara and Matthew find they can't deny their love for each other. Will they be able to stop the killer before he claims his next victim and what will happen between Kara and Matthew once the case is closed?

If TO CATCH A KILLER is anything to go by Kimberly Van Meter's first foray into writing romantic suspense is a resounding success. This book is full of memorable characters, emotionally charged situations, surprising secrets, and pulse pounding suspense. As horrifying as the idea of someone kidnapping and killing children is, I was still morbidly fascinated with the killer and why anyone would do such a thing. There's not a single dull moment in this book. From the budding romance between Kara and Matthew to the disturbing murders and even Kara and Matthew's very personal and emotional involvement in the case as a reader you feel emotionally vested in the outcome.

Kimberly Van Meter's talent for portraying characters as plausible individuals is impressive but I have to confess I'm stunned at her ability to delve into the psyche of not just the main characters but the secondary ones (as well as the killer) and bringing them to life so that you are able to empathize with them.

While the main focus of course is on catching a killer, we're treated to Matthew and Kara's reunion and not just their feelings for each other but secrets about their past and their friend Neal which Matthew never knew. He seemed to have placed his friend on a pedestal and it's only by learning about his friend's faults that he's able to free himself over past guilt.

There's just so much going on in this story that it's hard not to want to touch on everything, but suffice it to say, TO CATCH A KILLER is a brilliantly written suspenseful tale and well worth adding to your keeper shelf.

Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)