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3.0 out of 5 stars
Good debut effort, May 17, 2009
This review is from: Dangerously Innocent (Paperback)
A methodical serial killer is plaguing suburban Sydney. Detectives Luther James and Rochelle Trevelyan have just been called to the scene where the fourth victim has been brutally murdered - decapitated in his own home - while his wife showered. The Slicer murders, as the crimes have been dubbed, seem to be random acts of violence. The only connection is that all of the victims have been men, and all have had a body part (or two) removed with surgical precision.
The first break that the police get is when they discover their seemingly happily married fourth victim was actually being unfaithful to his wife - on a nightly basis. His mistress is a beautiful med student, Marissa Martin, whose life has been littered by one personal tragedy after another. She is seemingly torn up about the sudden and barbaric death of her lover - a man she believed to be the true love of her life. She tells the detectives that the two of them had had a fight the night before the murder, centralizing around the fact that he wanted to disclose his affair to his wife. Marissa suggests that perhaps the police should be taking a closer look at the new widow, as she would have a very clear motive for the crime.
As the investigation continues, red herrings abound. Like any good mystery, pretty much every character is a suspect. And while you may solve half of the riddle, there is a high probability that the other half will keep you guessing until the end.
All in all, Dangerously Innocent was a pretty good read. It had a good plot and was very engaging. However, it was really quite short (only 147 pages), and was laid out in a manner that I found a little confusing. You jumped from different characters points of view with no preamble, and had to take a moment to figure out where you had gone. If I had been publishing the book, I would have either cleaned up the language a little and targeted a young adult audience (think Christopher Pike or R.L. Stein), or added another hundred or so pages and developed the characters a little better. However, for what it was, Dangerously Innocent was a surprisingly satisfying read that would surely be enjoyed by lovers of mystery and horror novels alike. Taking into consideration that this is Nesrine Joseph's debut novel, I feel comfortable giving it a three star rating. If you go into it expecting a short and intense read, you shouldn't be disappointed.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Australian detectives have to find a mutilation murderer, June 9, 2009
This review is from: Dangerously Innocent (Paperback)
Jo Beth Eaton stepped out of the shower, called to her husband, Mitch and received no reply causing her to wrap herself in a towel and start looking for her husband. Instead she found a pool and trail of blood leading into the garage. Detective Senior Sergeant Luther James and his partner, Detective Sergeant Rochelle Trevelyan now looked at a report of another mutilation murder, the murder of Jo Beth's husband. Who could be involved in these torture and mutilation of these victims that had various body parts removed? Thus the two detectives were assigned the case. Four homicides had appeared and there were virtually no clues at any of the sites. Their superiors were getting very aggravated and were starting to "push the button" for the murderers to be found--very fast--before any more occurred.
Suspects were hard to find. Most of them, those possibly connected to the Eaton's through one way or another, came under scrutiny, especially a few that the detectives had personal suspicious feelings about. The investigation continued hard and as fast as possible with legwork, information on all the possible suspects, interviews, and much questioning. As time went on Jo Beth even became a suspect. Rochelle's boy friend, Jude, was suspected too. No person or any clues were left unchecked. Luther had a soft spot for Rochelle but he knew that Jude was in the picture as #1 boyfriend.
The book is well written without going into too much detail that a mystery reader might not enjoy. There is lots of action, all very descriptive. The story takes place in Australia which ads a different twist on police work from most books I have read and gave me the feeling I was there in Sydney with these detectives as they attacked this crime. A very entertaining story.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
Bridget's review, June 2, 2009
This review is from: Dangerously Innocent (Paperback)
There have been several brutal murders in Sydney. Detective Luther James and his partner Rochelle are having a hard time finding any links to the victims. The only commonality of these sadistic acts are that the killers targets have all been male. Is it the wife who left town? Could it be the latest victim's woman on the side? Could it be a jealous ex? Luther and Rochelle aren't sure but they know that if they don't hurry up and find this killer, there will be several more murders. Maybe even their own.
This is a fast paced book that can be read in one sitting. The characters are likable and the writing style flows. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries/detective books.
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