Diary of a Serial Killer [Mass Market Paperback]

Ed Gaffney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 27, 2007

For defense attorneys Zack Wilson and Terry Tallach, time is precious. Not just because they’re paid by the hour. Or because their careers have taken off after a succession of high-profile cases. Or because a baffling, shocking serial murder case is threatening to tear Zack’s family apart. For these two lawyers, time is precious because they have just walked into the wrong courtroom at the wrong time, where a man is shooting a gun into a crowd that includes Zack’s innocent young son.

But until the last second, there’s hope. While a woman detective desperately races through the city streets to stop a sadistic serial killer, while a puzzle of lies, madness, and brutal manipulation comes together, two men are out of time—for everything but the truth....

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Gaffney's latest installment in the exploits of defense attorneys Zach Wilson and Terry Tallach manages to make good on the promise of its explosive opening—no small task, as page one finds Zach with mere seconds to save a crowded courtroom—including his seven-year-old son—from the scattered shots of a raving gunman. As time ticks down in short snippets, lengthy flashbacks depict the hunt for a newly resurfaced serial killer thought imprisoned decades ago. While Zach and partner Terry investigate the convict originally held responsible for the crimes, a former suspect and his daughter cope with the media spotlight, retrained on them following the new round of killings, and what may be the watchful gaze of the killer himself. Despite some bland dialogue and generic, B-movie-ready characters—wise-cracking buddy lawyers, a riddling serial killer, an enigmatic crime boss—Gaffney jerks the plot in enough different directions to keep readers alert and entertained. In addition, Gaffney's dry wit and willingness to make light of his more absurd plot twists keep this over-the-top stunner afloat when it threatens to capsize. The legal thriller equivalent of a James Bond flick, this guilty pleasure is best enjoyed with the more discerning half of the brain turned off and the adrenaline turned all the way up. (Apr.)
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Review

“The legal thriller equivalent of a James Bond flick.”—Publishers Weekly

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Dell (March 27, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0440243734
• ISBN-13: 978-0440243731
• Product Dimensions: 4.4 x 1 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,304,642 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fine thriller, March 30, 2007

By 

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

This review is from: Diary of a Serial Killer (Mass Market Paperback)

Twenty years ago Alan Lombardo, accountant to the mob boss George Heinrich, was convicted of killing nine people. He swore he was innocent, but nobody believed him. Now after two decades in jail, he hires law partners Zack Wilson and Terry Tallach to find a loophole that will get him a new trial. They reluctantly take the case. They think they have found an opening when they learn who originally defended the convicted CPA; as Zach's father was on two payrolls with Alan and Heinrich both paying him. His father, now a respected judge, could get disbarred if his conflict of interest goes public.

Complicating their ethics dilemma is that the attorneys begin to believe their client is innocent even before a serial killer begins a series of murdering using the same MO as the Springfield Shooter did. The pinky of each victim is cut off and the phrase "Welcome to my World" is left with each victim. That information was never made public. Back then the police barely looked at author Malcolm Ayers as their serial killer because Lombardo fit so perfectly; however evidence points towards him being the "Eternally Yours" killer except lead detective Vera Demopoulos has doubts as everything is to simply perfect making her wonder about a frame, but proving it without dying is quite a task.

DIARY OF A SERIAL KILLER is appropriate titled because it was Lombardo's journal that ultimately convicted him. Readers will feel sorry for the mild-mannered obsessive-compulsive convict who does not come across as a psychopath. The cat and mouse game between the cop and the killer will fascinate the audience who will obsess over deciphering clues from the present. Ed Gaffney has a hit series with this fine thriller as an indication.

Harriet Klausner

5.0 out of 5 stars Completely drew me in, January 13, 2011

By 

capo4sg (AL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diary of a Serial Killer (Kindle Edition)

"Diary" did draw me in during the first few pages and I was hooked. It is one of the few books I've read in this genre, that was thoughtful and intelligently written. I was captivated.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I couldn't put it down, July 8, 2007

By 

Glen More (Montgomery County, Maryland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Diary of a Serial Killer (Mass Market Paperback)

I'm not usually much for this genre, but once I read the first several pages, I found myself concerned about these people, so then it literally became impossible for me to put the book down until it was over. I'm exhausted. Great read. Should be a movie.