Customer Reviews

The Inquisitor

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

 

 

Former Army Ranger Sean Murphy has never been able to forgive himself for not protecting his sister Makaela, who was a victim of the notorious "Inquisitor" serial killer. When he catches a psychologist in a TV interview discussing what could cause a person to become a serial killer, he thinks that she has appeared sympathetic to the killer and will be her next victim. Sean warns Jenna, who ignores his safety warnings. Sean decides that the best way to catch the madman is to follow Jenna and let her lead him to the killer. He doesn't count on developing feelings for her, particularly when they are forced into close quarters when the killer starts closing in on her. Will Sean be able to still catch his man and keep his new lover safe?

I'm on the fence here. While I liked the story, I guessed the identity relatively early on, and was surprised that after numerous years and victims and a huge task force, the killer eluded capture yet was so easily caught in the end, with barely a passing mention of the motivations of his crimes. However, I liked how Wilson made Sean and the killer diametrical opposites, given the similar backgrounds (both raised in abusive homes), and thought it added to the depth of Sean's character. I guess for a romantic suspense, I just expected a little more... suspense.

This book combines realistic romance with an intriguing psychological thriller storyline, not an easy task. The main characters, both hero and heroine are well-developed, strong, independent individuals who create both sparks and strength when their paths collide. Additionally, the worlds of mental health practice, psychology, and forensics are portrayed quite accurately, which is very unusual in books, television, and film. It's nice to see a book where the author has got all of the key elements together. This book is a great read!

You want suspense? You want mystery? Toe Tingling Terror?

How can a man be driven to brutalize a woman and enjoy her pleas for help?
Only the Inquisitor can answer that.
Three years ago, ex-army Ranger Sean Murphy, lost his sister to this killer. Now he is responsible for her son and daughter. He is burning with hatred, for revenge because the authorities are no-where near solving the puzzle of this killer.

The only way Makaela's children will be safe is if Sean can stop him. His guilt for not being there when she needed him was a driving factor.

Now, even though he didn't want to reveal himself, he was compelled to warn Dr. Jenna Kincaid that she had just exposed herself to the attentions of a serial killer. She is so naive she just can't see herself in any danger.

The writing in the dirt of her car gave her a heart-stopping jolt. Was Sean responsible, trying to scare her, or had the killer been near the car?
Suddenly we are presented with suspects without any real known involvment being shown. I really wondered about Paul, but then he appeared to be too prominent.

According to Bingham, Murphy was 38 when his sister was murdered, now about 41 [good age for a mature guy]. Jenna is 34 [a spinster who has have a few affairs?] Waste of their lives.
Bingham, head of the investigation in Birmingham, is not convinced that Jenna is in any real danger. Or maybe, is it that Sean wants to use her as bait.

Then strange things begin to happen - leaves you wondering if the killer has turned his attention onto Sean? The Inquisitor seems bent on proving that they are all vulnerable to him.
The only boring spot was when [in the middle of these problems] they decide to crawl into bed.

The plot is well worth reading - the characters pretty good [even they though they hide behind their background experiences.]
What's wrong with these squeamish woman who are afraid to handle guns? Only in understanding the gun can you be safe with one.

Definitely Recommended --M

Overall a good story, easy to read and fast-paced. However, I found a few of the characters lacking in depth. We're told that the bad guy - "The Inquisitor" - does horrible things to his victims but this is only vaguely touched upon. We never learn much about him or what drives him. Jenna, one of the lead characters, seems to have had problems relating to men in her past, though we never learn why or if that is even true. The story seems to glide on the surface, without ever digging too deeply.

A major distraction for me was the author's use of the word obvious (or obviously). At times it would appear twice on one page, for five or six pages at a time. It became so distracting that I found myself counting how many times the word appeared.

The plot is interesting. Sean, the lead male character, is well developed. This is one of those light reads that doesn't require a lot of commitment for the reader.

I didn't like this book. I realize that I have started it previously and read about 50 pages and put it down. this time I read about 130 pages, then jumped to the last 70, and didn't feel compelled to go back and read how I got there. And I just didn't care enough about either Jenna the psychologist, or Sean, the tortured ranger who is out to avenge his sister. Neither of them felt particularly three dimensional to me, and the crime and villian wasn't anything special either.

Gayle Wilson started out as a straight romance writer (I'm not familiar with her there either) but she shows the weakness that I feel a lot of romance writers do when they cross into thrillers - their mystery segment isn't strong enough but it does manage to dilute their romance component, so the whole thing feels half baked. At least that's how it felt to me. I won't be looking for more of her thrillers.

This book was awful. Starts out good...then NOTHING!!! No details given for anything. Skips all the good stuff thats in thrillers.It didnt even explain the motive of killer.Oh and lets not leave out the 10 page love scene, like I cared. If your reading this you need to put it down and pick up something else.You'll thank me later.

this wasn't a bad book at all... it had suspense and romance all in one. the plot and writing were both pretty good. the problem i had was with the characters. i liked both the main characters ok, but never really fell in love with them.

the problem i have with sean is that he is too focused on the killer. he is responsible for two children, yet he has no problem spending all this time away from them - don't get me wrong, he has a right to be focused on finding this killer but at the same time, at what point do you have to look to your other responsibilities? the other problem i had with him went along with that and it was that he played by his own rules with little regard for anyone else - the children, jenna or the other cops working the case - the only thing he cared about was his vengance. i think that is what bothered me more than anything, was that he just wanted to kill this guy - more than he even wanted to take care of the kids or anything else... basically he didn't care who else he hurt as long as he got what he wanted. however, he does seem to change some in the end and come around to care for more than just his personal vengance.

as for jenna, she is an ok character, but unremarkable for the most part. we don't get to really know her that much in my opinion - we don't really find out what makes her tick or what her past was like. she seemed kind of underdeveloped in my opinion. this is true for sean as well - all we see of him is his desire for vengance.

my recomendation is to try sacred sins by nora roberts if you want a serial killer/psychologist/cop story - it is much more focused on the characters in my opinion. that being said, this isn't a bad book and is a decent read.

The police from several jurisdictions, state bureaus of investigation and the FBI are totally baffled by the serial killed dubbed The Inquisitor. In Birmingham, three recently killed females are victims of The Inquisitor and the authorities fear is more will follow as his count is at least a dozen in several states with no clues as his calling card.

On a Birmingham TV show, psychologist Dr. Jenna Kincaid of Carlisle, Levitt and Connor, the largest mental health provider in the area, provides general insight into the mind of a sociopath killer like the Inquisitor while explaining she is not a profiler. Watching the show is former Ranger Sean Murphy who tracks the cold murderer seeking vengeance for killing his sister. He realizes Jenna fits the Inquisitor's profile of victims. His gut says his adversary also watched her perform and has targeted her. Sean plans to use Jenna whether she likes it or not as bait; though he will try to keep her alive, collateral damage occurs. He never expected to fall in love with his sacrifice.

Though serial killers are the in crowd in romantic suspense, Gayle Wilson provides a brisk original tale because of Sean's plan to use and discard Jenna to catch and kill the culprit. The story line is filled with plenty of action, but driven by the changing relationship between the lead couple. Sub-genre fans will gain immense pleasure with Ms. Wilson's refreshing take on the serial kill romance.

Harriet Klausner

I thought this was a great book. I loved the tension between the hero and heroine and I could really see a man driven to this point by his sense of responsibility to an only sister, who was the only family he had.

Sean Murphy is a former army Ranger, he has been seeking the seriel killer, who murdered and tortured his sister, for the last three years. Now a tip has led him to Birmingham. Two women have been murdered in the same way. This is the closest he has gotten to the killer and he is determined to find him this time.

Dr. Jenna Kincaid gives an off the cuff interview, in which she gives what sounds like an excuse for the killer. Now her life is suddenly turned around by Sean, who feels she has directed the killers attention to her. Sean is suddenly everywhere she goes and she feels very uncomfortable, like she is being stalked. It is only when the killer makes contact with her that she knows Sean may be her only hope in staying alive.

Although Sean fights to only see Jenna as a means to an end, he finds himself liking her gutsy attitude. But Sean and his sister came from a poor family and Jenna has always had the best. In his sights, never the twain shall meet.

Jenna finds herself admiring his devotion to his sister and her family. The man is quite physically attractive too. But right now all she wants is her life back and to feel safe once again. The worst thing is that the killer is closer than she thinks. And he is enjoying the chase and the game with Sean alittle to much to quit now.

I really enjoyed it.