Customer Reviews

Killing Red

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Kenneth Lee Grubb kidnapped and killed nine children he believed were demons and also sanctioned by God's blessing needed to send back to hell. Only Annie Sykes escaped his execution; she gave the police his description and directions to his home. He was caught, tried and convicted to die.

Reporter Alex Chapa covered the gruesome story for the Tri-Cities Bulletin fifteen years ago. That story gave him recognition that led to his current position with the more prestigious Chicago Record. Six days before the State executes him, Grubb calls Chapa inviting him to interview him. In between his boasts of being a weapon for the good of mankind, he informs him that a copy cat serial killer is repeating his murders; only this predator plans to finish the job he failed to complete, killing "Red" as he calls Sykes. Alex quickly learns there are nine people dead as homage by someone to Grubb. Chapa vows to find and keep Annie safe not fully understanding the devilish scheme of Grubb's "protégé".

Readers will enjoy Henry Perez's strong first tale because the key characters come across as real. Grubb especially is a fascinating antagonist in a macabre sense as he invokes the need to be rid of demons for killing the children. Alex is a solid reporter, but proves he is made of the right stuff as he follows up on Grubb's rant risking his life to keep a woman he does not know outside of her childhood testimony safe. Fast-paced from the onset, readers will enjoy this action-packed riveting thriller as murder is done in the name of getting rid of demons that look like children.

Harriet Klausner

This book grabbed me by the throat. I devoured its 400 pages in four readings, which is a new indoor record for me. Killing Red has, shall I say, the bones of a great thriller: troubled hero, damsel in distress, black-hearted central villain and a cast of characters every bit as colorful as "The Usual Suspects."

Henry Perez adds to this mix great pacing and true suspense. I didn't see the last turn coming but it's a good one. This book surprised throughout with its humanism, humor and whodunit twists.

Beyond that, Perez's treatment of his protagonist is first-rate. I really care about this guy and his all-too-real human weaknesses. Reporter Alex Chapa may have been born in Cuba but his willingness to take on his own dark past in his search for redemption makes him as 100% American as Rick Blaine.

Somebody wants to kill Red but you just have the sense that ain't gonna happen on Alex Chapa's watch, even if he has no idea how he'll stop them. He's smart, resourceful and relentless, his brain and his heart his best weapons against the array of dark forces around him.

I am definitely looking forward to another round of drinks at Prather's while I read Alex's next adventure. Hope it's soon.

Liked:

I enjoyed the plot and the writing style was very good.

Chapa is an interesting protagonist. I've always enjoyed books where the 'hero' has his own faults and is not invincible.

The ending was fascinating and unpredictable.

Disliked:

In the first quarter of the book, there is a lot of repetition with switiching of viewpoints, much of which I felt was unnecessary to the storyline.

The middle of the book dragged quite a bit, bogging the reader down with unnecessary scenes.

Overall:

An interesting read which mystery/thriller readers will enjoy.

Length: Full Novel

Rating: PG-13 for mild violence. (The author did a great job of not trying to 'shock' readers with blood and gore.)

Alex Chapa is a veteran newspaper reporter struggling with the end of the newspaper era and of his own family. He is covering the upcoming execution of Kenneth Lee Grubb, serial killer of "demon" children on a self-proclaimed mission from God. The story of the capture and arrest of Grubb following the escape of a girl named Annie Sykes sixteen years ago made Alex's career.

Now Grubb has requested an interview with Alex, to reveal that he has a copycat who is paying tribute to him by continuing his "mission", including making sure that Annie (whom Grubb called "Red") is finally dead.

As Alex tries to juggle finding Annie in time to save her and breaking what could be a career-saving story, he realizes that not only is Annie in danger, but others as well.

As I read Killing Red, I found it hard to believe that it was a debut effort. The maturity of writing and the very deft touch with a turn of phrase seemed to be far beyond that of a first-time author. Description is handled adroitly - enough to be vivid, not so much that it drowns out the story. The plot moves quite well and the characters are well-drawn and dimensional. Stylistically, I was reminded in a way of early Patterson (think Along Came a Spider or Cat and Mouse). If a suspense thriller is your kind of book - Henry Perez may well turn out to be an author lining your shelf in the future.

First-time author Henry Perez writes like an old pro. Killing Red moves at a brisk clip, and there are plenty of surprises along the way. It's got an original protagonist, scary villians, and nice descriptions that always enhance the story, never impede it. The suspense never lags. I look forward to the next Henry Perez novel.

I read Mourn the Living first, and had to hurry and download Killing Red. Both books were terrific. I will be anxiously waiting for his next one!

I found this a very fast read because I couldn't put it down. Great to see such good work from a new author. Can't wait for more. Laura

This book got me right away and it held me. I often lose interest in the middle part of a mystery but the momentum here kept me. The story line is realistic and at time even disturbing but it kept me locked in until the end.

I had heard about this book months ago and when I got it I went through it in two sittings--something I never do. A fresh, no-cliche take on the mystery.

A reporter in the Chicago area, Henry Perez has published a number of short stories and now makes his debut as a novelist with KILLING RED, a tale that promises great things and fulfills them.

The book begins with the arrest of Kenneth Lee Grubb, who is responsible for the kidnappings and deaths of several children. The instrument of his capture is 10-year-old Annie Sykes, who escaped from his deathtrap and lived to tell the tale. Years later, Grubb is about to face the ultimate justice for his grisly deeds. His last wish before his execution is to be interviewed by Alex Chapa, a Chicago newspaper reporter who cemented his reputation by breaking the story on Sykes's escape and Grubb's imprisonment. His request is fulfilled, and six days before his execution, Chapa interviews him in a room on Joliet Prison's death row. What is expected to be a newsworthy but ultimately routine interview explodes when Grubb hints to Chapa that someone on the outside is finishing his unfinished business --- "completing the circle," in Grubb's words --- through a series of murders as a tribute to him. The last victim will be Sykes herself, the girl Grubb has nicknamed "Red," who will be murdered just prior to his scheduled execution.

The revelation sends Chapa on a frantic investigation to find Sykes before the unknown killer can. This is a difficult task, rendered more so by the fact that Sykes, now an adult, is trying to put her traumatic past behind her; she has changed her name and location to dissociate herself from the evil that has been done to her. Chapa has assistance, the most formidable being that of Joseph Andrews, an FBI agent with whom he has a longstanding if unlikely friendship. Chapa's greatest asset, though, is his dogged determination and well-developed reporter's instinct for honing in on information. Luck, intuition and plain old hard work lead Chapa to Sykes, who has a prickly relationship with him due to his reporting of her original abduction years before. But Sykes is in terrible danger, and Chapa finds himself in a race against time to save her from a terrible fate that she narrowly avoided years before.

The plot races right along, and is well-supported by interesting characterization and secondary plot situations. While Chapa is constantly at loose ends and a fashion disaster, Andrews is organized at right angles and is the picture of sartorial splendor. The exchanges between the two friends are by turns instructive and entertaining. Given that Chapa is not a tough guy, he nonetheless does not hesitate to interject himself into a dangerous situation when called upon to stand up and be counted, so that on at least one occasion he needs Andrews to function as a de facto deus ex machina to pull him out of a troublesome sling. The subtle threat of the loss of Chapa's job due to downsizing also provides a real-world subplot to the book, with Chapa dodging a meeting with his editor even as he pursues a deadly killer. In addition, Chapa is coping with the apparent estrangement of his beloved daughter, who is living with his ex-wife in Boston. Dealing with multiple pressures, he utilizes the strengths that he has to become a quietly inspiring protagonist on a dangerous quest.

Along the way, Perez will really push your fear buttons, particularly if you are claustrophobic or acrophobic. He begins the novel with an account of 10-year-old Annie Sykes being buried alive and left to die; if you don't feel the walls closing in on you while you're reading this, you should check your pulse. And near the end, Chapa performs a daring feat by breaking into a seventh floor apartment through an outside window. I somehow managed to read the passage with my eyes closed. But I won't be getting on a stepladder anytime soon.

KILLING RED is more than a promising debut; it is a signpost of an author to watch and follow, as he keeps raising his own bar with successive novels.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

Killing Red is a fantastic debut thriller. It has everything you'd want in a story to capture and hold your attention until the end. From his witty banter with FBI agent Andrews to his tender caring of his daughter, reporter Alex Chapa is as real a character as you will find. His determination to find and save "Red" keeps you rooting for him all the way. This is one action-packed, fast-paced read and is just plain fun! I for one can't wait for another book from Mr. Perez.