Customer Reviews

The Killing Storm (Sarah Armstrong)

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

 

 

I've just finished reading The Killing Storm as a tropical storm of thunder and lightening grumbles and blitzes its way around me and the skies are dark with torrential rains in SW Florida. I'm glad it's in this setting Kathryn Casey's book draws to an end for me because her story climaxes during a horrendous hurricane that wars demonically against her protagonist, Sarah Armstrong, and seems to work for its psychotic killer. I couldn't have asked for more atmospheric drama!

However, in this case, I didn't need the help of a storm at home to experience her book because Ms Casey had me spellbound and muscle-strained with tension and suspense by itself. She has the ability to create a tightly woven procedural of a kidnapping in which one feels drawn along moment to moment feeling the pressure to find a little boy before he's killed. This atmosphere Kathryn Casey creates is exhilarating and realistic enough with all its symbols, loose gaps and questions.

Sarah Armstrong, the Texas Ranger who is the central figure of Ms Casey's mystery series, is intelligent, driven and womanly. Not your typical pushy and sometimes offensive woman law enforcer, Sarah is a refreshing alternative. I like her strength that comes from competence, self-confidence and a cooperative spirit of equality, a valuable sign of a woman's "coming of age" in a man's world. It stands Kathryn Casey well for the creation of such an admirable and unique character. I loved Sarah's winning ways and was inspired by her leadership and heroics.

Succinct and thorough, highlighted with family, friendships and love interests that make Sarah's life full and compassionate, I grew interested in adjunct characters who aren't over-played but who easily might work into future books. I felt an ominous sense of their safety hanging over The Killing Storm. Her mother, a rancher and bakery owner is also a strong, wise, silver-haired, very capable woman to be admired; and, her early teen-aged daughter is a trooper, too.

Kathryn Casey's years as a non-fiction crime writer (she's published several books in this genre), and magazine writer, are evident in her well disposed novel. She leaves no rock unturned as investigative thought processes form, and she doesn't waste the reader's time by dragging the story on with unnecessary side commentary as if we were novices. Ms C. respects the intelligence of her readers, obviously...another refreshing find in a mystery writer. Some of this ability must come from her writing and researching of non-fiction murders. She understands and conveys the facts at a pace that keeps us wanting more. I believe she understands the psychology and mind of a killer and lets us in on that, too...an altogether enticing and proverbial "edge of the seat" experience.

What more can be said except this novel is one you who love a good mystery will not want to miss, and will want to collect along with your favorite authors. I certainly see Sarah Armstrong's in my future...I'm absolutely reading the first books in this series.

I shudder to draw a comparison for you with another mystery writer. Kathryn Casey is a singular writer whose characters will be read for themselves alone.

5 stars

Deborah/TheBookishDame

FBI special agent David Garrity asks his girlfriend Texas Ranger profiler Lieutenant Sarah Armstrong to help him on a missing child case in which he leans towards the mom Crystal who was supposedly watching her child when he was kidnapped. At a Houston playground, while his parents argued on a cellphone, someone using the missing dog ploy abducted their four years old son, Joey.

As she agrees to assist David, Sarah and Ranger Sergeant George "Buckshot" Fields investigate the horrific decapitation killings of prize-winning bulls; the butcher carves cryptic African etching on the dead hides. While seeking clues in both cases, Hurricane Juanita appears heading for land in the Houston area frightening Sara, who is worried about the safety of her recently widowed mom as the cases take a frightening intertwining.

The third Armstrong police procedural (see Singularity and Blood Lines) is a great thriller as the heroine's personal fear for her mom enhances the prime twin investigative plots. Fast-paced, readers will be hooked from start to finish, but especially when Sarah begins to connect the dots between her two inquiries. Fans will appreciate this strong Texas mystery.

Harriet Klausner

A twisted case has Texas Ranger, Sarah Armstrong, baffled. Someone is murdering longhorn bulls and painting symbols on them. Sarah is almost one of a kind, being a woman in an almost completely male department, not only that, but she is also a profiler. She and her partner Buckshot are trying to find who is murdering the docile bulls and why, but the only leads are the unusual symbols left on the carcasses.
David, an FBI profiler and pseudo boyfriend of Sarah's has his own problems. Someone stole a little boy, four-year-old Joey, from a park as his mother was preoccupied. He brings Sarah in as a consultant and the case haunts her to the point of distraction. She consults on her case with a creepy Dr. Beniot about the symbols and finds some answers but is really left with more questions than answers. The main question always in her mind is who stole Joey!
Their relationship is in limbo while David tries to decide if he wants to continue his relationship with Sarah or return to his ex-wife and help raise his teenage son, but they cannot let that distract them from solving the cases. With an uncooperative mother and a father who is convinced the mother took him, the abduction case is spinning in circles. Ranchers are up in arms about the murder of expensive cattle and impatient to get answers. Added to everyone's stress, there is a hurricane headed straight for them and they need to solve these cases now before all the evidence is destroyed and the cases go cold.
This heart wrenching story will keep you engrossed until the last page and is a must read!
Reviewed by Ashley Wintters for Suspense Magazine

From the book flap- On a quiet afternoon in Houston, 4 year old Joey Warner is playing in a park sandbox when a stranger approaches looking for his runaway dog. While Joey's mom, Crystal, talks on her cell phone, the stranger convinces Joey to help him search. By the time Crystal turns around, her son has disappeared. Yet her reaction is odd, not what one would expect from a distraught mother......Meanwhile, on a cattle ranch outside Houston, Texas Ranger and profiler Sarah Armstrong assesses a symbol left on the hide of a slaughtered longhorn, a figure that dates back to a forgotten era of sugarcane plantations and slavery. Soon, other prize-winning bulls are found butchered on the outskirts of the city, each bearing a new but similar symbol. Before long, the 2 investigations converge at the same time a catastrophic hurrican threatens. One of Sarah's fellow rangers, a close friend, is murdered, and the clock ticks as the storm moves in. If Sarah doesn't act quickly, the child will die. Finally, as dangerous winds and torrential rains pummel the city, Sarah deciphers the clues and is forced to risk her life to save little Joey.

This is a new detective series for me and it is the 3rd in the series. I like the author's writing style. It keeps you on the edge of your seat. The backstory of the impending hurricane, sets the mood of anxiety, anticipation, and the need to find the little boy. The author adds a twist to the normal detective mystery plots that are out there by introcuding the slaughter of prized cattle marked with strang symbols. I couldn't figure out how she was going to possible tie the killing of cattle into the kidnapping of a little boy, but she does it with finesse and ease. There was no awkward transition or explanation. The story flowed smoothly and the 2 cases seamed together quite well. By pulling that off, without leaving the reader feeling confused is quite a feat.

Since this is the 3rd in the series, the author doesn't spend much time on the characters background. For that I intend to read the first 2 in her Sarah Armstrong series. I will also be looking for the next in this series. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I had some idea of who was behind what. 5 star mysteries are the ones where I have no idea of the antagonist I would definitely recommend this to any mystery fan or someone who is looking for a new detective series. Casey is right up there with Tess Gerrittsen, Lisa Gardner, and Laura Lippman.

Kids always have been a key part of this series featuring Texas Ranger and Criminal Profiler Sarah Armstrong written by former true crime writer Kathryn Casey. The same is true from the first page despite the fact that the initial focus is about how the summer heat has lingered on deep into October, Hurricane Juanita is stalled out in the gulf, and somebody has killed a very expensive bull on a ranch outside of Houston in order to send a message.

With a vulture perched above the scene around in an old oak tree as a backdrop, the prize winning longhorn bull is very dead thanks to its head having been obliterated by a shotgun blast. A circle has been drawn around the entire carcass in the red-brown dirt. Additionally, a design of some sort, possibly of African origin, has been painted onto the bull hide in black ink. In a state that prides itself on the cattle industry, this case is important and not just because the value of the bull makes it a felony.

Then there is the missing children case. For months, Sarah Armstrong has thought about two missing children that have never been found. While at the crime scene at the ranch, she is advised of the latest child abduction. The latest missing child, Joey Warner, looks remarkably like the other two missing kids. From the get go, Mom seems to have a different agenda than Law Enforcement and the estranged father and his family is of little help. A missing four year old child means Sarah's romantic interest, FBI agent and fellow criminal profiler David Garrity is front and center involved. While Garrity wants and needs her help to locate the missing boy, he does not have time to talk about where their relationship is going in the wake of a new and unexpected complication. That leaves Sarah to do most of the thinking about it, while working cases and dealing with the expectations of her own mother and her 12 year old daughter, Maggie.

Old timers will tell you, the only way to break a Texas drought is a hurricane. One lurks off shore, over the horizon, stalking the upper Texas coast with a vengeance. It does not take much thought on the reader's behalf to realize that the Hurricane has to hit at the end of the book and imperil everything Sarah holds dear.

A bit clichéd at times, overall the read is a good one despite an ending that will clearly annoy some readers-- myself included. Hurricanes seem to be all the rage these days as a back drop in Texas based novels whether they are written by Texas based authors or not. A notable exception being Tyler resident Milton T. Burton's very good novel, Nights of the Red Moon.

In a book that occasionally shifts into the pov of Joey Warner as well as his twisted kidnapper, the primary focus is the world seen from the viewpoint of Sarah Armstrong. A world where family and innocents take precedent, evil lurks and will lash out and kill in unexpected ways, and things are not often as they seem in the most tranquil of circumstances. Overall a good novel by the Houston area resident and one worthy of your time despite the noted issues.

If you have not read her prior books in this series, I strongly suggest you read them in order. Singularity, published in 2008 was followed by Blood Lines in 2009. Prior events are referenced in The Killing Storm and as such it would be best to read these novels in order.



Material supplied by the Plano, Texas Public Library System.


Kevin R. Tipple © 2011

I had no idea this was the 3rd book of the series until I had done read it so obviously it is a great stand alone story! This was a real fast paced, nail biting, edge of your seat thrill ride! I Loved it!

A young boy goes missing and a huge storm brews and is making its way closer and closer to Houston while some sicko is killing off prized cattle and leaving strange symbols on them. sarah and David join forces to try to find the child with little to no help from the boys parents. Are they involved in the dissapearance? Will they find little Joey before the hurricane hits?

I was really irritated at the family of Joey (the missing little boy). How they could be so cold and unfeeling of a four year old missing with a hurricane coming. The mother was really suspicious and the father acted as though it was no big deal and oh my gawd the fathers parents dont even credit Joey as a member of their family but still how could they be so cold and uncaring of any child that has been stolen and may be dead or lost in a storm? How can folks be so imcompassionate for anothers life especially that of a child?

I am so totally gonna go back and read the first two books of this series! (Singularity and Bloodlines)

All of Kathryn Casey's books should come with a warning sticker. I run a bed and breakfast and have to get up early to help guests. With that said staying up all night reading Kathryn Casey does NOT mix with my job! You will find yourself sneaking a chapter here and there, putting the kid to bed early, whatever it takes to get back to that book to find out what is happening! Don't you love when that happens? When a book is so good you find the characters are in your thoughts when you aren't reading. When you are folding clothes and you think about a character like they are real ppl in your life? Maybe it is Kathryn's true crime writing experience that makes her write fiction so well. When she writes True Crime she has to get the description right because she is dealing with very real people. So when she plunges into fictional writing she already has a knack for putting a character on paper so real you have get attached to them. That's how I feel about Sarah Armstrong. Kathryn Casey has done such a good job writing Sarah, making her so real, that long after the book is over I wonder what Sarah is up to.

A huge hurricane named Juanita is brewing. It is making its way to Houston .

Four year old, Joey was playing at the park with his mother, Crystal. A man walks up to Joey and asks him to help find his lost puppy. Joey goes with the man.

Joey's mother reacts oddly. So what is Crystal hiding and did she have something to do with Joey's disappearance. Joey's father would not put it past Crystal to harm Joey if she saw a way to get lots of money quick. Joey's father is not innocent either.

Texas Ranger and murder profiler, Sarah Armstrong is called out to Josh Braun's ranch. Someone has slaughtered one of his bulls. This case is different then just someone killing an animal. The animal has a weird symbol carved into its body. Soon, Sarah receives more reports of more dead cattle with symbols found on their bodies.

Sarah must piece together both cases and what their connections are to each other before it is too late.

The Killing Storm is the third Sarah Armstrong novel. I really liked Sarah. She is tough and good at her job. She is not afraid to get her hands dirty, which is what a Texas Ranger should be like. The twists and turns through out this book, kept me guessing until the end. The killer in this story made his presence known. This was a good thing as sometimes the killer plays a secondary role.

The Killing Storm is a riveting, nail-biting, edge of your seat read! I am a huge mystery fan but I have to admit that I have never read anything by Kathryn Casey until now. Now that I have found this author, you can bet that I will be checking out more of her books.