Savage Art [Paperback]

Danielle Girard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 8, 2000

His name is Leonardo, the most ingenious, and terrifying, serial killer since Hannibal Lecter. Death is his art. Now he's looking to complete his ultimate masterpiece. Her name is Casey....

"Savage Art is a gripping first novel that is not for the faint of heart. Vivid characters and a very scary villain kept me reading until the end."-Phillip Margolin

"Savage Art hits you like a shock of ice-cold water and chills you to the bone. The tension is real, the intensity almost unbearable at times. Danielle Girard knows how to rivet your attention with the very first page and keep you reading all night long. A terrific debut!"-Michael Prescott, author of The Shadow Hunter

"Chilling and suspenseful..Savage Art isn't just about jeopardy, it's also about hope and resourcefulness and perserverance in the face of terror. Girard writes her compelling tale with the authority of a woman who knows what it takes to survive."-Stephen White

"A terrific read, guaranteed to keep you up late."-Lisa Gardner

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Danielle Girard's first novel, Savage Art, is a thriller with a Jeffery Deaveresque twist. Casey McKinley was one of the FBI's most prolific criminal profilers, until she herself fell victim to a serial killer nicknamed Leonardo da Vinci for his horrifically precise scalpel work on still-living victims. Casey survived the attack, deeply shocked and permanently disabled. Two years later, she is a broken woman, having lost her family, her work, and all but the most primitive use of her hands.

Casey's problems have only just begun. Leonardo is obsessed with her and intent upon finishing his job. But he has a roundabout way of proceeding: he selectively murders little girls, ages 5 or 6, whose mothers look just like Casey. This key bit of information is deduced by San Francisco Police Detective Jordan Gray, who, like Casey, is obsessively devoted to catching the killer. Even as Casey and Jordan make steady progress in locating Leonardo, his pace increases rapidly, and Casey is in greater peril as those closest to her become the killer's targets.

Savage Art is a by-the-numbers thriller that delivers all the necessary pieces but little more. Girard explores Casey's psychology in the first half of the book, before the plot demands full narrative attention, and these moments distinguish the novel from others of its kind. Leonardo and Jordan, by contrast, lack anything that would mark them as different from the prototypical monstrous killer and righteous cop. The occasional logical error mars the plot--Casey should know the difference, for example, between a local power outage that blacks out traffic signals and an outage that the killer has rigged to her apartment. These aside, however, Savage Art ratchets up the fear quotient very effectively to keep readers glued to the book through the last page. --Kathi Inman Berens

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Onyx (August 8, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0451409396
• ISBN-13: 978-0451409393
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,840,724 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ten years ago, Danielle decided she wanted to try to write a book. She set out to write something sweet, maybe even romantic, but on page 5, someone got shot and it's been that way ever since.

The Barry-award winning author lives with her husband, who is careful never to lurk in dark corners, and her two children. They split their time between San Francisco and the northern Rockies.

Her next book, THE ROOKIE CLUB, will be released in June 2006.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chilling First Debut, August 19, 2000

By 

Nancy Yim (San Leandro, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Savage Art (Paperback)

SAVAGE ART is the gripping story of Casey McKinley, a top FBI profiler who leaves the agency after almost being the victim of Leonardo, a creepy serial killer she was tracking. Taking her injuries and nightmares and leaving her family behind, she struggles to start a new life in San Francisco. Casey is unwillingly drawn back into the nightmarish game of Leonardo's when he follows her across the country. As before, his art tool of choice is a scalpel but the subjects of his canvas are now children. With the help of Inspector Jordan Gray, it becomes a tense race to catch the very evil Leonardo before he makes Casey his ultimate masterpiece.

Ms. Girard weaves an extraordinarily well-crafted tale of chilling suspense which will have you riveted from the first page to the last. A highly recommended choice for those who don't have a lot of time for reading and a must read for fans of suspense!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great new suspense writer!, February 26, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Savage Art (Paperback)

Savage Art by Danielle Girard is the best suspense book I've read all year. I happened to pick it up when I was in the States last, and now have a new author to add to my favorites. The story was exciting from beginning to end, and is on par with writers like T. Harris, M. Connelly, R. Pearson etc. If you enjoy books by these writers, you will like Savage Art. I'm looking forward to reading the next book by D. Girard!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Thriller, August 9, 2000

By 

Joe Bree (Milwaukee, WI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Savage Art (Paperback)

SAVAGE ART is a clever tale of an ex-FBI profiler, Casey McKinley, who is drawn back into the hunt when the crafty serial killer that scarred her for life resurfaces, this time with children as his target. Danielle Girard does an excellent job of building the story and the characters. This villain made the hair stand up on my neck and had me looking over my shoulder. SAVAGE ART is fast-paced, as the race is on to stop the murders. I missed my bus stop reading this book and give it a high recommendation for those that enjoy intense thrillers. I can't wait for more from Girard.