This contemporary thriller gets off to a chilling start as a female district attorney is tortured and murdered in her upscale high-rise apartment. The questions that follow flow one into another. How did the killer get in and out? Was it someone she knew? Was it someone she’d prosecuted? Why did the seemingly meticulous murderer leave something behind—a piece of paper with a well-known quote—and was it a calling card or a clue to the killer’s motive?

The case falls to police detective Griffin Knight, who becomes responsible for answering ostensibly unanswerable questions, running down confusing leads, seeking insights from more experienced officers, and simply putting in the foot leather that every case demands. However, it doesn’t take long before other murders begin to happen that are just too similar to the D.A.’s to be mere coincidence. It looks like a serial killer is on the loose—a killer who may be continuing a cycle that started long ago or copying the method and madness that came before. Griffin has to find out before the body count gets even higher.

In this, author Hernandez’s debut novel, the pace and plot take precedence over extensive character development. The writer moves events along quickly, providing enough information to keep readers knowledgeable about some things but guessing about others. He strategically inserts information regarding heroes and villains while abstaining from broad backstories. An involving narrative is developed via first-person voice from his detective in some chapters and third-person omniscient voice in others. However, this crime chronicle could have benefited from keener editing. At just over seventy pages, this quick read offers the promise of even more Detective Knight tales to come.

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