Friday, February 15, 2013

Serial Date / D.V. Berkom


Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Thriller

Approximate word count: 60-65,000 words

Availability    
Kindle  US: YES  UK: YES  Nook: YES  Smashwords: YES  Paper: YES
Click on a YES above to go to appropriate page in Amazon, Barnes & Noble, or Smashwords store

Author:

“D.V. Berkom is a Contributing Author for IndiesUnlimited and author of the best-selling Kate Jones Thriller Series … Currently, she lives outside of Seattle, WA with her sweetheart Mark, an ex-chef-turned contractor, and a LOT of rain.”

For more, visit Berkom's website.

Description:

“A retired assassin. A serial killer with a social agenda.

Determined to leave her old life behind, retired assassin Leine Basso accepts a job working security at one of television's most popular reality shows, Serial Date. When a contestant is found dead in the prop closet, it appears the killer is one of the 'bachelors' on the show- an ex-con billed as a serial killer- but the detective in charge of the case isn't so sure.

When Leine's estranged daughter is abducted by a man claiming to be the real killer, she's forced to rely on old skills to find her, and must come to terms with who she really is. She soon realizes the murderer may be a grisly remnant from her past and she'll need to use all of her cunning to stop him... and rescue her daughter.”

Appraisal:

Oh, yes, the dreaded “reality” show. How real are they? At least in the case of the fictional Serial Date, not as real as the producers would like you to think. The male “serial killer” contestants are ex-cons, not the murderers the audience is led to believe, nor is all the action on the show as unscripted and spontaneous as they want you to believe. When a female contestant is killed, the producers have a potential public relations nightmare on their hands.

The premise of this book is a great foundation for a thriller and could be done many different ways. What I most liked about the approach Berkom took is the main character Leine’s relationship with her daughter, and how this drove the story. Early on, it is apparent that Leine has a past that haunts her and has affected the relationship with her adult daughter, but the specifics of this are a bit of a mystery. As the details fill in and tie back to the main story, I found I was drawn that much deeper into the story as Leine’s plight made me care what happened even more, and made for an engrossing read.

FYI:

Some adult language.

Format/Typo Issues:

No significant issues.

Rating: **** Four stars

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