ARC Review: UNSUB by Meg Gardiner

UNSUB
Author: Meg Gardiner
Series: UNSUB (Book 1)
Publication: Dutton (June 27, 2017)

Description: A riveting psychological thriller inspired by the never-caught Zodiac Killer, about a young detective determined to apprehend the serial murderer who destroyed her family and terrorized a city twenty years earlier.

Caitlin Hendrix has been a Narcotics detective for six months when the killer at the heart of all her childhood nightmares reemerges: the Prophet. An UNSUB—what the FBI calls an unknown subject—the Prophet terrorized the Bay Area in the 1990s and nearly destroyed her father, the lead investigator on the case.

The Prophet’s cryptic messages and mind games drove Detective Mack Hendrix to the brink of madness, and Mack’s failure to solve the series of ritualized murders—eleven seemingly unconnected victims left with the ancient sign for Mercury etched into their flesh—was the final nail in the coffin for a once promising career.

Twenty years later, two bodies are found bearing the haunting signature of the Prophet. Caitlin Hendrix has never escaped the shadow of her father’s failure to protect their city. But now the ruthless madman is killing again and has set his sights on her, threatening to undermine the fragile barrier she rigidly maintains for her own protection, between relentless pursuit and dangerous obsession.

Determined to decipher his twisted messages and stop the carnage, Caitlin ignores her father’s warnings as she draws closer to the killer with each new gruesome murder. Is it a copycat, or can this really be the same Prophet who haunted her childhood? Will Caitlin avoid repeating her father’s mistakes and redeem her family name, or will chasing the Prophet drag her and everyone she loves into the depths of the abyss?

My Thoughts: Caitlin Hendrix a a police detective as was her father. Her father's mind was broken and his career shattered for failing to catch a serial killer. Caitlin had her life changed too. She struggles to keep her work separate from her life so that she doesn't repeat her father's mistakes. But when the serial killer who eluded her father makes his return, Caitlin finds herself in the middle of the investigation.

The story is filled with danger and excitement. It is also filled with twists and turns as Caitlin and the other investigators try to figure our the killer and stop him before he can kill again. The book ramps up the tension as the story goes along and it starts with high tension. The killer has become more daring and more blatant in this series of killings. He also seems to be performing for Caitlin and making her his target.

I enjoyed Caitlin who was a well-drawn character with strengths and flaws. I liked the cast of characters who surrounded her. This was an engaging thriller that was hard to put down. I needed to know who the killer was and if our heroes could manage to stop him.

Favorite Quote:

That was Caitlin: urgent. Even when she stood bone still and guarded her thoughts and hopes -- which was far too much of the time -- she was racing inside, heart pumping, mind turning over like a high-revving engine, eyes gulping a scene.

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from Dutton via NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.