Unforeseen
A
Thomas Prescott Mystery
Nick
Pirog
Sidewalk Press (Trade Paperback)
ISBN-10: 0-9816135-0-0 (0981613500)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9816135-0-5 (9780981613505)
Publication Date: June 2008
List Price: $12.99
Synopsis (from
the publisher): "Retired" homicide detective Thomas Prescott is
reluctant to read the best selling book Eight in October, a true-crime
thriller based on a string of murders occurring in Maine throughout October of the past
year. After all, it was his case, and he doesn’t need to be
reminded of the gruesome details.
The book dubbed the serial killer, Tristen Grayer, "The MAINEiac."
Grayer is allegedly dead, but only Prescott knows the
truth—Grayer is alive and lurking in the shadows. On October
1st, the anniversary of the first murder, Tristen resurfaces, killing
someone special from Prescott’s past.
Suddenly, it’s déjà vu for
Prescott—except this time—the women closest to him
begin to fall victim at the hands of Grayer. With the help of former
flame, medical examiner Dr. Caitlin Dodds, and Eight in October author,
Alex Tooms, Prescott must race against the clock to stop Tristen from
completing his encore.
Review:
Nick Pirog introduces retired homicide detective Thomas Prescott in Unforeseen, reopening
a case from his past that has suddenly become very personal in the present.
Nick is living with his sister in a home with three sides of the house
surrounded by the Maine woodlands and the back side facing the Atlantic
Ocean. It is an ideal spot for Thomas to keep in shape by swimming in
the ocean, walking along the trails, and jogging or running on the
beach. His life of leisure is brought to a screeching halt when the FBI
enlists his help in searching for a serial killer that had killed eight
women just a year ago and was immortalized in a new bestseller, Eight in October.
It was commonly believed that Thomas had shot the killer on a bluff
where he fell to his death. But Thomas was never sure and now, one year
to the day later, this sadistic killer strikes again. This time he is
closing in on women with whom Thomas had some
previous association, such as an ex-fiancé, a
student, a child, etc. As Thomas and his team begin their search anew,
he wonders, why now? As they find each new murder victim, their search
intensifies, their tempers flare, and their frustration becomes
all-consuming. Will the serial killer complete his task before Thomas
can stop him?
As gruesome as the case is in Unforeseen,
there is a surprising amount of humor here. It's not entirely clear
whether or not Thomas is as funny as he thinks he is, but he tries. And
the plot itself is slickly handled with good pacing and suspense. The
real problem with the book is with Thomas' language which is
unnecessarily crude and derogatory and really detracts from an
otherwise good mystery. What makes this especially surprising is that
the author's dedication preceding the opening chapter is completely at
odds with the character he's created. Some readers, maybe many readers,
will be put off by the language in Unforeseen
and that's truly unfortunate as the book deserves a wider audience.
Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Unforeseen and to Sidewalk Press for providing a copy of the book for this review.
Review Copyright © 2008 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved.
Mysteries in this series ...
Unforeseen
Sidewalk Press (Trade Paperback), June 2008
ISBN-10: 0-9816135-0-0 (0981613500)
ISBN-13: 978-0-9816135-0-5 (9780981613505)
Omnimystery keywords for Unforeseen ...
Location(s) referenced: Maine.