Unforeseen by Nick Pirog, a Mysterious Review.

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.

Unforeseen

A Thomas Prescott Mystery by Nick Pirog