Killing Season audiobook

The Killing Season. May I give it more stars? I have enjoyed Faye Kellerman's novels since her very first. As all series do - they became formulaic and I think she may have thought this too. She left behind her Decker books and went to a place she knows well. New Mexico. And in this setting between Santa Fe and Albuquerque she created one of the most polished and beautifully written novel/thrillers in her career. It was big - over six hundred pages and it was dense and it was her best - one of the best I have read in years. The plot never lost hold of the story or its people. The characters were visible and alive and the conclusion was held closely until nearly the end. Crossing genres of thrillers, mystery, cross cultural families and terror she created a book I shall remember for a long time. She did not so much as raise any bar - she created her own and jumped high - very high. The Kellermans write. So far two of their children have joined them and they have had their ups and downs (The Golems were marvellous) but as they mature and/or collaborate it becomes evident that together or separately this family has much more to say and I look forward, especially to Faye Kellerman, saying much more.

Faye Kellerman is BACK! I was a fan of the Decker/Lazarus books for years, but the last few have been dull. It felt like Faye was as bored with them as I was. I didn't even finish the last one. HOWEVER. Killing Season has nothing to do with the Deckers, and it is fresh and exciting and...just great. So much suspense! It's 700 pages long, but I read it in a few days because I couldn't stop. Highly recommended!

I'm honestly torn about the rating for this book. 75% of the book is solidly 4 stars; the mystery is compelling and the main character is (mostly) likeable, if occasionally a little bit overbearingly chivalrous. The romance between Ben and Ro is necessary for character development BUT... this is where I'm torn. There's TOO much of the relationship stuff. It goes into way too much detail. I feel highly uncomfortable reading about detailed, nearly pornographic sex scenes between TWO UNDERAGE CHILDREN. Not that I think that never happens or that I disapprove of teenagers having responsible sex, just that I, as a 38 year old woman, do not want to read that much detail about two kids getting their rocks off. I do, however, feel that Kellerman nailed (HAHA) most of her teenage boy characters - they were all spoiled white boy douchecanoes and exactly what is wrong with the world. So... good job I guess? ANYWAY. Besides the teenage relationship stuff, I actually really enjoyed the story and felt like it was properly suspenseful. I'm giving it 4 stars with a caveat that at times it falls to 3 stars and on occasion, 1 star. But not often enough to ruin the story or make me feel like giving up on the book.

Interesting how the police and teachers and adults got to appreciate Ben's intellect and OCD. The characters were complex, and the mystery kept me in suspense.

3.5

Fast paced and a real thriller with a perfect sprinkling of angst, sex and romance!

Four years ago in the quiet town of Remez, New Mexico 15 year old Ellen Vicksburg went missing. her younger brother Ben could imagine nothing worse than not knowing until the first anniversary of her death and he found her body in a shallow grave by the rivers edge Ben now is 17 and he is committed to finding the monster who killed her.Police believe that she was the victim of a psychopathic monster known as the Demon.Ben a math geek to smart for high school classes pours over evidence at the local policeprecinct. He gains an ally in the schools most popular new girl Ro Majors. With his analytical mind he sees clues that do not fit, tiny threads that he adds to clues from other unsolved murders . As the body count rises a picture emerges showing an adversarywho is cunning and methodical. At first the police view Ben's investigation with suspicionand it soon marks him as a threat. But the truth may not be enough to keep Ben and thosehe loves from a relentless killer who has nothing to lose. Faye Kellerman is a fine writer who writes with a free and easy to follow style. This is one of her better ones and I gave it a 4.

Very good book. Describes high school life and one teenager with the help of another teenager solving 4 murders. Mixed up love triangles of 17 year olds. Ending implies the hero of the story will get together with a younger sibling's friend. Sounds like he could be doing this as he is sorry for her.

Benjamin Vicksburg, "Vicks" to his friends is obsessed with finding the serial killer who murdered his older sister three years ago. When Dorothy moves to town she befriends Vicks while dating the BMOC John David "JD". When Dorothy breaks up with JD, her and Vicks hook up for awhile, but when she thinks he forgot Valentines she falls back into JD's arms. Vicks is totally disgusted with her and in an effort to make things up to him Dorothy gets a job working at a lodge that offers discounts to people who work in the government labs in the area, as Vicks suspects the killer does. She uses her job to print out reams of data on the guest and then she and Vicks narrow down the suspect list.But while Vicks is zeroing in on the killer the killer is stalking Ben's sister Haley and her best friend Lily. Which one will be his victim and will Ben be able to save her.

The kids smart. I’ll give him that. Interesting through out. Kids seem older than they should be.

Phenomenal read! I didn't want to put it down

Another great thriller and hard to put down.

Good book,but it took me forever to read,it’s quite big & I thought it was a little repetitious at times.

I couldn't put this book down in large part due to how the characters truly came to life. I fell a little in love with our high school hero who is desperate to find his sister's killer. Ben was changed. He forgot to be a child and a teenager. He had become an old soul that actually made me, an adult, wonder if I still had some growing up to do. Ben with the help of new girl Ro zeros in on his prey. It's a fine ride filled more with interesting characters and complicated relationships that suck you in to the very end.

I should confess that I used to be a fan and then the ‘book a year’ made Kellerman’s stories seem forced and flat so I stopped reading. I picked this off the library shelf an was happily surprised. At 695 pages, the editor should have taken a more active role in the job but it’s a good story. 3 years ago Ellen Vicksburg was murdered and her younger brother Ben was the one who found the body in a carefully dug grave. Now Ben is a geeky nerdy senior in high school who is obsessed with the promise he made to catch his sister;s killer. The most popular girl is school is going with the guy one was a friend but is now the football hero popular stereotype that has little in common with a weird kid like Ben. His parents have been bludgeoned with their grief, his younger sister and her best friend are the only people he seems to hav a relationship with and the detective in charge of his sister’s case can’t keep Ben out of his office. But relationships develop. The book explores loss on a family - especially the kids. Been can’t help his single mindedness - and it works both for him and against him. You root for him and worry for him as well. While there is an adult voice (of the author) that informs the teens, you can still believe that they are smart enough to figure the things out that they figure out. The parents are almost peripheral until the end - and while that might make sense from a teens point of view in friction - I’m not sure it makes sense practically. It’s a compelling story well told. I noticed that it’s 1 of 3 so while I’m interested to see what happens next - I’m also kind of disappointed that it’s another series.