"His eyes fixed on the sword and
started to travel its length, down from the black handle, over the plain hilt
and along the two-inch wide shaft to where it penetrated the young woman’s
mouth."
Detective Superintendent Colm McEvoy is assigned to lead the
investigation. The case swiftly becomes a nightmare as the killer provides
excerpts from “The Rule Book” setting out to commit perfect murders and leaving
business cards with the image of a large black bird. Not surprisingly the
killer is dubbed the Raven.
Examples of the Rules are:
1a. Choose
a victim at random.
1b. Have no prior interaction
with the victim before the kill. They should simply be chosen because they were
in the right place at the right time.
1c. Take no account of age, sex,
looks or any other characteristic in selection.
Master rule: Patterns provide psychological purchase. Avoid
patterns.
The killer makes clear his intention to murder a person a
day for the next 6 days in Dublin
When another murder takes place the next day with equal
precision and skill the police are left desperately scrambling to find the
murderer.
Within the department McEvoy’s superior, Tony Bishop, is
blustering about worried about the image of the police, especially himself, as
they struggle to catch the killer amidst a rapidly growing media frenzy.
Can there be a perfect serial killer? The Raven is wickedly
clever and knows how smart he is with “The Rule Book”.
McEvoy is coping with the recent death of his wife, Maggie,
from cancer. Their 12 year old daughter, Gemma, is providing greater support to
her father than he can muster for her.
Personally he is valiantly attempting to quit smoking.
McEvoy is finding it difficult to be satisfied with his fake cigarette under
the pressure of an investigation drawing media from around the world.
The book is not for the squeamish. While Kitchin does not
dwell on the gore he equally does not shy away from describing torture and
murder. I found the violence graphic while not dominating the plot.
I did grow weary of the constant descriptions of how tired
McEvoy is during the investigation. I am sure all senior police officers are
worn out during a major investigation as they try to balance time spent on the
investigation with their home life.
I would have appreciated some more information about the
officers working with McEvoy. We learn little about them.
I was most impressed by the ending. The conclusion will
never find its way to a Hollywood movie. I did not see
it coming.
It is a good book. I wish it were not so hard to buy in Dublin bookshops. I finally found a used copy. (Dec. 13/12)
Bill, this sounds like a chilling murder mystery and I especially like both the tagline and the opening that makes you want to read this book. One of the surprise elements of crime-fiction is the ending: I like it more when I don’t see it coming, and usually I don’t. I am also curious how police and private detectives balance their personal and professional lives during a particularly gruelling investigation. Thank you for a fine review of Rob Kitchin’s novel, Bill.
ReplyDeleteWho publishes the book, and is it hardcover or softcover?
ReplyDeleteBill - Thanks for the thoughtful review. I agree with you that Kitchin really does a good job of evoking the setting. And those notes really are eerie aren't they? Thanks also for mentioning the violence level. This is definitely not for readers who don't care for gore. That said though, I think you're right in saying that that aspect of it doesn't overpower the story.
ReplyDeletePrashant: Thanks for the comment. I usually cannot predict the ending. In particular, this book caught me by surprise.
ReplyDeleteDr. Evangelicus: The paperback copy I have was published in England by Pen Press.
ReplyDeleteMargot: Thanks for your comment. The quotes from The Rule Book were chilling and frightening.
ReplyDeleteBill, thanks for the review and glad it was mostly a good read. I wrote a short piece for Patti Abbott's blog that discusses a couple of criticisms you mention (http://pattinase.blogspot.ie/2011/08/how-i-came-to-write-this-book-rob.html). It would be nice to be able to go back and do a quick redrafting of some aspects of the story. A lot of people really dislike the ending. It was a compromise; my original ending I think would have annoyed even more people! Personally, I wish I had stuck to my guns for the original ending but at least the compromise worked for you.
ReplyDeleteRob: Thank you for your thoughtful comment. Your remarks on the ending are intriguing. I enjoyed reading your post on Patti Abbott's blog. I wish it were possible to have a discussion about the ending but I would never want to spoil the book for new readers. Maybe there will come a time or an event at which you could tell me of the original you wrote for The Rule Book.
ReplyDelete