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Tuesday, March 1, 2011
title: The Shepherd
author: Ethan Cross
genre: crime thriller
publish date: available March 16, 2011
pages: 326
source: ARC/sent for review by author
first line: Jim Morgan watched as reflections of the patrol car's flashing lights danced across the front window of the remote gas station.
rated: 4 1/2 out of 5 stars
Marcus Williams and Francis Ackerman Jr. both have a talent for hurting people. Marcus, a former New York City homicide detective, uses his abilities to protect others, while Ackerman uses his gifts to inflict pain and suffering. When both men become unwilling pawns in a conspiracy that reaches to the highest levels of our government, Marcus finds himself in a deadly game of cat and mouse trapped between a twisted psychopath and a vigilante with seemingly unlimited resources. Aided by a rogue FBI agent and the vigilante’s beautiful daughter -a woman with whom he’s quickly falling in love- Marcus must expose the deadly political conspiracy and confront his past while hunting down one of the most cunning and ruthless killers in the world.
When author Ethan Cross contacted me about a possible book review, I jumped at the opportunity. Now, after reading his book, I am very glad I did. The Shepherd is a thrill ride that takes off from page one, with plenty of twists and turns that do not come to a halt until the final page. Once I started reading, I really couldn't put this book down. I found myself reading it while doing everyday things like sitting at my kitchen table having my breakfast or sitting in my car waiting for my kids to get out of school.
About the book:
Marcus Williams is a former NYC homicide detective with a haunted past. After wanting to leave that life behind him, Marcus moves to a small town in Texas where he inherited a ranch from his late aunt.
On his first day in town he meets and helps Maggie, the Sheriff's daughter, out of a dangerous situation. Soon enough he meets the town Sherriff who informs Marcus about a killer on the loose.
There is a serial killer named Francis Ackerman Jr. who has escaped from a mental hospital and has been on a murder spree. Suffering at the hands of his demented father as a child, Ackerman was almost 'trained' to become the monster that he now is.
His latest victim happens to be a woman named Maureen Hill, Marcus' neighbor. When Marcus stumbles upon the gruesome crime scene, he soon becomes a suspect and finds himself having to run for his own life.
What ensues is a hunt for the serial killer with a conspiracy that spreads further than Marcus could possibly have imagined. Marcus does not know who he can trust or if he will be able to stop Ackerman and save innocent people, let alone clear his own name in the process.
The book's storyline goes from Marcus to Ackerman and ends with the two finally facing off, good vs. evil.
I liked Marcus from the get go, he's your everyday good guy. I wanted things to turn out alright for him. He was going through personal struggles due to his past actions and often questioned himself.
Ackerman was very creepy, especially the way he would play mind games with his victims often giving them false hopes of escaping. This is the type of villain that will give you nightmares.
Author Ethan Cross keeps the story going at full speed until the final page. This one has a shock ending that really took me for surprise.
He also creates interesting characters, each with a story of their own and as you read you get a sense of the rhyme and reason behind their actions.
I get a kick out of reading books where the characters visit places or talk about places that I'm familiar with.
Early on in the story, Marcus remembers how he loves the red velvet cupcakes at The Magnolia Bakery in NYC. I giggled at that one, since going to Magnolia's for their awesome cupcakes is my yearly birthday tradition.
Reminiscent of Dean Koontz, who is a favorite of mine, Ethan Cross' writing had me on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. Well written and full of action, I really enjoyed this one.
Highly recommended for fans of this genre or for anyone looking for a thrilling read. The Shepherd is the first book in a series of thrillers. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for the next book in this series.
"We're two sides of the same coin. So you see, Marcus, I am the darkness, but you...you are the light."
p.233, The Shepherd
Special thanks to the author for this opportunity. Stay tuned, author Ethan Cross will be stopping by my blog on March 8th for a guest post!
Visit the author's website here: http://www.ethancross.com/
You can find out more about the author and his book.
