Unsub by Meg Gardiner
is the first in a series, introducing San Francisco detective
Caitlin Hendrix. This clever plot will remind reminders of
the 1990s serial executioner the Zodiac Killer. As with the
real killer the murderer in this series, the Prophet, has
readers looking over their shoulder, becoming more aware of
their surroundings.
As a young child the author remembers, “hearing about
the Zodiac Killer who wreaked terror on the Bay area. The
Zodiac sent dozens of messages to the police and media, including
cryptograms that have never been broken The terror wrought
by the killings still lingers today. I grew up in California,
spooked by the knowledge that the Zodiac could strike at any
time. Today, I’m spooked by the thought that the killer
hasn’t been caught. The Zodiac could still be out there.
And, being a thriller writer, spooky thoughts lead me to spooky
ideas. What if a terrifying cold case turned hot again? What
if a killer who’d disappeared resumed killing decades
later? And what was his motivation: killing for thrills, lusting
for the publicity, and/or trying to gain power over people
by fear.”
It begins with narcotics detective Caitlin Hendrix asked to
join the homicide unit because of who she knows. Twenty years
ago the Prophet terrorized the city and haunted the detective
trying to capture him who also happens to be Caitlin’s
father. Wanting to pick Mack Hendrix’s brain those working
the case feel his daughter would be the best person for the
job. Unfortunately, this “unsub” has returned
with a vengeance. As with her father, he is playing with Caitlin’s
mind, teasing and taunting her. Mack still has regrets about
the one who got away and she is motivated to find the Prophet
and bring him to justice, righting a wrong done to her dad.
Gardiner does a wonderful job exploring the father/daughter
relationship. Although strained it is obvious that they love
and respect one another. He was her role model and inspiration
for becoming a detective. The book quote speaks to the Prophet’s
effect on her family’s life, “The poison that
had cored a hole in her life, marked her as an outsider as
a kid, and driven her to become a police officer.” Emphasizing
that she was not going to destroy her life as it had her dad’s.
Describing the father/daughter relationship as strained, Gardiner
wants to convey that Mack “was her hero growing up yet
she found it very painful to watch him unable to come to grips
with not solving this crime. Because she loved him she wants
to right the things he could not. The Prophet forces them
to reconnect and face their own demons. I put in the book
this quote, ‘Job stays at the station,’ because
she saw how this case broke her dad emotionally, consuming
his life.”
Bringing in astronomy, religion, and book literature made
the story even more potent. It was very interesting how the
author showed Mercury as an element, astrological sign, and
a planet. Caitlin explains, “It depends on what mercury
means to him. Mercury the planet closest to the sun? Or Mercury
the winged messenger-Roman god, guide of souls to the underworld.
Or maybe mercury the chemical element...The only metal that’s
liquid at room temperature.”
Readers will feel their heart beating as they follow the Prophet’s
sadistic nature. Just when they think they have everything
figured out Gardiner will throw in some twists that turn everything
upside down. This plot will get into people’s head and
under their skin so beware to read it during the daytime.
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