Blood Echo
is the second in a series about a sometimes-super human who
pursues serial killers. These books are not the typical straightforward
thrillers but do have some traces of sci-fi aspects. As a
victim herself, Charlotte "Charley" Rowe wants justice
and vengeance against those who perpetrate violence by working
closely with the CEO of a pharmaceutical company, Cole Graydon.
"I wrote Charley as Confidant and determined. I did not
want to write her as the female Incredible Hulk. The drug
she takes to give her superpowers only lasts for three hours,
after that she returns to a sense of normalcy. She questions
when she should take the drug, how to use the power it unleashes,
and should she take it? I do embrace when people make the
comic book comparison. I would compare it to the Avenger series
that has deeply human relationships. There is also an organization
that has no bounds."
The book opens with intense action. Charley
is pursuing a serial killer, and after capturing her prey,
she returns to Altamira California to rest and meet up with
her friends and lover. But her peaceful R & R is interrupted
when it becomes obvious something sinister is happening. The
girlfriend of one of the town's richest developers is accused
of criminal activity. A vast and explosive criminal conspiracy
is developing in Altamira. As the fate of Charlotte’s
hometown hangs in the balance, and everyone she cares about
is in danger, she has no choice but to use her powers to go
after the bad guys.
Anyone who has not read the first book might
want to in order to understand the back story. Charlotte was
kidnapped and raised by serial killers until she was rescued.
Known for being “The Burning Girl,” she has no
peace and quiet. She has become an experiment, gaining superpower
strength after taking the drugZypraxon. This enables her to
go after the evil doers, ending their violence. Knowing she
can literally rip someone to pieces, she tries to control
it, preferring to capture and have them punished than to kill
them.
Rice noted, "I think many of the jailhouse
interviews were based on lies. Ted Bundy tried to blame pornography
for his actions. The term for this kind of argument is "mistaking
correlation for cause ability." As a writer, I like to
speculate on what really makes a monster tick. I read a book
about the Night Stalker, Richard Ramirez, who killed a lot
of people in a short period of time. Right after his arrest,
he told how he waited until 2 AM because people were asleep.
He did not have the attitude ‘I am a victim,' and did
not commit these crimes because he thought of himself as a
victim. I think the reasons for killing are simplistic, like
a Great White Shark. I am more interested in the survivors
than the killers. This includes Charley's world. She and the
developer of the drug, Dylan aka Noah, now have a sense of
rage. They feel there will never be closure when someone close
is taken away by a murderer. These survivors are working their
way out of the darkness created by the killer.”
The author writes these cast of characters
as very complex and unique. It is a fascinating read where
people will not want to put the book down.
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