Book Review: Into the Black Nowhere by Meg Gardiner
Me & this series are calling it quits.
My Thoughts:
I gave Unsub three 1/2 stars and this one will be getting three minus the 1/2 and I will be stopping with the series right here. It’s just not one for me. Everyone else seems to love it so I think it’s a case of personal taste. And, to be totally honest, I wasn’t really in the mood for it when it arrived in from Overdrive but I plunged in anyway because I had waited so damn long for my turn.
This is book #2 in the Unsub series and follows FBI profiler Caitlin Hendrix as she tracks down a serial killer inspired by true life murderer Ted Bundy. I’ve come to realize recently that I’m not a huge fan of police procedural type books unless the serial killer is given his/her own POV like the most excellent The Fourth Monkey by J.D. Barker. I love getting into their heads and seeing what makes them tick. I think I’m spoiled for all serial killer books now that I’ve read that one. This is my problem and not the fault of this book. This story was told mostly from Caitlin’s POV and while she’s a determined, single-minded, strong woman, she wasn’t the killer and when the killer was caught halfway through the story (are you kidding me?!), my attention began to wane pretty quickly and it just devolved into something that I didn’t like. A supposedly meticulous killer suddenly goes batshit crazy and starts a-killing willy-nilly? Seriously? Nope, that just didn’t work for me.
I listened to the very end but it was only “meh” for me. The narrator Hillary Huber is very professional sounding but I definitely felt as if she were reading to me in many spots (something I didn’t notice in Unsub) and it would pull me out of the story which didn’t help the book go down any easier for me.
Into the Black Nowhere by Meg Gardiner, Narrated by Hillary Huber
Audiobook Thriller
Released January 2018, Unabridged 12 Hours
Amazon ♦ Goodreads
Audiobook Thriller
Released January 2018, Unabridged 12 Hours
Amazon ♦ Goodreads
Inspired by real-life serial killer Ted Bundy, an exhilarating thriller in which FBI profiler Caitlin Hendrix faces off against a charming, merciless serial killer
When five Texas women disappear without trace, each on Saturday nights, the local authorities call in the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit. The newest member of this elite group of criminal profilers, Caitlin Hendrix, is all too familiar with hunting society's most depraved and twisted criminals. She suspects that the women were taken by a highly confident killer who convinces victims to lower their guard so he can gain power over them. But there's no evidence that any of the victims is dead—until a dog drags home a bloody strip of fabric torn from a white baby doll nightgown.
Caitlin and the team find the victim's body deep in the woods, laid out in a white nightie, which she was dressed in after death. Then they find a second victim, also dressed in a white nightgown. Her body is surrounded by Polaroid photos, stuck in the ground like headstones. Each one pictures a woman—some alive and terrified, some dead. A devastating serial killer is at work, and Hendrix will stop at nothing to catch him before his victims pay the ultimate price.
When five Texas women disappear without trace, each on Saturday nights, the local authorities call in the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit. The newest member of this elite group of criminal profilers, Caitlin Hendrix, is all too familiar with hunting society's most depraved and twisted criminals. She suspects that the women were taken by a highly confident killer who convinces victims to lower their guard so he can gain power over them. But there's no evidence that any of the victims is dead—until a dog drags home a bloody strip of fabric torn from a white baby doll nightgown.
Caitlin and the team find the victim's body deep in the woods, laid out in a white nightie, which she was dressed in after death. Then they find a second victim, also dressed in a white nightgown. Her body is surrounded by Polaroid photos, stuck in the ground like headstones. Each one pictures a woman—some alive and terrified, some dead. A devastating serial killer is at work, and Hendrix will stop at nothing to catch him before his victims pay the ultimate price.
I gave Unsub three 1/2 stars and this one will be getting three minus the 1/2 and I will be stopping with the series right here. It’s just not one for me. Everyone else seems to love it so I think it’s a case of personal taste. And, to be totally honest, I wasn’t really in the mood for it when it arrived in from Overdrive but I plunged in anyway because I had waited so damn long for my turn.
This is book #2 in the Unsub series and follows FBI profiler Caitlin Hendrix as she tracks down a serial killer inspired by true life murderer Ted Bundy. I’ve come to realize recently that I’m not a huge fan of police procedural type books unless the serial killer is given his/her own POV like the most excellent The Fourth Monkey by J.D. Barker. I love getting into their heads and seeing what makes them tick. I think I’m spoiled for all serial killer books now that I’ve read that one. This is my problem and not the fault of this book. This story was told mostly from Caitlin’s POV and while she’s a determined, single-minded, strong woman, she wasn’t the killer and when the killer was caught halfway through the story (are you kidding me?!), my attention began to wane pretty quickly and it just devolved into something that I didn’t like. A supposedly meticulous killer suddenly goes batshit crazy and starts a-killing willy-nilly? Seriously? Nope, that just didn’t work for me.
I listened to the very end but it was only “meh” for me. The narrator Hillary Huber is very professional sounding but I definitely felt as if she were reading to me in many spots (something I didn’t notice in Unsub) and it would pull me out of the story which didn’t help the book go down any easier for me.
Books Mentioned in this Post
(click on cover to read my review)
I guess I need to read The Fourth Monkey because it sounds pretty good. I like this series but yea, I found it hard to believe they caught the killer so soon in the book. There are plenty of other things out there to read so if you're not enjoying this one, don't waste your time!
ReplyDeleteYou really should read The Fourth Monkey. I think you'll love it!
DeleteI had downloaded the first one but don't feel greatly enthusiastic about reading it.
ReplyDeleteI'm meh on this series but you never know, you may enjoy it more than I did.
DeleteI hadn't heard of this one but it sure sounds interesting. Just have to add more books to my reading list. lol
ReplyDeleteIt never ends, right?!
DeleteI love when the serial killer/unsub gets their own pov, so I feel you. However, I also like police procedural novels, so this may work better for me. Lovely review!
ReplyDeleteThanks, I hope you enjoy it!
DeleteSorry this one was just a so-so read for you. I'm impressed you stuck it out to the end. :)
ReplyDeleteMe too! I was stuck doing yard work for most of it so that's probably why.
DeleteOh, that's unfortunate. Sometimes a mystery/suspense tends to get dreary that it brings me down.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I need to take a little break from this genre.
DeleteBummer. :( You know, I'm out of the mood most of the time when an audiobook finally makes its way to me on Overdrive.
ReplyDeleteYep. The wait is just too long and when it arrives I'm wanting something else.
DeleteThat's too bad. I am enjoying this series although I liked Unsub better than this one. It doesn't sound like the narration helped this one at all.
ReplyDeleteNo, it really didn't. If the story had grabbed me a bit more I may not have noticed but then again if the narration had been better I may have enjoyed it more . . .
DeleteI think the serial killer genre can be really tricky. Andrew Mayne writes brilliant books from the cop point of view (well, he's not exactly a cop, but he's a brilliant scientist and I learn a lot from his books!)
ReplyDeleteHmmm, I'll have to check him out then and see if he can change my mind!
Deletethis series is a new one to me. Sorry this one didn't do it for ya. I love serial killer books but there are some that just don't make the cut.
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty well received so it may just be me :)
Delete