I thought this book was suspenseful and written in a way you could feel the characters.
Read this book you will not be sorry.I can’t wait to read the follow up. An Unsettled grave”.I am new to this site I am happy to have found it.it started a little slow but you will
Turn the pages quickly. ( )

I'm really torn on this book. Really torn.

First the good stuff. I enjoyed the gritty, dark tone throughout the book. There were tiny bits of humor here and there but, for the most part, it was dark like you'd expect a book about serial killers to be. I also liked the author's voice and writing style. There were some more technical things that held me up but I'll get to that next.

The not-so-good stuff got to me more and more as the book went on. One of my big pet-peeves is head hopping. And this book has it in spades. Putting that out there and moving on... I think my biggest problem with this book, though, is Carrie Santero. Her personality didn't seem consistent. She was sometimes portrayed as very naive and at others a tough woman who's been around the block a few times. Her knowledge and experience as a cop feels much more like a brand-new rookie but she's been on the force for four years. And she seems totally unaware of some concepts and common sense things that I would think anyone would know. Just one example is her having to be told that real police don't have the same types of resources/technologies as TV shows. I wouldn't think someone who's been a police officer for four years would need to be told that. One more quick thing - Carrie didn't feel genuinely female to me. And her interactions with her best friend didn't feel genuine either. I know this book was written by a man but I would have been able to tell even if I went into it blindly. That's important to me. I think I would have liked her better had she been a young male cop.

There were plot issues that didn't really feel right either, like a homeless ex-cop/ex-felon who works this case for free to assuage his guilty feelings. And he's working it with the rookie/not-rookie who has a strong family-like bond with two of the latest victims who was assigned as the lead investigator (and only investigator) on the case. The ex-cop states repeatedly that the chief shouldn't have assigned her to the case but there's no valid explanation to justify the assignment. I just don't get it.

So, why the three stars instead of fewer? Because even with all the problems I had while reading, I still wanted to see how it ended up. I sort of grew to care about Rein and wanted to see him experience something positive.

The biggest reason for the higher rating is because of the way the serial killer's motive was handled. I thought this was interesting and I wanted to know a lot more about him. More than what we were given because of the focus on the two cops but I loved what I got of that aspect of the book.

Will I read the sequel? Yeah, I sure will. I want to see if Santero matures into a better cop. I want to see what happens with the survivor from the previous book, and I want to see if Rein is reinstated or just continues to tag along, brooding, and not getting paid. And I also got an ARC from the author which started my whole interest in this series. He's a cold-case solving cop who also seems really nice.

If you don't mind POV changes mid-scene and enjoy dark, sometimes bloody serial killer/cop books, give this one a shot! ( )

A story about detectives written by a detective. In this thrilling start to a new series by Bernard Schaffer, Carrie Santero is a rookie cop who has managed to become a detective in the small town of Pennsylvania where she lives. Carrie has always had a fascination with the criminal mind. When she was a teenager, she wrote a letter to Charles Manson. Now, she faces a killer that is much too much like Manson.

Carrie is facing a child murderer. She is training and has the help of a former detective Jacob Rein. He has had some very dark cases over his career, and although he is no longer a cop, proves to be invaluable with Carrie's first murder case. Carrie's boss, Chief Bill Waylon, is tough but dedicated. When they realize the murderer they are after embodies the worst criminal minds wrapped up in one, Jacob proves to be invaluable to them.

Reading books written by cops are hit or miss for me. In some cases they are far too gruesome. While this book was incredibly intense, with some scenes that will take me a while to forget, there is no doubt that Schaffer's experience shines brightly in his writing. I was definitely captured by the intelligent writing, the case, the mind of the psychopathic killer and the teamwork involved when it came to taking down a brutal killer.

I have the second book in this series, An Unsettled Grave, for review, so I felt impelled to read this title, The Thief of All Light, first. I wanted to get to know Carrie and Jacob Rein. It was good to see how such a young woman could become a detective. It was also good to see how strong and intelligent she is. I have already read the second book and will definitely be following this series. ( )

Buckle your seatbelts , your about to go on a Highly Anticipated Thrilling Ride! Looking for a Cunning Serial Killer you wont soon forget! ( )

Take one small town rookie cop with some outstanding personal baggage, add in another seasoned cop, a damaged former detective and top it all off with a serial killer who idolizes the worst of the worst predecessor serial killers. Bernard Schaffer takes us on a journey into police work, from procedural to personal perspectives. Without overwhelming the details, allowing us to understand the case and yet not get bogged down in facts. The writing was amazing, story flowed with my heart pounding, chills ran down my spine, left me turning the pages madly until I reached the perfect ending. BUY. THIS. BOOK!! ( )