A Killer's Mind by Mike Omer Series: Zoe Bentley Mystery
Published by Thomas & Mercer on August 1, 2018
Genres: Mystery
Pages: 370
Format: eBook
Source: Purchased
Goodreads
Amazon, Audible
Three Chicago women have been found strangled, embalmed, and posed as if still alive. Doubting the findings of the local PD’s profiler, The FBI calls on forensic psychologist Zoe Bentley to investigate.
Zoe quickly gets off on the wrong foot with her new partner, Special Agent Tatum Gray. Zoe’s a hunter, intense and focused; Tatum’s a smug maverick with little respect for the rules. Together, they must descend into a serial killer’s psyche and untangle his twisted fantasies, or more women will die. But when the contents of three inconspicuous envelopes reveal a chilling connection to gruesome murders from Zoe’s childhood, suddenly the hunter becomes the hunted.
A Killer’s Mind is a book I got as a Prime member in their Kindle First program. I generally seem to chose mysteries, action or thriller, or suspense stories. Zoe is a forensic psychologist consultant to the FBI and works with their agents. She is currently based at the BAU near Washington, DC.
The focus was primarily on the case and its details. The chapters alternate between Zoe’s past, when she developed the desire to become a forensic psychologist, and her present case. There are enough similarities to trigger some memories and insecurities from a time in high school when there was a serial killer in her home town.
The character development is mostly limited to Zoe. Everyone else is there but I don’t really feel connected to them. The new case takes her and a new agent from the BAU to Chicago. Politics make things more difficult. Zoe works hard and tries her best to figure out how to catch the killer and save lives. She seems realistic, but a bit too willingly to place herself in bad situations.
The plot is good and reasonably twisty. There are various problems which slow things down but they slowly make progress. There is a new twist at the end which sets things up for another story.
“She had managed to creep out a man who had performed autopsies for a living. Achievement unlocked. “
About Mike Omer
Mike Omer is the author of the Zoe Bentley Mystery Series and the Glenmore Park Mystery Series. In the past, he’s been a journalist, a game developer, and the CEO of the company Loadingames. He is married to a woman who diligently forces him to live his dream, and is the father of an angel, a pixie, and a gremlin. He has two voracious hounds that wag their tail quite menacingly at anyone who comes near his home.
Mike loves to write about true-to-life people who are perpetrators or victims of crimes. He also likes writing funny stuff. He mixes these two loves quite passionately into his mystery books.
I read all types of books but my favorites are urban fantasy and romantic suspense.I like some romance and some action / adventure / mystery in everything.I like sex in my books but please, only between TWO people.Intimate conversation is equally important to the sex in a book.It lets me see the characters.The other thing I enjoy is humor.
Friend or follow me at Goodreads.
- Sunday Post – 15 September 2024 @kimbacaffeinate @readingreality - September 15, 2024
- Series on Saturday: HGTV Edition @katecarlisle @JulietBlackwell #CallieCarpenter @dianekellybooks @bennett_jenna @mstessabailey #SeriesOnSaturday - September 14, 2024
- 🎧 Death at the Sanatorium by Ragnar Jónasson @ragnarjo#SamWoolf @MinotaurBooks @MacmillanAudio #LoveAudiobooks - September 12, 2024
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2018 New Release Challenge
This type story is one of the few times that I don’t mind lack of character development for other characters, especially if the main character is really compelling. I’m always looking for new detective thrillers to try. Thanks, Anne!
It’s pretty good. I purchased it thru Prime for free but I think it is also in KU.
This sounds interesting, Anne. I’ve not heard of this one.
It was a prime choice for Kindle first. I usually pick the mystery, thriller ones.
I think I have this one, I tend to pick the same genres for my prime pick too Anne.
I don’t think I have read any other than this one yet either. Since the new releases / blog tours, are slower this month I decided to read some of my purchases, new release freebies, etc. So far so good.
Sounds like a good one!
It’s the first book so I hope it improves as the series continues.
This sounds familiar. I may have it already. That or it reminds me of an episode I watched on Criminal Minds. Except I think the killer froze them posed and then placed in specific locations.
lol It was a Kindle first choice so I think lots of people may have it who tend to choose this genre like me.
Slow is always a bit tricky. I didn’t know about this one so thanks for the review!
This is a medium book. I liked it but I hope the next one develops the characters better.
These kinds of stories are so creepy, with the serial killer in the plot and this one sounds worth the try. Hopefully the next book is a little better.
There are even two serial killers in this one.
This one is new to me but it sounds pretty good, although I think I would have liked a little more character development too.
I hope as the series continues it will build the characters more.
I must have picked this one when it was offered as well since it is in my Kindle library. It sounds like a decent story so I will have to try to work it in.
It’s very good but not great. I always pick the mystery thriller suspense choice it seems.