Scan barcode
infinitein's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
paulabrandon's review against another edition
3.0
A man is hauled in for questioning by the FBI after an accident reveals he has two bodies in the trunk of his car. He says the only person he'll talk to is police detective Robert Hunter. It turns out this person is Lucien Folter, and he and Robert were college roommates some twenty-five years ago. Robert dutifully agrees to come in, where he and FBI agent Courtney Taylor interview Lucien, where they learn of the shocking extent of his decades long murder spree.
Stayed-up-all-night, read-it-in-one-go, just-one-more-chapter are all attributes I would apply to this serial killer thriller. It's fast-paced and gruesome, with some unexpected plot turns, and a memorable killer. Sure, Lucien Folten is more Hollywood serial killer than what we would find in real life (although Carter claims this book is based on his own experiences as a profiler interviewing serial killers), but he's certainly a scary creation. Each short chapter was designed to make sure you wanted to read just one more before doing the work you're supposed to be doing.
So why only 3 stars?
While Carter can serve up a great serial killer thriller plot, I find his writing style very pedestrian. Those chapter cliffhangers are more R.L. Stine than they are, say, Harlan Coben. Characterisation is terrible, as usual. Robert Hunter is a super-smart cop who catches all the killers and charms all the ladies and barely ever makes a mistake, if at all. The characters around him (with the exception of Lucien, to a degree,) are complete and utter cardboard cutouts. The point of view of characters will change within the same paragraph, which I always thought was a big no-no.
Also, Carter will have Lucien talk about a murder he committed. We would then get a flashback to this event. Although the flashback would presumably be from Lucien's point of view, we somehow get told what his victims are thinking and feeling as Lucien commits his horrific acts against them. To me, chapters like this don't serve much purpose other than to provide unnecessary insight into how horrible it was for the female victims to I can handle gore and violence in my books (otherwise I wouldn't read books like this!) but, I don't know, it just seemed very gratuitous.
Also, for anybody who has suffered through to this point in the review and is a fan of the books, can you tell me if any of the previous Robert Hunter books ever mentioned that he was engaged in his early 20s and that his fiance was murdered? I've read all the books, but it can be years ore more between each one, and I have no recollection of this aspect of Robert Hunter's past. If indeed this is the first ever mention of a fiance, it was a trite way to then try and forge what occurs in the last third of the book.
All in all, it's a solid serial killer read. While the previous book, One By One, was a total rip-off of the 2008 movie "Untraceable" (seriously, the filmmakers should have sued, the two are that similar,) and this one had a very Silence Of The Lambs feel to it, it sure is hard to put down once you start it. Chris Carter's books have very high general ratings on this site, so you might be more forgiving of the pedestrian writing and other issues that I had!
Stayed-up-all-night, read-it-in-one-go, just-one-more-chapter are all attributes I would apply to this serial killer thriller. It's fast-paced and gruesome, with some unexpected plot turns, and a memorable killer. Sure, Lucien Folten is more Hollywood serial killer than what we would find in real life (although Carter claims this book is based on his own experiences as a profiler interviewing serial killers), but he's certainly a scary creation. Each short chapter was designed to make sure you wanted to read just one more before doing the work you're supposed to be doing.
So why only 3 stars?
While Carter can serve up a great serial killer thriller plot, I find his writing style very pedestrian. Those chapter cliffhangers are more R.L. Stine than they are, say, Harlan Coben. Characterisation is terrible, as usual. Robert Hunter is a super-smart cop who catches all the killers and charms all the ladies and barely ever makes a mistake, if at all. The characters around him (with the exception of Lucien, to a degree,) are complete and utter cardboard cutouts. The point of view of characters will change within the same paragraph, which I always thought was a big no-no.
Also, Carter will have Lucien talk about a murder he committed. We would then get a flashback to this event. Although the flashback would presumably be from Lucien's point of view, we somehow get told what his victims are thinking and feeling as Lucien commits his horrific acts against them. To me, chapters like this don't serve much purpose other than to provide unnecessary insight into how horrible it was for the female victims to
Spoiler
having their skin removed while conscious.Also, for anybody who has suffered through to this point in the review and is a fan of the books, can you tell me if any of the previous Robert Hunter books ever mentioned that he was engaged in his early 20s and that his fiance was murdered? I've read all the books, but it can be years ore more between each one, and I have no recollection of this aspect of Robert Hunter's past. If indeed this is the first ever mention of a fiance, it was a trite way to then try and forge what occurs in the last third of the book.
All in all, it's a solid serial killer read. While the previous book, One By One, was a total rip-off of the 2008 movie "Untraceable" (seriously, the filmmakers should have sued, the two are that similar,) and this one had a very Silence Of The Lambs feel to it, it sure is hard to put down once you start it. Chris Carter's books have very high general ratings on this site, so you might be more forgiving of the pedestrian writing and other issues that I had!
gwenchen's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
trizfernandes's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
ellamoody's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kindredpinny's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
debtat2's review against another edition
5.0
I have been having some major health problems just lately so this is my first review in several months and it is also the only book I have started reading and actually made it all the way to the end so for that I am extremely thankful for Chris Carter and An Evil Mind. I am praying he may have fixed my readers block as I have immediately picked up his new book Hunting Evil and it has made me excited about picking up a book again. So again – Thank You!
Being in pain constantly can really get you down so I have been battling with depression as well this time round. Up until now books have been my escape from the pain and illness but this time I lost the ability to do that no matter how many times I tried, and that just added to everything. The depression even with being prescribed anti depressants was still so bad I was and still do have days where I haven’t wanted to carry on. Life can feel like it would be better off without me, that I can’t and haven’t wanted to carry on, to the point that I had lined up all of my painkiller boxes, the anti depressants and the 2 boxes of sleeping pills with a bottle of vodka and that was what I was going to do, I was going to take them all just to make the pain and all the feelings, all the emotions just STOP. I had even gone as far as to leave a note on the front door saying; “Please do not come in, call the police and stay outside. I am sorry and I don’t want to put you through any more than I already have so please DO NOT COME IN. Sorry. I love you”
In the end it was the fact that someone would have to find me and I couldn’t do that to my daughter as it would have been her, she is only 16 and what finding me would do to her psychologically wouldn’t have been anything good but it hasn’t taken away me wanting to go down that path and those feelings have still been a daily internal battle. And these days it is small things that help make the day bearable and yesterday it was reading and actually completing reading this book, to actually be able to finish a book is a massive win for me. And the even bigger positive, I am excited about reading his new book. It is the first thing that has made me excited for anything in months. It’s almost a miracle in my tiny little world at the moment. If there was ever a time in my life when I needed a positive, this is it.
And for now this is it – my one little positive – I actually read, finished and enjoyed a whole book, start to finish! And also doing a book review, this is the first review I have attempted in a long time and been in a place to be able to do a review.
And what a book it turned out to be. Possibly not the kind of uplifting, feel good type of book I should have read but still a brilliantly clever read. I would love to be able to read Lucians notebooks, so if Chris Carter ever wrote those I would be in the queue to read them.
Even though it is a work of fiction it would still make great reading for anyone studying criminal psychology or criminology as both the main characters, Robert and Lucian are so well written and the knowledge of the author Chris Carter in those areas really shines throughout. The fact that he studied psychology with specialisation in criminal behaviour and worked as a criminal psychologist gives his books an advantage over other books in this genre giving them that edge.
All his books have been good but for me this one has by far been my favourite because of the look into his best character so far, Lucien Folter. He is the most intriguing fictional character I have ever come across and can not wait to read more about him in Chris Carters new book that has just been published on 2 May 2019 Hunting Evil.
This book is centred around the capture of an evil genius that has been on a killing spree exceeding 25 years completely undetected, a master psychologist who is killing, escalating his kills and documenting them in the name of research.
It is also about his relationship with the head of the Ultra Violent Crime Devision, Robert Hunter, also a phycology major so it is a meeting of minds that both combine to make a fascinatingly disturbing read.
If the minds of killers interest you then this is a book that will blow you away and is one not to be missed.
Very clever, very disturbing and very addictive, An Evil Mind is Chris Carters best book to date.
There is a follow up book Hunting Evil which was published on 2 May 2109 of which I will be reading next 😀
https://debbiesbookreviews.wordpress.com/2019/05/05/an-evil-mind-robert-hunter-6-by-chris-carter/
Being in pain constantly can really get you down so I have been battling with depression as well this time round. Up until now books have been my escape from the pain and illness but this time I lost the ability to do that no matter how many times I tried, and that just added to everything. The depression even with being prescribed anti depressants was still so bad I was and still do have days where I haven’t wanted to carry on. Life can feel like it would be better off without me, that I can’t and haven’t wanted to carry on, to the point that I had lined up all of my painkiller boxes, the anti depressants and the 2 boxes of sleeping pills with a bottle of vodka and that was what I was going to do, I was going to take them all just to make the pain and all the feelings, all the emotions just STOP. I had even gone as far as to leave a note on the front door saying; “Please do not come in, call the police and stay outside. I am sorry and I don’t want to put you through any more than I already have so please DO NOT COME IN. Sorry. I love you”
In the end it was the fact that someone would have to find me and I couldn’t do that to my daughter as it would have been her, she is only 16 and what finding me would do to her psychologically wouldn’t have been anything good but it hasn’t taken away me wanting to go down that path and those feelings have still been a daily internal battle. And these days it is small things that help make the day bearable and yesterday it was reading and actually completing reading this book, to actually be able to finish a book is a massive win for me. And the even bigger positive, I am excited about reading his new book. It is the first thing that has made me excited for anything in months. It’s almost a miracle in my tiny little world at the moment. If there was ever a time in my life when I needed a positive, this is it.
And for now this is it – my one little positive – I actually read, finished and enjoyed a whole book, start to finish! And also doing a book review, this is the first review I have attempted in a long time and been in a place to be able to do a review.
And what a book it turned out to be. Possibly not the kind of uplifting, feel good type of book I should have read but still a brilliantly clever read. I would love to be able to read Lucians notebooks, so if Chris Carter ever wrote those I would be in the queue to read them.
Even though it is a work of fiction it would still make great reading for anyone studying criminal psychology or criminology as both the main characters, Robert and Lucian are so well written and the knowledge of the author Chris Carter in those areas really shines throughout. The fact that he studied psychology with specialisation in criminal behaviour and worked as a criminal psychologist gives his books an advantage over other books in this genre giving them that edge.
All his books have been good but for me this one has by far been my favourite because of the look into his best character so far, Lucien Folter. He is the most intriguing fictional character I have ever come across and can not wait to read more about him in Chris Carters new book that has just been published on 2 May 2019 Hunting Evil.
This book is centred around the capture of an evil genius that has been on a killing spree exceeding 25 years completely undetected, a master psychologist who is killing, escalating his kills and documenting them in the name of research.
It is also about his relationship with the head of the Ultra Violent Crime Devision, Robert Hunter, also a phycology major so it is a meeting of minds that both combine to make a fascinatingly disturbing read.
If the minds of killers interest you then this is a book that will blow you away and is one not to be missed.
Very clever, very disturbing and very addictive, An Evil Mind is Chris Carters best book to date.
There is a follow up book Hunting Evil which was published on 2 May 2109 of which I will be reading next 😀
https://debbiesbookreviews.wordpress.com/2019/05/05/an-evil-mind-robert-hunter-6-by-chris-carter/
gabysyll's review against another edition
5.0
OMG ce livre m'a retourné le cerveau et le coeur dans tous les sens. Le suspect est tellement facile à haïr. Pendant les dernier chapitre j'ai bien cru que tout était perdu et d'un certain côté ma perte a été importante.
Toujours autant de suspense, toujours autant d'ascenseurs émotionels.
Toujours autant de suspense, toujours autant d'ascenseurs émotionels.
lefttorread's review against another edition
5.0
Another review on here asks if you can rate a book 6 stars yet? And I'm asking the same question!! This is beyond 5 stars, this book is just AMAZING. I've loved every one of Chris Carters books in the Robert Hunter series and is officially my favourite series I've ever read. I love crime/thriller/suspense novels but An Evil Mind tops every one I've ever read! Exceptional writing and just an amazing, thrilling story! W O W. It had me hooked from the start, right until the last sentence, just amazing!!