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booksuperpower's review against another edition
4.0
The Eyes Die Last by Teri Riggs is a 2011 Amazon Digital Services publication. I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review.
“ Before turning to leave he took a lingering last look at her body. Her eyes, frozen in death,stared blankly up at him. Could she still see him? Strangely fascinated, he leaned in to closer look, ' I'll be damned', he said. 'The eyes die last'.
Prostitutes get murdered all the time ...who cares? That's pretty much the consensus. But, when one, then two, then three get murdered, well, the not only are the cops interested but the media too.
The hot Las Vegas heat compounds an investigation into the death of a prostitute. Kennedy comes from a long line of cops and her partner Wilder “Wild Thing” James is veteran on the force. This killer is intent on drawing attention to himself by taking “before and after” photos, proving he had planned out the murders by first stalking the victims.
With a heated mayoral race going on and a bitter newspaper journalist thrown into the mix and more victims piling up, Las Vegas has just about reached it's boiling point.
This good old fashioned police procedural puts me in mind of the thrillers I grew up reading and the cop shows I loved to watch in the 1990's. The dialogue is even a little old school and the story is pretty much straight to the point with personal lives of the detectives kept at a low key and the focus squarely on the investigation, not that there isn't just a little romance going on, it's just not the focal point. This is not romantic suspense.
I love these types of no nonsense thrillers that do not rely upon shootouts, explosions and other bells and whistles to capture the readers attention. I felt like I was along for the ride as Kennedy and Wilder search for the killer. Ed Hershey is out for a story that will put him back in the spotlightse after he covered a murder investigation a few years back and had really enjoyed his 15 minutes of fame. So, he has decided to insinuate himself into the investigation, much to Kennedy's annoyance.
But, these murders couldn't have come at a worse time, as the legalization of prostitution is a heated debate in the mayoral campaign, with one candidate for it and the other vehemently opposed.
Anytime a prostitute is murdered the list of suspects could be long, but in this case some of the suspects are rather notable citizens of Las Vegas.
While the murders are solved by using old fashioned police work, and healthy dose of luck, there is just the fainted touch of paranormal elements in the really vivid dreams Kennedy has from time to time. These dreams feel like a warning or a premonition is some ways. The banter between Kennedy and Wilder is hilarious and real, which I enjoyed. Real people don't walk around throwing out brilliant, zany, and sarcastic remarks like we see in the movies or on TV. ( if they do, we usually don't find it all that charming and it evokes an eye roll) This made the characters seem more real to me and therefore easier to relate to.
Now, if you read procedural novels you will not be disappointed. There may be some serious crime readers that will find the story formulaic or predictable and they would make a valid point. But, to me there are not enough of these types of stories out there right now.
This one gets four stars.
“ Before turning to leave he took a lingering last look at her body. Her eyes, frozen in death,stared blankly up at him. Could she still see him? Strangely fascinated, he leaned in to closer look, ' I'll be damned', he said. 'The eyes die last'.
Prostitutes get murdered all the time ...who cares? That's pretty much the consensus. But, when one, then two, then three get murdered, well, the not only are the cops interested but the media too.
The hot Las Vegas heat compounds an investigation into the death of a prostitute. Kennedy comes from a long line of cops and her partner Wilder “Wild Thing” James is veteran on the force. This killer is intent on drawing attention to himself by taking “before and after” photos, proving he had planned out the murders by first stalking the victims.
With a heated mayoral race going on and a bitter newspaper journalist thrown into the mix and more victims piling up, Las Vegas has just about reached it's boiling point.
This good old fashioned police procedural puts me in mind of the thrillers I grew up reading and the cop shows I loved to watch in the 1990's. The dialogue is even a little old school and the story is pretty much straight to the point with personal lives of the detectives kept at a low key and the focus squarely on the investigation, not that there isn't just a little romance going on, it's just not the focal point. This is not romantic suspense.
I love these types of no nonsense thrillers that do not rely upon shootouts, explosions and other bells and whistles to capture the readers attention. I felt like I was along for the ride as Kennedy and Wilder search for the killer. Ed Hershey is out for a story that will put him back in the spotlightse after he covered a murder investigation a few years back and had really enjoyed his 15 minutes of fame. So, he has decided to insinuate himself into the investigation, much to Kennedy's annoyance.
But, these murders couldn't have come at a worse time, as the legalization of prostitution is a heated debate in the mayoral campaign, with one candidate for it and the other vehemently opposed.
Anytime a prostitute is murdered the list of suspects could be long, but in this case some of the suspects are rather notable citizens of Las Vegas.
While the murders are solved by using old fashioned police work, and healthy dose of luck, there is just the fainted touch of paranormal elements in the really vivid dreams Kennedy has from time to time. These dreams feel like a warning or a premonition is some ways. The banter between Kennedy and Wilder is hilarious and real, which I enjoyed. Real people don't walk around throwing out brilliant, zany, and sarcastic remarks like we see in the movies or on TV. ( if they do, we usually don't find it all that charming and it evokes an eye roll) This made the characters seem more real to me and therefore easier to relate to.
Now, if you read procedural novels you will not be disappointed. There may be some serious crime readers that will find the story formulaic or predictable and they would make a valid point. But, to me there are not enough of these types of stories out there right now.
This one gets four stars.
ker95's review against another edition
4.0
Should have reviewed this one right away, because now I don't remember much about it other than... it was a thriller with all the right ingredients.
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