Interim impression - I cannot help notice how similar this book is to "Angels and Demons" which I am reading in parallel at the moment.

They both are very dark and macabre stories. The victim count, the bizarre modus operandi, the lone, intellectual protagonist with a pretty romantic interest assistant - very curious how they have common themes.

I generally read to clear my mind before bed, but now whichever of the two I grab, it shocks me fully awake when I should be relaxing and unwinding.

This is a gripping story - it reminds me so much of the Netflix series "Mindhunter" - it seems that Lee maybe got some his ideas from the book the latter was based on.

Lee published his book just 5 years after the Penhall book.

I've also added below a news item that just came in today.

Mindhunter is an American psychological crime thriller television series created by Joe Penhall, based on the 1995 true-crime book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker.

The first season of 10 episodes debuted worldwide on Netflix on October 13, 2017. The second season was released by Netflix on August 16, 2019.

Mindhunter revolves around FBI agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench, along with psychologist Wendy Carr, who operate the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit within the Training Division at the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia. Together, they launch a research project to interview imprisoned serial killers to understand their psychology with the hope of applying this knowledge to solve ongoing cases.

Scientists Break Mystery That Might Solve Murders
Published Feb 12, 2024 at 11:00 AM EST

In a breakthrough finding, scientists have identified a group of microbes that are found on dead bodies at specific points during decomposition, enabling the calculation of a time of death much more easily.

This finding has major implications for forensic science, as these microbes could be used to help more precisely figure out how long a body has been dead. In fact, using data from the study, the authors created a machine learning tool that can predict the time since death based on the microbiome. ( )

(2000)Jack Reacher is persuaded by the FBI to help them with a serial killer who murders former military women who have been abused or raped. The problem is noone knows what kills the victim and there is apparently no motive or common theme other than the military. That is where Jack comes in, the former MP. Another good one and I will continue to read this series.From Publishers WeeklyJack Reacher, the wandering folk hero of Child's superb line of thrillers (Tripwire, etc.), faces a baffling puzzle in his latest adventure: who is the exceptionally crafty villain murdering women across the country, leaving the naked bodies in their bathtubs (which are filled with army camouflage green paint), escaping the scenes and leaving no trace of evidence? The corpses show no cause of death and Reacher's sole clue is that all the victims thus far were sexually harassed while serving in the military. There's got to be some sort of grand scheme behind the killings, but with no physical evidence, FBI agents bumble around until they finally question Reacher, a former military cop who handled each of the dead women's harassment cases. After Reacher convinces investigators he's innocent, they curiously ask him to stay on as a case consultant. Reacher doesn't like the idea he's too much of a lone wolf but he has little choice. The feds threaten him and his girlfriend, high-powered Manhattan attorney Jodie Jacob, with all sorts of legal entanglements if he doesn't help. So Reacher joins the FBI team and immediately attacks the feds' approach, which is based solely on profiling. Then he breaks out on his own, pursuing enigmatic theories and hunches that lead him to a showdown with a truly surprising killer in a tiny village outside Portland, Ore. Some of the concluding elements to Child's fourth Reacher finding how the killer gains access to the victims' homes, as well as the revelation of the elaborate MO fall into place with disappointing convenience. Yet the book harbors two elements that separate it from the pack: a brain-teasing puzzle that gets put together piece by fascinating piece, and a central character with Robin Hood-like integrity and an engagingly eccentric approach to life.

Women who have left (or, perhaps in one case, is about to leave) the U.S. Army because they were victims of sexual harassment are being murdered under bizarre circumstances. With more than 88 remaining potential victims, the FBI is stymied for clues and short on enough manpower to protect them all.

Reacher knew the first two victims, so, naturally, the FBI wants to know if he is the killer. If not, he better prove it by helping them figure out who did do it. The FBI is really evil in this novel. Kind of explains why Reacher, in later novels in this series, never calls on his FBI acquaintances when he needs help. He knows they wouldn 19t pee on him if his hair was on fire, and he would not do the same for them.

In 18Running Blind 19 (differently tiled as 18The Visitor 19 in the U.K. edition), Child writes terrific descriptions of Reacher 19s phobia toward commitment of any kind. His famous phobia about keeping his clothes long enough to have to use a washing machine is displayed explicitly and, I think, eloquently. Child outdoes himself there. (The big man who thinks nothing of fighting off five opponents [One never has to fight all five, but only the biggest two or three; at that point the rest will usually run away.] is afraid of not knowing how to use a washer and dryer.) This is also the one where Reacher owns a house and hates being tied down by it. Although he hasn 19t had a chance to sell it by the end of this novel, he has already declared that he will do so.

Half way through, I thought I had figured out the trick behind the plot, and I had, but then Reacher came in with an obvious wrinkle I had not thought of 14or is it yet another red herring 14to be followed by another and another? I was at least right about the how, but not so much about the who, even though it should have been obvious. Hide the who in the who-dunnit in plain sight and the audience never sees it (and I use the word 18it 19 advisedly) coming, even though the clues are all there, being wagged in one 19s face much of the time.

Pretty clever plot 14almost preciously clever, though. The subplot about rival New York City protection rackets turns out to run throughout the novel and ties in to the final solution 14but only sort of. It 19s plain that Jack Reacher is a trickster of nearly mythical proportions. The wary reader should never forget that. Favorite moment: Reacher is so angry with the FBI for manipulating him that he plays an elaborate trick on them. Not sure what recourse the reader has for revenge on Child for his manipulations. ( )

Excellent plot, schemingly brilliant murders, and Reacher at his best. Perfect!! ( )

Probably closer to 3.5, since I liked this one better than Tripwire. Didn't figure this one out before hand, but I feel like I should have, all the clues were there, and I guess I was on the cusp of it, but never put it together. Anyway, not much to say, by book #4 you know if you like Reacher or not, and I do! ( )