This fourth book in the Major Crime series by British author Sam Holland is a dark, deadly and gruesome story about a serial killer who is out for revenge. They abduct their victims, hold them for 48 hours and then film their tortuous deaths.
DCI Cara Elliott and her team are back to solve this next case. This is the kind of series where the reader gets to know the cast well. Holland blends the lives of Cara's team into a well-plotted and tense psychological thriller, and it was nice to get reacquainted with them. Now they're on the hunt for a sadistic killer and the stakes are raised even higher when one of Cara's people is abducted.
Short chapters will keep readers turning the page and the culprit and their connection to the past was an interesting choice. My only beef is that some of Cara's decisions didn't feel in line with her role as a police detective and bordered on frustrating for me.
Due to connections to the first book, The Echo Man, I'd recommend reading that book before jumping into this one. You'll get a lot more out of Countdown Killer as some of the complicated bonds (and actions of some characters) are better understood when you have all the details.
This is a brutal story of revenge that doesn't shy away from detailing the horrific crimes, making it a good pick for fans of Jeffrey Deaver, Karin Slaughter, Linda Castillo and other authors who like a adding large helping of gore with their psychological thrillers.
Other Books in the series:
The Puppet Master
My Rating: 4.5 stars
Author: Sam Holland
Genre: Supspense, Dark
Series: Major Crimes 4
Type and Source: Trade paperback from public library
Publisher: Hemlock Press
First Published: June 5, 2025
Read: Sept 29 - Oct 4, 2025
Book Description from GoodReads: He's tracking people down one by one
And you're next on the list…A MAN MURDERED, LIVE ON CAMERA
When a DVD is delivered in the dead of night, DCI Cara Elliott hits play on a horrifying showreel of violence… This is death, on demand.
A KILLER COUNTING DOWN
Avid viewers are paying for the killings, with twisted specifications. A request, an abduction, a murder. And always in a forty-eight-hour pattern.
A MISSING DETECTIVE
But when the killer finds out they’re being investigated, they reveal their next target. In forty-eight hours, a police officer will be the one in front of the camera. The hunters have become the hunted, and the clock is ticking…
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