Book Review
Title: Pisces (Murders of the Zodiac)
Author: A. P. Morgan
Genre: Crime/Thriller
Rating: *****
Review: Pisces is the sequel to Aquarius and the second book in the murders of the zodiac series. The prologue to this novel gives us some insight and confirms my suspicions that the ending of Aquarius wasn’t the end of the Zodiac killer. However, we are following Detective Jesse Burns in this novel, although I am sure both Leslie and Ryan will play keys roles a little later on. Jesse is a divorced dad of two children who is coming across a lot of male suicides and he makes the connection that one died on his birthday and contemplates calling Ryan but doesn’t. We also see the killer has had an apprentice as he is now on his 2nd and this new apprentice also knows Detective Burns which is going to make for some interesting reading later on.
As we approach the ¼ mark in the novel, we also get perspectives from Ryan and Leslie and these suicide cases that Jesse is working seem to have similar trends to the murders Leslie and Ryan investigated in the first book and I have an idea of who the mysterious 1st apprentice was. Jesse is an interesting character as his home life isn’t as settled or happy as Leslie’s or Ryan’s and I think that will make for some interesting dynamics later on in the novel.
As we cross the ¼ mark in the novel, Jesse becomes a target of the killer and though he isn’t killed he is critical condition and he seems to be taunting both Ryan and Leslie who believe they have already caught him. While Ryan is sent down to Wisconsin to check out these suicides Leslie is left behind for the time being. We are 100% sure this is still the birthday killer as all the men who committed suicide died on their birthdays and Jesse was also attacked on his birthday after spending a happy weekend with his two children; Charlie and Patti.
As we approach the halfway mark in the novel, the body count is rising like it did in Aquarius, however, there aren’t as many clues available to Ryan as there was for Leslie, but they seem to have a good grasp on the links between the victims and as Jesse was targeted, Ryan is extremely motivated to catch this killer and make him pay for what he has done. There is also a strong connection between Noah Preston, Urban Energy and all of the victims to date.
As we approach the ¾ mark in the novel, Leslie and Ryan have some good leads and think they are closing in on a suspect, but the killer and his assistant seem to always be one step ahead of them. When Leslie returns home, she finds the killer sent the flowers of her own birthday with a note that suggests that when the time comes, she might also be a target which also puts Ryan in danger. This now means the pair are on a deadline to catch the killer before they become victims themselves. As we are getting closer and closer to the end of this novel the tension is rising as are the stakes and I can’t wait to find out who the killer actually is. In the first book, I had suspicions but as more characters are introduced the more bemused I am about the killer’s identity and why he is bringing in assistants to help him carry out the murders.
As we cross into the final section of the novel, we get more information on the killer’s identity and it isn’t a straightforward as we were led to believe in the first book and now, I am almost sure that Leslie and Ryan are targets of the killer. We can also see that each assistant of the killer has their own goals for revenge against someone and he uses that to his advantage. The ending was by far my favourite part and I can’t wait to dive right into Aries. If you like crime and a little psychological horror, then I highly recommend the Murders of the Zodiac series.
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Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
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