Wednesday, May 21, 2008

SEPARATED AT DEATH by Sheldon Rusch

Publisher Berkley
Date published April 2008
ISBN 978-0-425-21948-5
Crime
Hardcover
Reviewed by Valerie





A woman is found dead. Not only dead but she’s been beheaded and the head is missing. When an attempt is made to talk to her estranged husband, he is also found dead and without a head. Special Agent Elizabeth Hewitt and her partner Jen Spangler are plunged into a new series of crimes. They find out that this is not a crime aimed at the estranged couple as another pair of bodies are found, without their heads. Then wedding photos show up of these couples that have been gruesomely altered. It seems as if the killer has his own secret ceremony and Hewitt needs to stop him. If this isn’t taking all her time, Hewitt is getting used to the idea that she is going to get married.

This was an exciting, gripping read that had me hanging onto the edge of my seat. Sheldon Rusch writes a tight, fast-paced story that hardly lets the reader up to breathe. His characters are multi-dimensional and leap from the pages. Mr. Rusch doesn’t just get his readers going with a chilling mystery, but the characters are put through their paces in their private lives too. I really enjoyed this story. It was gritty, chilling and in parts, funny too. Mr. Rusch writes well crafted-prose and this is a story that you won’t want to put down until the last page is read. It will grab you, thrill you and give you shivers. I recommend this as a must read for crime fans, not don’t forget his backlist.

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