It should have been a routine autopsy on a straightforward hit-and-run.
It should have been an open and shut case.
It shouldn’t have led them to a serial killer – or put one of their own in danger.
When the LA Chief Medical Examiner, Dr Carolyn Hove, discovers some inconsistencies in a routine autopsy, she calls in Detective Robert Hunter of the LAPD Ultra Violent Crimes Unit. Not only was the victim not killed in a hit-and-run, but Dr Hove also found signs that they’d been severely tortured prior to death.
Their investigation leads Hunter and his partner, Carlos Garcia, on the trail of a twisted and clever killer who hides in plain sight. A serial killer no one even knew existed – a killer who has always operated under the radar, expertly disguising every gruesome murder as an accidental death.
But how do you investigate a murder when you have no victims? How do you catch a killer who leaves behind no crime scene? How do you stop a ghost who no one can prove even exists?
It has been such a pleasure taking part in the extended blogathon for Chris Carter's Robert Hunter series. Many thanks to Tracy Fenton for inviting me and to Simon & Schuster for my digital copies of the novels. I am delighted to be sharing my review of The Death Watcher today
The Death Watcher is the thirteenth book and the most recent instalment in Chris Carter's gripping Robert Hunter series to be published and is another excellent read. Despite being renowned for its dark violence, I've always found these books to be a fascinating exploration into what drives a person to commit the most heinous of crimes, and The Death Watcher is no exception.
When Shaun Daniels awakens feeling awful and unsure as to where he is, he assumes he's had another heavy night on the tiles. A man dressed in surgical scrubs addresses him and asks what he remembers of the night before. It's obviously a bewildering moment for Shaun but readers will immediately realise that his situation is about to become much worse. Sure enough, the man then explains exactly what he's going to do and it's not pretty.
Shaun's body is discovered days later but as it looks as though he was the victim of a hit an run accident, his case isn't an obvious one for the LAPD Ultra Violent Crimes Unit. However, Dr Caroline Hove has noted some strange anomalies, not least that the cause of death was hypothermia – in California, in June. She passes over the details to Barbara Blake and the division captain realises Hunter and Garcia will be intrigued by irregularities. Meanwhile, the killer is lining up his next victim and although The Death Watcher is less viscerally brutal than many of the previous books, it is still a chilling read.
It isn't necessary to have read any of the earlier novels but the development of the partnership between Hunter and Carlos Garcia and their shared, mutual trust has been such an important feature of this series, so I would recommend familiarising yourself with at least a few if possible. The easy humour between them always lightens proceedings, even when they are frustrated by such a challenging case as this. It seems as though the may never catch the break they need to capture this elusive thriller but while this is rightly named the Robert Hunter series, Carlos has a vital role to play here.
One of my favourite aspects of the series is that the antagonists are always believable, even at their most malevolent. The killer in The Death Watcher is no exception and although could be fairly described as a monster, Chris Carter's previous career as a criminal psychologist allows him to examine the driving force behind his actions with empathy and authenticity. The Death Watcher is a slower paced novel but with more time to develop the harrowing back story to the crimes, it is still an affecting story and some readers, particularly those who find reading about domestic violence and child abuse may find it a particularly difficult read.
The Death Watcher isn't as obviously nightmare inducing as some of the other Robert Hunter books but the measured pacing actually allows a frightening truth to be revealed – wicked acts and cruel secrets are often hidden in plain sight. Inspired by true events, this disturbing, emotional and insightful thriller is a compulsively excellent read and one I highly recommend.
The Death Watcher is published by Simon & Schuster, purchasing links can be found here.
Check out was some of the other bloggers taking part in the blogathon had to say about The Death Watcher, details are below.
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