I Am Death by Chris Carter #blogathon

It's the Chris Carter Blogathon Day! For this month anyway, there will be a whole new one next month. My review of I Am Death can be found below and, as expected, it's another shocker. My thanks to Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers for inviting me to participate. I read from my own bought copy. 

The Blurb

Seven days after being abducted, the body of a twenty-year-old woman is found on a green patch of grass by the Los Angeles International Airport. She has been left with her limbs stretched out and spread apart, placing her in a five-point human star.

The autopsy reveals that she had been murdered in a most terrible way. But the surprises don't end there.

Detective Robert Hunter, who leads LAPD's Special Section, Ultra Violent Unit, is assigned the case. But almost immediately a second body turns up. Hunter knows he has to be quick.

Surrounded by new challenges as every day passes, Detective Hunter finds himself chasing a monster. A predator whose past hides a terrible secret, whose desire to hurt people and thirst for murder can never be quenched - for he is DEATH.

My Review

We're back on our huge Chris Carter blogathon, and I can't believe we're already up to number seven! I Am Death is as creepy and frightening as the books that have come before and the crimes are just as inventive. It works well as a standalone, as there is a potted history of Robert Hunter's background. But I find with series, where possible, it's better to start at the beginning and go in order to get a richer reading experience. But for this series, you will need a strong stomach. A very strong one! I like my (fictional!) crime dark, but I must admit there was the odd occasion in this book when I skipped a paragraph or two because the details were just too graphic for me. 

After the body of a young woman is found, the pathologist discovers that she had been tortured prior to death. And The killer has left his calling card. Soon after another body is found, completely different MO, same calling card. The crimes are horrific, the killer careful. There is not a lot for Hunter and his partner Garcia to go on. There is a second  storyline featuring 11 year old Ricky, which starts when a kind man helps him after his  bike is damaged by some bullying kids. 

I'm always fascinated by the science and behavioural stuff in Carter's novels, whether presented by Robert Hunter himself - he reads a lot - the pathologist or another specialist, there is a lot of interesting stuff there, and it never really feels clunky. I know the author has a background in psychology but he's clearly also done a lot of research. Of course, Hunter is a fascinating character, and it's always good to see him work. I was glad to see Garcia back in this one too. And there were a fair few characters I felt sorry for in this book - if you read it you'll see why. 

The story, as always, is satisfyingly complex, with sad undertones. The violence used is described in VERY graphic detail - this will not be a book for everyone. It certainly touches the horror genre for me and it is now customary that if I'm reading a Chris Carter alone in the house late in the evening, at least one light will be staying on all night! I didn't guess the antagonist, nor their back story, and thus was suitably shocked. It was certainly a 'gulp' moment for me. I Am Death is another solid and (mostly) enjoyable entry into this collection, although perhaps the most violent. Although, as the crimes are so varied in the books, they're all pretty dark!  As always when looking forward to the next book, I wonder where Chris Carter will take us next - part of me dreads to think! Watch this space. 

The Author

Born in Brazil of Italian origin, Chris Carter studied psychology and criminal behaviour in the USA. As a member of the District Attorney's Criminal Psychology team, and working together with the Police Department in numerous cases, he interviewed and studied many criminals, including serial and multiple homicide offenders with life imprisonment convictions. He now lives in London, UK.