THE ANNIVERSARY MAN by R.J. ELLORY
Published by OrionNobody writes intelligent crime fiction as well as R.J. Ellory and he is on superb form in his latest gripping crime novel The Anniversary Man. On the surface its another tale of a copycat serial killer striking fear into the hearts of the citizens of New York but it is much more than that with its study of loneliness and the effects it can have on a troubled individual.
In 1984 John Costello is 16 and meets the love of his life, 17 year old Nadia (Russian for hope); John's life though is irrecoverably changed when he and Nadia become victims of the serial killer known as The Hammer of God. Nadia is brutally murdered but John is "lucky" enough to survive. 22 years later he is working for a newspaper as a crime researcher, in fact there is nobody in the whole of New York who knows more about serial killers than John Costello.
When a new run of murders begin to occur, all seemingly random, Costello realises that a deadly new killer is on the loose, one who is not only apparently determined to replicate all the infamous killers of the past but also take things another step further. Ray Irving is the middle aged, lonely detective who finds himself assigned to what is about to become the city's biggest ever case. Realising that Costello could well hold the key to tracking down the killer, the pair team up.
Very strongly plotted and told at a quick pace The Anniversary Man is a supreme, if sometimes more than a little gruesome, story. Ellory has that classic knack of pulling you in, very quickly you begin to care about the characters he creates and as soon as you do that of course you are hooked.
A high quality piece of entertainment indeed!
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