Review | "Father of Fear" by Ethan Cross

Father of Fear by Ethan Cross
Mystery/Thriller published August 19, 2014
The Story Plant
Author's website  |  Goodreads  |  Buy the Book on Amazon

Synopsis from Goodreads:

A father returns home to find that his family has been kidnapped and the only way to save their lives is for him to kill another innocent person…

So begins a journey that will force Special Agent Marcus Williams of the Shepherd Organization to question all that he believes, unearth his family's dark legacy, and sacrifice everything to save those he loves. In order to stop the serial murderer whom the media has dubbed the Coercion Killer, Williams must enlist the help of one of the world's most infamous and wanted men...the serial killer Francis Ackerman Jr.

Rippling with intensity, charged with tension, and brimming with a relentless spirit of humanity, FATHER OF FEAR is the latest evidence that Ethan Cross is one of the finest suspense novelists on the planet.

My Thoughts...

I said it in my review of the last book in this series and I will say it again....these really should be made into movies, they would be excellent!  This book was more of a psychological thriller than the last one, at least in my opinion.  Ethan Cross can definitely write crazy and it's so, so good.

In this installment we find Marcus and his crew in Kansas City trying to catch the Coercion Killer.  He is someone who kidnaps every family member but one and forces the remaining member of the family to kill someone he has chosen.  If they refuse he kills a member of the family until they complete the task, if they follow his orders he releases the family unharmed and virtually unaware of the situation.  Marcus enlists the help of his brother, who happens to be a wanted serial killer.  He's also the perfect person to help because of the way his mind works. Both Marcus and Francis are quite brilliant and they work well to kind of balance each other out.  Marcus the light half to Francis' dark.

Marcus is having his own problems, trouble sleeping, headaches, etc... He's kind of a loose cannon on the job, but Maggie helps keep him in check.  Despite his qualms he's also bonding with Francis as they work together.  Things go from bad to worse and Maggie is forced to work along side Francis, whom she despises.  It's a race to the finish to save someone they care about as well as the lives of countless others and they have to learn to trust people they wouldn't ordinarily trust in order to see it through.

This book is written in third person through the eyes of many different characters depending on what's happening at the current time.  It's fast paced and most of the chapters are short and succinct.  That combined with the quick pace makes for a very quick read if you have the time to sit for a couple hours.

This is a very dark read filled with lots of action, but a fair amount of gory imagery as well.  Not only from the serial killers view, but from Francis as well.  I have to admit that I loved Francis' character in this book.  He is clearly still a very unstable person, very prone to violent outbursts, still a killer no doubt about it, but he's changing.  He's a smart guy who knows that someone made him this way, and it's not necessarily who he wants to be anymore so he's trying very hard to change.  He reminds me of Dexter just a little bit.  He knows that what he is is wrong, but it's not entirely his fault that he's like this.

If you like a good thriller then I highly recommend this series.  You will be on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

XOXO, Shelly

*Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of this book courtesy of the publisher in exchange for my honest review.*

Blog Tour Thriller Review "The Prophet" by Ethan Cross

Title:  The Prophet
Author:  Ethan Cross

Publisher:  The StoryPlant
Publication Date: October 16, 2012
Genre:  Mystery Thriller
Format: Paperback 414 pages  | Kindle 821 KB

Where to find Ethan Cross Online:
Website  |  Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Goodreads

Buy the Book:  Kindle   |  Paperback

Synopsis: 

OLD ENEMIES...
Francis Ackerman Jr. is one of America's most prolific serial killers. Having kept a low profile for the past year, he is ready to return to work and he's more brutal, cunning, and dangerous than ever.

NEW THREATS...
Scarred from their past battles, Special Agent Marcus Williams cannot shake Ackerman from his mind. But now Marcus must focus on catching the Anarchist, a new killer who drugs and kidnaps women before burning them alive.

HIDDEN TERRORS...
Marcus knows the Anarchist will strike again soon. And Ackerman is still free. But worse than this is a mysterious figure, unknown to the authorities, who controls the actions of the Anarchist and many like him. He is the Prophet and his plans are more terrible than even his own disciples can imagine.

With attacks coming from every side, Marcus faces a race against time to save the lives of a group of innocent people chosen as sacrifices in the Prophet's final dark ritual.

My Review

WOW!  This book was super intense. This is one of those books that needs to be made into a movie, it would be fantastic!  It's one of those books that once you get into the story you just can't put down.  It was a little confusing in the beginning, but once you understand that Francis Ackerman Jr. and The Anarchist are 2 separate murderers then it's less confusing.  This is actually the 2nd book in The Shepherd series, but other than the initial confusion it's a great stand alone novel.  I do think that I will read the first book though, I think it will help to understand the character of Marcus a little better.

So here is the basic plot...Marcus is a Special Agent who works for a special branch of the DOJ he is on the trail of a killer who calls himself The Anarchist.  His team apprehends the worst serial killers and basically uses whatever means necessary to stop them.  Apparently he has some unknown connection to one of the worst serial killers still uncaptured, Francis Ackerman Jr.  Ackerman has taken enough of an interest in Marcus that he is even going so far as to help him with his current cases. Marcus and his team are working with the FBI in Chicago to catch The Anarchist, a serial killer who injects a paralytic into his victims before burning them alive.

Marcus reminds me a lot of Sherlock.  He is one who walks into a room and notices everything, even the most inconsequential things, and can put these things all together to tell you things that no one else could.  He also has a photographic memory which certainly comes in handy in his line of work.  The problem with all this is that it's made him cocky and he's not making any friends in Chicago, but he doesn't care.  He's there to do a job and he's not going to let anyone get in his way.  I love his character despite the darkness that he's fighting.  I don't believe that he is doomed like he does, I think he has some dark days ahead but I think he is still a good person.

There are really two story lines going on here.  There is the Anarchist story which is rife with darkness, occult, and all kinds of crazy and then there is the Marcus/Ackerman story which is as equally twisted.  There are some crazy twists in the story, some you will see coming but some will come out of the blue, but there is no doubt that you will be on the edge of your seat.  You won't be able to put this one down.  If you like a good mystery thriller novel then you are going to love this one, I know I did!

Author Bio

When a fireman or a policeman would visit his school, most of his classmates’ heads would swim with aspirations of growing up and catching bad guys or saving someone from a blazing inferno. When these moments came for Ethan Cross, however, his dreams weren't to someday be a cop or put out fires; he just wanted to write about it. His dream of telling stories on a grand scale came to fruition with the release of his first novel, the international bestseller, THE SHEPHERD.

Ethan Cross is the pen name of a thriller author living and writ- ing in Illinois with his wife, two daughters, and two Shih Tzus. In addition to The Shepherd and The Prophet, he has published two novellas––The Cage and Callsign: Knight (with Jeremy Robinson).

Disclaimer: Every Book received for review on the tours for Partners In Crime are given in exchange for an honest review. The eBooks are sole property (copyrighted) of the author and should not be sold, distributed to, or exchanged among other people not part of the tours, nor should they be listed on file sharing sites. Failure to comply with this disclaimer, will result in removal from all future tours.