ASIN: B00FA4MSVU
Publisher: Audible Studios
Narrator: Arthur Morey
Publication Date: 10/8/2013
Format: Audio
My Rating: 4 Stars
Just two years ago, the media turned Detective John Spader into a hero. He’d caught a twisted serial killer terrorizing Massachusetts, and the “Jack of Spades,” as the media dubbed Spader, was born. But when the murderer walked free on a technicality—free to kill again—the public turned on Spader.
Now a new serial killer is on the loose. He wears the silly, gap-toothed, grinning mask of Galaxo, Starboy Avenger!—a cartoon alien of unparalleled popularity with children. With the aid of voice-changing technology in the mask, he speaks in the alien’s cheerful, high-pitched, robotic vibrato, the same voice that delights millions of cartoon-watching kids every day. And he does all this while he maims, tortures, and murders his victims. With the body count rising, and the public’s fear growing, it’s up to the Jack of Spades to find the man beneath the mask and stop the killing.
My Review
JACK OF SPADES, by talented James Hankins is a cop police procedural and suspense crime psycho-thriller, with a twisted serial killer, a freaky cartoon voice, a mask . . . slashing body parts and torturing his victims.
Detective John Spader caught a serial killer which terrorized Massachusetts; however, on a technicality –the murderer was left to roam and kill again. Spader has never forgotten this, nor has the media. Now, two years later, another serial killer is back, or could it be one in the same?
A killer, disguised as an alien with a robotic high pitched voice of a cartoon character, wearing a mask of Galaxo, Starboy Avenger – gives his victims a choice of body parts to eliminated, torturing them. He is wicked, evil, sick and twisted and John is driven to put this wacko behind bars.
Comic book villains and crime thrillers, alike will enjoy this psycho thriller, especially if listening to the audiobook, narrated by Arthur Morey with his chilling and eerie voice (creepy), mimicking the cartoon character, with his sicko squeaky voice, alternating smoothly to the other voices.
Hankins brings in some human dynamics and humor with the personal life of Spader, from son, ex-wife, and girlfriend. Without giving away too much, look for relation to the meaning behind the card, Jack of Spades.
Charming, resourceful, personable and easy-going best define the Jack of Spades. Blessed with a creative mind, the one-eyed Jack of the deck manifests easily the object of their desire. A challenge for them is to operate with integrity and honesty.
As always, enjoy Hankins’ inspiration behind the book and love his mix of genres with DRAWN, BROTHERS AND BONES, and his new upcoming SHADY CROSS, coming Feb 24, 2015. Was fortunate enough to have received an advanced reading copy. If you have not read his other books, you are missing out. If you enjoy intense, well-written page-turner thrillers, he is your “go to” author.
Shady Cross, A Thriller
Coming Feb 24, 2015
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