By The Book

Detective Kristen Conner goes undercover to find a serial killer only to find herself as his next favorite target.

When Leslie Reed is found dead in her fashionable townhome, a red flag goes up in Washington, D.C. The FBI knows an elusive “organized killer” on a decade-long crime spree is at work again. The problem is the Feds have only one tenuous lead to assist local police in the manhunt … a most unlikely place the killer likes to find his victims.

Conner is light one her feet and packs a powerful punch – growing up in a cop’s home, intense hand-to-hand combat training, and not being able to shoot a handgun straight – all encourage that. Her life is built on faith and family: she only misses church when she is fighting with her mom and glamorous TV news reporter sister – or relentlessly tracking down a ruthless killer.

Kristen is a good cop but she’s never faced an adversary like the man the alternative press has dubbed the Cutter Shark. From the opening chase scene that leads her to a back alley where a punk with a knife awaits her, to the climactic scene where she goes one-on-one with the hauntingly familiar man who is killing innocent women in her town, Cuts Like a Knife, is loaded with action, humor, a dash of romance, and wry introspection through the voice of its irrepressible lead character.

Mark Gilroy is the author of the #1 bestselling Kristen Conner Mystery Series. A veteran of the book publishing industry, he has packed boxes, served as executive vp and publisher over companies, edited manuscripts, made sales calls, created marketing plans, directed design and illustration, started companies, agented for authors, written award-winning video, and created advertising and catalog copy. He’s authored, edited, compiled, published, and ghost written books that have landed on an array of bestsellers lists, working with some of the biggest series and authors in the industry. He and wife Amy recently became empty nesters with the youngest of six off to college. They reside in Brentwood, Tennessee.

My Impressions:

Cuts Like A Knife was the last audiobook that I listened to, and I just could not put it down, er, turn it off! Mark Gilroy has created a complex character in Kristen Connor, a Chicago police detective who loves her family and her job. The almost-30 detective reminds me a little of Stephanie Plum from Janet Evanovich’s bestselling series and Gracie Lou Freebush from Miss Congeniality. But only a little. She is definitely her own woman, and this is a mystery/suspense series you don’t want to miss.

Detective Kristen Connor has an anger problem, at least that is what her partner, her boss and her family keep telling her. They also say she pushes people away, not ready to commit to a relationship. But Kristen is dedicated to her job and that job includes catching the Cutter Shark, a serial killer that is terrorizing the women of Chicago. Between coaching her nieces’s soccer team, attending AA meetings undercover, and juggling a confusing love life, Kristen follows the leads and her intuition in pursuit of the murderer.

Kristen Connor is a fun and funny character. She sees herself and others objectively, warts and all. She is tough, gritty and not one to be knocked down. I loved her outlook on life and her small prayers sent heavenward for those she meets and those she loves. There are three voices in the novel: Kristen, a vlogger and the killer. Each presents part of the story and just enough detail to keep the reader guessing along with the FBI and the Chicago PD. Gilroy has created a truly scary killer without graphic descriptions, a feat unto itself. But when the killer catalogs the tools of his trade, I got a big case of the creeps. A page-turner to the end, you will not figure out just whodunit. There is an added bonus for listeners of the audiobook — an interview with the author. And the narrator does a wonderful job as well.

If you are a fan of Steven James, Mark Bertrand or Brandilyn Collins, be sure to check out Cuts Like A Knife. I am currently listening to the second book in the Kristen Connor Series, Every Breath You Take, and am enjoying it as much as the first book.

(I purchased the audiobook from Audible. All opinions expressed are mine alone.)

To purchase this book, click on the image below.

Tags: M. K. Gilroy, suspense fiction