Thicker Than Blood ~ Mike Omer

Thicker than Blood by Mike Omer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Available June 23, 2020

The best one in the series!

I received this novel from Netgalley for an honest review. I was really excited to get my copy. Since I really enjoyed the first two in the series I dove right into the third installment and I was not disappointed.


Summary:
A murderer who drinks his victim’s blood? FBI profiler Zoe Bentley and Agent Tatum Gray thought they’d seen it all, but this young woman’s barbaric murder is especially hard to stomach.

They didn’t expect to work this case. But vampirism aside, the murderer’s MO is identical to that of Rod Glover—the serial killer who’s been pursuing Zoe since childhood. Forensics reveals the murder to be his work, but not his alone; desperate to fulfill his sick purpose, he has taken on an equally depraved partner.

Zoe’s own frustration grows after another woman turns up dead and drained—and another goes missing. Time is running out: Zoe knows her own death will be the climax of Glover’s sinister play, which has been unfolding for twenty years. To stop Glover and his vile partner, she’ll need to plunge deep into their motives; but this means drawing ever closer to becoming another casualty of a dark, dark thirst. 
My Take: **SPOILERS**

We find ourselves on the hunt for the ever slippery Rod Glover. Back in Chicago chasing leads Zoey and Tatum find themselves back in the thick of things with another strange serial killer. I try not to write too many spoilers as a rule but be warned here come a few.
When it becomes clear that the killer(s) are interested in blood drinking Zoe makes contact with the head of Chicago's Vampire scene. I found this plot line intresting on a personal note because a few years ago I was also able to interview a practicing Vampire who was originally from New York and had helped start the New York Vampire scene. As a Urban fantasy lover I also enjoyed that this took place in Chicago the home of some of my favorite Vampires (Chicago Land and Mercy Thompson) so it seems the place to write about Vampirism.
This novel wasn't really about Vampires though it was just an interesting line of questioning. A peak into another lifestyle most people wouldn't even know exsisted. The heart of the novel is the hunt for the Killers and the dissociative breakdown of the blood drinker. Having read many psychological thrillers I felt that the author did an excellent and believable job with Glover and the blood drinker. I enjoyed the realness of the FBI not being able to bust down every door and hack every computer. This isn't an episode of Criminal Minds and that makes the scene much more real for the reader.
The pacing was done well and I didn't feel any lagging moments or weak plot points. Truly a fantastic novel and probably the best FBI novel I have read in some time.

In case you were interested heres the link to my Interview with Vlad from a few years ago.

Interview with a Vampire, No really

A Killer's Mind ~ Mike Omer

A Killer's Mind by Mike Omer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I picked this novel up because of my current obsession with Criminal Minds. I tend to bounce between crime serials and fantasy novels. Since my schedule has been pretty hectic I got it as an Audible Audio book.

Summary:
Three Chicago women have been found strangled, embalmed, and posed as if still alive. Doubting the findings of the local PD’s profiler, The FBI calls on forensic psychologist Zoe Bentley to investigate.

Zoe quickly gets off on the wrong foot with her new partner, Special Agent Tatum Gray. Zoe’s a hunter, intense and focused; Tatum’s a smug maverick with little respect for the rules. Together, they must descend into a serial killer’s psyche and untangle his twisted fantasies, or more women will die. But when the contents of three inconspicuous envelopes reveal a chilling connection to gruesome murders from Zoe’s childhood, suddenly the hunter becomes the hunted.


My Take:
Since it was an audio book I may have a slightly different take on the novel. I do feel like audio books make editing errors and overuses of phrases jump out more than if you are reading the words yourself. The biggest hold out I had was that the reader has a really horrible fake Boston accent. It was so disturbing at one point I almost gave up completely.
The story is what kept me going. I found the characters interesting. Especially Tatums grandfather and their pretty wacky relationship. I do feel like you generate a general level of concern for the characters. The case is interesting, if not a little bit disturbing. I'm not sure how much of the police work is true to real life but it seemed pretty similar to the way things are handled in similar FBI based novels. Overall I liked it but I recommend you read it yourself and skip the audio book if you are from the Boston area.

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