Title: Caged by Ellison Cooper
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 368 pages
Book Rating: B
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
FBI neuroscientist Sayer Altair hunts for evil in the deepest recesses of the human mind. Still reeling from the death of her fiancé, she wants nothing more than to focus on her research into the brains of serial killers. But when the Washington D.C. police stumble upon a gruesome murder scene involving a girl who was slowly starved to death while held captive in a cage, Sayer is called in to lead the investigation. When the victim is identified as the daughter of a high profile senator, Sayer is thrust into the spotlight.
As public pressure mounts, she discovers that another girl has been taken and is teetering on the brink of death. With evidence unraveling around her, Sayer races to save the second victim but soon realizes that they are hunting a killer with a dangerous obsession…a killer who is closer than she thought.
Review:
Caged by Ellison Cooper is an engrossing crime drama in which the FBI search for a dark and twisted serial killer.
After two DC police officers make a gruesome discovery, FBI agent Sayer Altair and her newly assigned partner agent Vik Devereaux are assigned to the case. The body of a young girl has been found in the basement where she was held captive in a cage before she slowly starved to death. Their crime scene is an investigative nightmare since the devious killer also set up a number of bombs that were inadvertently set off by the DC police and two FBI analysts. After identifying the corpse as the daughter of US Senator Charles Van Hurst, the investigative team falls under intense media scrutiny. Sayer is angered when she learns someone is leaking inside information to both Van Hurst and the press but her boss, assistant director Janice Holt, is unable to unmask the culprit. When evidence points to another young woman being held captive, will Sayer and her team rescue her before it is too late?
Sayer is an intelligent woman who is also researching changes in the brain that could help identify psychopaths. She is no stranger to tragedy and her emotions are all over the place throughout the investigation. Sayer has an anger control issue and she frequently has to consciously reel in her rage. Despite her hair-trigger temper and her propensity for melodrama, Sayer is a likable character who is an unstoppable force as she tries to catch the killer.
Sayer has a strong investigative crew to lead during the investigation. Vik is laidback and intuitive with unexpected resources to turn to when they run into a brick wall. Analyst Ezra is dealing with a horrific trauma and a daunting recovery yet he is still an invaluable member of the team. FBI Chief Medical Examiner Joan Warren is a valuable asset to the investigation and she is a close friend of Sayer’s. Special Agent Andy Wagner is also a profiler who rubs his co-workers wrong with his smug, sexist attitude.
With an innovative storyline and a great cast of diverse characters, Caged is a compelling crime drama. While the plot is clever, the writing is sometimes a little clunky and unpolished, some of the scenes are overly dramatic and the dialogue is just a touch overwrought. Sayer has many wonderful attributes but her out of control anger becomes quite tedious. Vik is sure to become a fan favorite and hopefully he will feature more prominently in future installments of this three book series. With plenty of red herrings and shrewd misdirects, readers will be absolutely stunned when Ellison Cooper brings the novel to a completely unexpected, jaw-dropping conclusion.
