Category Archives: Graeme Cameron

May 28, 2018 · 11:58 pm

Review: Dead Girls by Graeme Cameron

Title: Dead Girls by Graeme Cameron
Publisher: Park Row
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 304 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

I may not remember everything, but I know he won’t hurt anyone else.

I won’t let him.

It’s been two months since a serial killer brutally attacked police detective Alisha Green and left her for dead. Two months since she could effortlessly recall simple things, since her mind felt remotely sound. The nameless killer thinks he knows her, thinks she’s just another dead girl among many. Ali Green plans to show him he’s dead wrong about that.

Ali has two enemies now: the dangerous man she’s hunting and her own failing memory. As explosive new evidence comes to light and conflicting accounts from a witness and a surviving victim threaten both her investigation and her credibility, she begins to question what is and isn’t real. And now Ali has no choice but to remember the past…before it buries her.

A hypnotically gripping thriller that proves international bestselling author Graeme Cameron is one of the most unique voices in contemporary fiction today.

Review:

Dead Girls by Graeme Cameron is a fast-paced and suspense-laden police procedural. This latest release is a follow-up to Normal and I highly recommend reading the two mysteries in order.

Detective Sergeant Alisha “Ali” Green is continuing to recover from the brutal attack she experienced when confronting a still at large serial killer (who is using the alias Thomas Reed) and one of his captives, Erica Shaw. Ali is suffering from memory losses and muscle weakness from the attack but she tries to hide these issues from her fellow detectives and acting Detective Chief Inspector Jenny Ryan.  A week before she is scheduled to return to work, Detective Constable Kevin McManus calls her to the scene of a burned out vehicle which might contain the remains of two of their missing colleagues. With a lot of confusion still surrounding the scene of Ali’s attack, DCI Ryan is concentrating on capturing Erica whom she and many of the officers assigned to the case  believe is responsible for the attack on Ali, McManus and the other detectives who lost their lives. Ali clashes with everyone on the case since she remains convinced that Erica is nothing but a victim and that serial killer Thomas Reed is person responsible for mayhem from weeks earlier. Will Ali change their minds before it is too late?

Ali is really struggling as she partners with McManus to try to find Erica and That Man (which is how she refers to serial killer Thomas Reed). With bits and pieces of information coming out of the blue and often without context, Ali is definitely at a disadvantage during the investigation but she is certain that Erica is not a killer and that, in fact, her life is most likely in danger.  With so many elusive details skittering in and out of her mind, Ali relies on her notes to help her keep track of her thoughts and the steps she needs to follow while she works the case.

Joining the investigation is analyst DC Fisher but something about her seems a bit off to Ali. She does not raise these suspicions with anyone else but she keeps Annie close to her as Ali tracks down leads and follows her hunches. Ali continues trying to get Erica’s mother to reveal where her daughter is when another murder ratchets up the sense of urgency surrounding the current investigation.

Dead Girls is an intricately-plotted murder mystery that is filled with tension as Ali tries to piece together the truth surrounding the events that occurred during her confrontation with “That Man”. Graeme Cameron brings the novel to an incredibly twist-filled and adrenaline-laced conclusion. An excellent follow-up to Normal that will absolutely delight fans of the genre.

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Filed under Contemporary, Dead Girls, Graeme Cameron, Mystery, Park Row Books, Rated B, Review, Suspense

March 29, 2015 · 11:58 pm

Review: Normal by Graeme Cameron

normalTitle: Normal by Graeme Cameron
Publisher: MIRA
Genre: Contemporary, Suspense/Thriller
Length: 304 pages
Book Rating: B

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Summary:

“The truth is I hurt people. It’s what I do. It’s all I do. It’s all I’ve ever done.”

He lives in your community, in a nice house with a well-tended garden. He shops in your grocery store, bumping shoulders with you and apologizing with a smile. He drives beside you on the highway, politely waving you into the lane ahead of him.

What you don’t know is that he has an elaborate cage built into a secret basement under his garage. And the food that he’s carefully shopping for is to feed a young woman he’s holding there against her will—one in a string of many, unaware of the fate that awaits her.

This is how it’s been for a long time. It’s normal…and it works. Perfectly.

Then he meets the checkout girl from the 24-hour grocery. And now the plan, the hunts, the room…the others—he doesn’t need any of them anymore. He only needs her. But just as he decides to go straight, the police start to close in. He might be able to cover his tracks, except for one small problem—he still has someone trapped in his garage.

Discovering his humanity couldn’t have come at a worse time.

Review:

Narrated in first person by the nameless serial killer, Normal by Graeme Cameron is a dark and twisted novel that is refreshing, engrossing and unexpectedly, humorous. The lead protagonist is surprisingly easy to like despite his rather gruesome habit of stalking and killing innocent women but it is impossible to view him as a sympathetic character. He does eventually grows a conscience, but will he be able to leave his life of crime behind?

Right from the opening pages, luck is not on our narrator’s side as things do not go quite as planned after the murder of his latest victim. He makes an impetuous decision to kidnap a potential witness and while he is holding her captive, he makes a surprising decision to keep her alive. She is unexpectedly spunky despite her perilous situation and he finds himself rather fascinated by her fearlessness. His change in attitude is due, in part, to the fact that he has fallen head over heels for a supermarket checker. Also factoring into this unanticipated transformation is his unprecedented friendship with an intended victim that he saved from another assailant. But he still finds it difficult to completely suppress his murderous urges and his newly found scruples lead to careless mistakes that put him under the scrutiny of the local police.

Little of the protagonist’s history is revealed which makes it impossible to understand what turned him into a killer. Like most murderers, he is surprisingly ordinary in many ways and he has a sardonic sense of humor which is usually demonstrated through his witty inner monologue. But his crimes are a little too heinous to overlook and it is impossible to hope he will evade capture once he becomes a person of interest during the police investigation of one of his victims.

While Normal is a well-written story, in the beginning, it is a bit disjointed and confusing as the narrative jumps from scene to scene without clear transitions. This does finally become less often as the novel progresses and the overall plot begins to feel more cohesive. Although the storyline is unrealistic, it is interesting and very entertaining. Graeme Cameron does an excellent job keeping the reader off balance as the novel thunders to a dramatic and rather suspenseful conclusion.

Normal is an offbeat novel with quirky characters that is quite riveting.  The plot is unique, the characters are flawed and it is definitely not the typical police procedural. It is truly an unforgettable and fascinating read that I almost feel guilty admitting I liked 🙂 .

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Filed under Contemporary, Graeme Cameron, Mira, Mystery, Normal, Rated B, Review, Suspense, Thriller