Book ~ "Father of Fear" (2014) Ethan Cross

From Goodreads ~ A father returns home to find that his family has been kidnapped and the only way to save their lives is for him to kill another innocent person.

So begins a journey that will force Special Agent Marcus Williams of the Shepherd Organization to question all that he believes, unearth his family's dark legacy, and sacrifice everything to save those he loves. In order to stop the serial murderer whom the media has dubbed the Coercion Killer, Williams must enlist the help of one of the world's most infamous and wanted men ... the serial killer Francis Ackerman Jr. 

Marcus, Maggie and Andrew are Special Agents with a secret government organization, the Shepherd Organization.  Their job is to track down serial killers and now they have to find the Coercion Killer.  The Coercion Killer is playing a game.  He kidnaps wives and children ... the only way to ensure their safety is for the husbands/fathers to kill an innocent person.

Marcus turns to his brother, Ackerman, for help ... who better to get into the mind of a serial killer than another serial killer?  As they get closer to catching the killer, it's someone they never expected it to be and it's personal ... really personal.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it.  It is the third in a series ... I read the second one in October 2012 (I haven't read the first one yet).  Though it is part of a series, it works well as a stand alone.

I liked the writing style.  It's written in third person perspective and the focus changes depending on what's going on.  The chapters are short and snappy, between one to five pages, which I like.  As a head's up, there is violence.

I liked the characters.  It was interesting to see the interaction between Marcus and Ackerman (good and evil) and Maggie and Ackerman (she's forced to work with him and she obviously has no respect for him).  Marcus is still getting headaches and isn't sleeping ... he's not happy when he hears the organization is sending everyone for mental and emotional evaluations and then he realizes he's really the only one who has to go.  He and Maggie are back together and trying to make it work.  The Coercion Killer is a sly one and it was amazing the lengths he went.

I recommend this book and look forward to reading others in the series.

Book ~ "The Prophet" (2012) Ethan Cross

From Goodreads ~ OLD ENEMIES ... Francis Ackerman Jr. is one of America's most prolific serial killers. Having kept a low profile for the past year, he is ready to return to work – and he's more brutal, cunning, and dangerous than ever.

NEW THREATS ... Scarred from their past battles, Special Agent Marcus Williams cannot shake Ackerman from his mind. But now Marcus must focus on catching the Anarchist, a new killer who drugs and kidnaps women before burning them alive.

HIDDEN TERRORS ... Marcus knows the Anarchist will strike again soon. And Ackerman is still free. But worse than this is a mysterious figure, unknown to the authorities, who controls the actions of the Anarchist and many like him. He is the Prophet – and his plans are more terrible than even his own disciples can imagine.

With attacks coming from every side, Marcus faces a race against time to save the lives of a group of innocent people chosen as sacrifices in the Prophet's final dark ritual.

Though I enjoyed this book, I found it was a bit slow and confusing in the beginning.  There were a few characters to get to know right away.  But once I figured out who was who and got to know them, I was okay and got into it.

I liked the characters.   Everyone has a scarred past, the good guys and the bad guys.  Marcus and Maggie (she works for the same agency) have had a relationship and are on a break, though each understands it differently.  This doesn't stop them from doing their job, though.  Marcus' brain is always remembering and analyzing everything.  He doesn't sleep much and suffers from migraines.  Andrew is a supportive friend and sidekick ... he knows that Marcus can act like an a-hole at times (Marcus doesn't seem to have any filters) but Andrew is forever smoothing things over for his friend.  Stan, the IT guy, is a hoot.


I liked the writing style once it became more fast paced.  The chapters are short and snappy, between one to five pages, which I like.  There are some twists and turns that are suspenseful surprises.  I was satisfied with the ending.  And just when I thought the story was over, there was a cliffhanger!

This is the second in the series.  It would help if you read the first book first to get the details on what happened between Akerman and Marcus but you don't need to ... this works as a stand alone book.  I'd like to go back and read the first one.