Meet Arthur Beautyman, computer hacker turned detective. He
uses his hacking skills to troll for clues in his pursuit of suspects. Not
quite on the up-and-up, but very effective. Take the case of a serial killer targeting
modern day saints, add the ubiquitous reality TV show, and you have a rollicking good story with a fresh slant.
Beautyman has been in pursuit of the ‘Babylon’ killer for 14
months, and is no closer to catching him than he was after the first victim. He
spends his days in mundane police work, and his nights hacking into computers
looking for some shred of evidence that mundane police work isn’t turning up.
In the meantime, ‘Watchdog’, a reality TV show that has actors re-enact crimes,
is making the police, and especially Beautyman, look like incompetent fools.
The reader feels the complete frustration and hopelessness
of a police department demoralized by its inability to track down a ruthless
serial killer in a city of millions, while being besieged by an avaricious
press and mocked by unscrupulous television producers. It is a good cat and mouse psychological
drama that is entertaining and easy to read without losing the suspense. The
ending is unexpected, but quite logical when all the parts come together.
All in all, a satisfying read.
220 pages
Very cool blog project you have going on. Thank you for checking out The Saints Go Dying as part of it! Glad you enjoyed it!
ReplyDelete