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The Love Killings – By Robert Ellis
Book Review – By Laura the Book Enthusiast
A detective sits on his back deck, watching the wildfire consume the hills surrounding his neighborhood. The burning flames match the burning pain of his healing bullet wounds. One wound was not healing; a wound much deeper than the holes in his body. There was only one way to heal that wound, he must kill his father. Not to worry, this isn’t a spoiler, for all this information is found on the very first page of Robert Ellis’, The Love Killings.
The Love Killings is a sequel to Ellis’ first novel, City of Echoes. While the sequel can be read on its own without confusion, it broaches into plot points found in the first novel, allowing us more insight into the protagonist, and his motivations. Detective Matt Jones is an intriguing character, layered, and relatable. One does not have to be a detective to understand Jones’ thought processes. While Jones has seen a lot of violence in his work, the emotional turmoil he experiences due to his current case, gives us a glimpse of what our men and women in law enforcement undergo on a regular basis. Throw in the creativity of a writer, and the story becomes a roller coaster of thrilling suspense.
Just weeks after recovering from bullet wounds, Detective Matt Jones is hired by the FBI to work as a US Marshal on a new serial killer case. While the serials may be new, the killer is not. The suspect is Doctor George Baylor, a serial killer that Jones has had close contact with (Doctor Baylor is featured in City of Echoes). It seems Baylor’s MO has changed into an even more disturbing pattern. It’s up to Detective Jones to apprehend Baylor, and bring him to justice. What Matt doesn’t know is he’s more closely linked to Baylor than he realizes. With crooked FBI agents on his tail, and a gossip reporter digging into his past, Jones isn’t as alone as he thinks. It doesn’t take long for the detective to suspect that Baylor is not the Love Killer. What Matt Jones doesn’t know is that he has a fan, a dangerous one; and that fan is the key to the Love Killings.
The Love Killings kept me in anticipation the entire time. The novel reminded me a bit of The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris. In fact, Baylor reminded me somewhat of Doctor Hannibal Lector. That is probably why Baylor is my favorite character, as I love layered villains. Matt is a great Clarice to Baylor’s Lector. The two characters are opposite sides of the same coin, which makes their scenes fun to read. This quote from the doctor sums up their relationship well:
“Isn’t it remarkable that the two of us can coexist in the same world, Matthew? That we coexist and thrive in our own professions?”
You can probably guess Matt’s reaction to this twisted statement, but I will leave that for you to discover.
How are Baylor and Jones connected? Who is really responsible for the love killings? Does Matt Jones go through with killing his father? Read, The Love Killings to find the answer. You will just love it to death. Too dark a pun?
Stay tuned for a short post on some personal thoughts regarding this novel.
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