Book Review: The Killing Song by P.J. Parrish

Matt Owens is a Pulitzer Prize–nominated journalist, but at thirty-five, he’s adrift, more inclined to hit the bottle alone than the Miami Beach club scene. But when his beloved younger sister Mandy comes to visit, Matt wants to show her a new world. It’s the trip of her dreams, but the nightmare begins when Mandy disappears from a crowded dance floor. When her lifeless body is found, one clue—a grisly rock song downloaded onto her iPod—may be the calling card of a serial killer. Shattered with grief and guilt, Matt begins a lonely journey to find Mandy’s killer, following a chain of musical clues that lead him from an abandoned London rock club to a crumbling Scottish castle and finally to the ancient bone-strewn catacombs below Paris. Only one person believes in his quest—Eve Bellamont, a dedicated French detective whose own five-year obsession to find the phantom killer has left her an outcast in her own department. Together, they race to decipher the “killing songs” that the madman leaves with each victim and stop him before another beautiful young woman dies.

The author of The Killing Song, P.J. Parrish is actually two sisters, Kelly Nichols and Kris Montee.  How I have not been aware of this writing team, I do not know, but I want to read more.   This book was intense.  I could feel the evilness of the serial killer seeping off the pages.  He was twisted, disturbed, kinky, and very cunning - everything I love to hate in a villain.  Matt Owens is the ideal broken hero.  From Putlitzer Prize nominated to just shy of an alcoholic, he has to pull himself together to find his sister's killer.  He's not perfect, but he's determined, and I found it easy to care about him and root for him to succeed.

The story moves quickly from clue to clue with snippets of the killer's evil-doings in between.  It's not a fast read, but it's a gripping, emotional one.  When you start reading it, be prepared, and hang on for the ride.  It's worth it!

*Disclaimer:  I received this book from the publisher for free, I was not required to write a positive review.

 I give this book 4 Bookworms.

Paperback:  416 pages
Publisher:  Gallery (July 26, 2011)
ISBN-10:  1439189366
ISBN-13:  978-1439189368

Publisher:  Pocket (July 26, 2011)
Sold by:  Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc.
ASIN:  B004INHDAA
Format:  Ebook
File size:  715kb