It's Book Review Wednesday, and it's once again serial killer week! Today's book is about a serial killer who sees his work as art. Creepy!

The Rembrandt Ripper

New York Detective Kissney Shaw is placed on a case that will make a career or kill one when bodies start appearing around New York. With no clues and little evidence it looks like the killer will get away with murder, but Kissney refuses to give up. Levi is Kissney partner on the force and in her bed. Both partnerships could come to an end when the man who holds Kissney heart shows back up in her life. After a letter appears at the papers declaring the man "The Rembrandt Ripper", Kissney has to fight through the troubles in her life to stop a killer that seems to know more about her than she does of him. The city that never sleeps has seen many serial killers, but this one will haunt them for years to come.

My Review: 3.5 Stars

There was A LOT to love about the book! You get a look inside the serial killer's mind, feel his feelings, and understand what drives him to kill. Quite a fascinating character. The story keeps you interested, and you want to find out more about the killer. Every kill is new and unique, and I found the author's creativity in the different types of murders and poses to be quite excellent. However, there were a few things that made it hard to enjoy: There were a lot of grammar, punctuation, and spelling mistakes, along with missing words. The formatting of the book was also off. The sex scenes (there were a lot of them) felt out of place compared to the fast-paced mystery/thriller. It was like the author crammed them in there to make the book appeal to a wider audience. They were well-written scenes, make no mistake, just a bit too "over the top" considering the type of book. The characters were a bit two-dimensional. The main character's main flaw was that she couldn't accept that someone could love her, but there was no explanation as to WHY she felt that way. It also weakened the strong character. Not only was there no big climax in the final chapters, but the ending left me dissatisfied. I won't spoil it, but I'd have to say that it ruined the book for me. A LOT of promise, but it fell a bit short.

Here's a Taste

Dead eyes stared up at him as he withdrew the needle from her chest. The thrill of taking her life would last for a day or two. She really didn’t fight as much as the others. He hated when they didn’t fight back. Where his body met hers, he could feel the winter chill. Slowly he pulled away from her slipping the condom off. The winter moon shined down on them making the scene seem more like a pair of lovers than the murder it had actually been. He brushed dead leaves off his pants legs as he took a deep chilled breath. He admired his work when he stood up. She had been a beauty before he had cut her up, now she was a work of art. Without a thought, he pulled off the outer layer of gloves throwing them down beside her. The condom he placed in his pocket to be thrown into the Hudson River. “Not enough fight!” The fact that she had given up before he could finish pissed him off, it might be why he was so rough with her. It wasn’t in his MO to be this rough; then again, the cops didn’t really have a clue who was defiling these women anyway. He turned from the body leaving her in the dirt and trash. The lot had taken him almost a month to find, even longer to find a spot that would bleed the woman as well. Broken bottles lay on the ground under her making cuts each time she fought what he did. The cops would be at a loss on what truly killed this woman. “What kind of monster would do this?” Detective Shaw looked at the woman that lay half covered in front of her. Her breast implants placed under her head like a pillow. Such a soft touch, but that is the only thing the killer had afforded her. Blood had dried on her chest from the cuts that had opened her breasts to the bone. Ten other cuts lined her sides. When they tried to turn her over to see the ground they found glass buried in her back. The cold had made her almost freeze during the night. The call had come in to the center early this morning. Bloody gloves lay beside her; the killer always left the gloves but each time they checked for prints or anything else they came up with nothing. “Kissney, it looks like he raped her as he killed her.” “That is sick!” “It is a way of life for some.” Kissney couldn’t believe anyone would want to be almost dead during such an intimate moment. Long brown hair was fanned out around her head. Brutal is the first word to come to her mind, but sexual also entered her thoughts. The killer didn’t just kill them he left them looking like art for all to see. The cops had yet to find anything missing from the victims. This serial killer didn’t take trophies. The blood around the woman glistened in the late afternoon sun. “What is the time of death?” “Not sure, the fact that she almost bled out is making time of death hard to determine. Also the fact that it is so cold doesn’t help the matter much. Once I get her to the morgue I can tell you for sure.” “Guess on cause of death?” “I really can’t give you a for sure on that one either, the fact that she was on the glass made her bleed more. The fact that he cut her breast implants out caused more trauma, the ten deep lacerations helped her to bleed out as well. Right now all I can tell you is that she bled out.” “Okay Mac, get her out of here.” “I will get you as much as I can.” “Thanks Mac.” Kissney watched as they struggled to get her Jane Doe on the gurney. After they carted her away, she moved around the area of frozen blood. She couldn’t make out any boot prints in the leaves or snow. The glass had been in the lot for years so that would be of no use. Leaves crunched under her bootie covered feet but she couldn’t make out any prints that hadn’t been made by the cops or M.E. “Shaw, is this the same guy?” “Sure looks like it Levi.” Levi looked so tall compared to Kissney; he didn’t try to make her feel short. His mocha skin set off his black tribal tattoos that covered most of his body, something Kissney knew all too well. A slight shiver went up her spine when he looked down at her with those light brown eyes. Eyes that made her think of her hazel-nut coffee in the morning. “This man is a nut case. It is freezing cold out here and he is still taking the women.” Levi pulled his wool coat closer to his body trying to keep warm. A bright red toboggan didn’t keep him as warm as he would have liked. His leather gloves didn’t keep the bite of cold off his fingers. “Did you find anything of use?” “Nothing as always, the man only leaves the gloves. I know he is raping the women but he isn’t leaving behind any fluids.” “You think he is using a condom?” “Makes the most sense, but what is he doing with them after?”

About the Author:

Freya's prolific writing career has spanned over 20 years. During that time, she has written numerous articles for Examiner.com and Bubblez, as well as novels in several different genres. She is also the author of several children's books under a pen name. During her teen years, her writing accomplishments included being listed in the national Who's Who in Poetry, as well as The Library of Congress. Her twelve years' experience as a mother has allowed her to weave her children into her numerous stories. Her unyielding passion for writing flows onto the page and is evident in everything she writes. When Freya isn't busy writing, she enjoys crafts, reading, and photography. Freya lives in West Virginia and enjoys spending time with her family and friends. Find the book on Amazon: http://ow.ly/OQI1r Or Barnes and Noble: http://ow.ly/OQIhv Read Freya's thoughts on her website: freyalecrow.com Connect with her on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorLeCrow/ Tweet at her: @authorlecrow - twitter Add her on Google+: https://plus.google.com/+FreyaLeCrow