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The Samaritan by Mason Cross has been published to great acclaim and has a recommendation from the Richard and Judy Book Club, here in the UK, so it must be good!

I loved it: It's everything a good thriller should be, snappy characters, great setting and a cracking storyline that moves along at such an accelerated pace it's almost impossible to catch your breath. Carter Blake is at the centre of this serial killer novel, he is a kind of a Jack Reacher character but without that bullish aggressive nature that always seems to attract a fist fight. He has volunteered his services to two LAPD detectives Allen and Mazzucco in their attempt to find out the identity of a killer known as The Samaritan. Carter recognises his modus operandi and knows the killer as Crozier from his days as a special forces operative codenamed Winterlong.

It is not only important for an author to keep our attention during the telling of his tale but also the real test of a good story is the ability to draw all threads together to create an explosive conclusion. Mason Cross does this with some panache and confidence and produces  an ending totally unexpected to me. There is certainly great scope here for further Carter Blake thrillers and I for one will be along for the ride!