Time Killer by Todd M. Thiede

In Time Killer, a killer is on the loose. He's tired of waiting and decides to kill those who've wasted his time. Two young detectives, Max Larkin and Jesse Fairlane are on the case and soon realize that they have a serial killer on their hands, one who's been operating for a long time. They have to get past their mutual dislike for each other in order to piece this mystery together.

I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, it had a pretty good storyline. I'm one of those people who gets frustrated when the person at the front of the line holds it up because they are digging for change or can't decide what they want. I don't really get angry and certainly haven't resorted to murder like this guy, but I do find it annoying. I think lots of people can relate. Having said that, perhaps the author went a bit overboard in having the killer torture these people over very minor transgressions.

The story also contains a few fairly clever connections and plot lines that I didn't see coming. I probably should have expected some of the twists, but the author really surprised me. I don't want to say too much or post any spoilers so I'll just leave it at that.

On the other hand, I just didn't like the writing. The dialogue was the most annoying. It felt more like a series of monologues with very little back and forth between the characters. It was pretty formal, too. I don't think anyone really talks like this. Also, there were many instances where I found the characters' actions or reactions to be unbelievable. For example, when Max discovered the secret his parents had been keeping from him, he should have been upset...really upset. He said he wanted to put on a happy face for his parents, but how about the readers? He just seemed to carry on as though he were happy. Also, Jesse's career with the police force and her powers of deduction seemed too good to be true.

I did manage to finish the book, so I guess that's something. However, I don't think I'll be recommending this one or reading the next in the series. The book and author have received a number of glowing reviews on Amazon.com and Goodreads.com. I only read a few of them, but it's almost as though we read two different books. I guess to each his own.

For more information about this book or to browse inside, please visit the iUniverse website.

For more information about the author, please visit Todd Thiede's website. (For what it's worth, the website is really well designed. I liked it more than I liked the book.)

Time Killer by Todd M. Thiede, iUniverse, ©2013. ISBN 9781475972351(Trade paperback), 193p.