The Death Sculptor by Chris Carter

In The Death Sculptor, a murderer leaves behind a bizarre calling card near the body of prosecutor, Derek Nicholson. The police know that the killer is trying to communicate with them, but it's not readily apparent what the message is. The police are stumped when another body turns up, with an equally disturbing calling card, and they can't find any connection to the first victim. Detective Robert Hunter, together with his partner Garcia and investigator Alice Beaumont, must decipher the message and stop the Death Sculptor.

I loved this book!!! It's creepy and seriously twisted. It's pretty scary to think that Carter was able to come up with something so disturbed. It's definitely not for the squeamish or the faint of heart. The details get quite gory, but fortunately these aren't the main focus. The psychological side to the story is the main attraction. While it's seems tamer on the surface, it can sometimes be just as terrifying as the violence.

There's lots to love about Detective Robert Hunter, the main character. He seems to possess a set of traits perfect for this type of work. He approaches the investigation by trying to get into the mind of the killer and does a lot of analysing. He's a loner, who seems to do little else other than work. He also enjoys a good whiskey, but doesn't drown his sorrows.

Even though it's the 4th book in the Robert Hunter series, it didn't read like part of a series and can be read as a standalone book.

I've read one other book by Carter, One by One. I loved it!!

The author's background is interesting and varied. He started off working for the District Attorney in Michigan on the Criminal Psychology team. Then spent numerous years in LA as a rock band musician before becoming a writer full time.

Highly recommended. I love Carter's work and I hope to read many more of his books.

For more information about this book, please visit Simon & Schuster's UK website.

For more information about the author and his other books, please visit Chris Carter's website.

I'd like to thank those nice people at Simon & Schuster UK for this review copy.

The Death Sculptor by Chris Carter, Simon & Schuster ©2012. ISBN 9780857203007(Hardcover), 496p.