Release: April 16, 2023
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Orla Kelly Publishing
Source: Zooloos Book Tours
Find it at: Goodreads, Amazon, Kindle
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The dark heart of a brilliant and ruthless psychopath
A celebrated but haunted detective
A determined young reporter hunting for justice – and the big story
Karl Jackson is a particularly vengeful sociopath with his unique way of ‘problem-solving’. DCI Tex Deacon suffers from the trauma of his beloved wife’s death and finds it immensely difficult to come to terms with it. Tex is a Detective Chief Inspector specialising in murder and killer profiling. And he has a relentless workload from his base on the edges of the mountains of the Lake District.
Tex is under pressure from his superiors to take a step back to grieve properly. It’s clear that Susan’s death has ripped out part of his soul. There is no doubt that Tex is suffering, but this DCI is a driven man. Tex’s welfare is the responsibility of his boss Chief Constable Barbara Bracewell, and she and Tex go back a very long way. However, Bracewell must do what is right for Tex and the Cumbrian police force.
Despite falling into a mental abyss, Tex’s instincts for the hunt never leave him. A hyper-intelligent and devious murderer appears in his crosshairs – the self-styled ‘Genius Killer’. So what will Tex do? What can he get away with doing with the Chief Constable monitoring his every move?
And then there’s Debbie Pilkington, a tenacious and hugely ambitious cub reporter at the local paper – The Rimpton Chronicle. Debbie has big stories and a big future in her own sights. A young journalist, a craggy and vastly experienced detective, and one of the most dangerous serial killers Britain has even seen. Their lives were about to intertwine. The chase to stop a cunning killer begins. Tex is a master at breaking down the thinking processes of those he hunts but with Tex enduring his own psychological meltdown, can he penetrate the mind of this supremely malevolent psychopath?
About the author:
Mark Robson is a sports journalist and broadcaster with over forty years of experience working for many channels including SKY Sports, the BBC, UTV, ITV, Eurosport, BT. His focus now is on rugby commentary. And he works mainly on international matches which go to a global audience through the ‘World Feed’.
Mark has commentated on four Rugby World Cups, two football World Cups, and the Olympics in Sydney 2000. Fell running has been a passion for Mark, he has run over a hundred races and competed in many navigation-focused Mourne Mountain Marathons. Mark has also run several 50-mile Ultra races, and they include the Addo Elephant Safari Park Ultra in the Zuurberg mountains in South Africa and the Grand Raid des Pyrenees. Mark has hiked in the Andes, the Blue Mountains, the Picos de Europa, the Alps and many other ranges around the globe, so no surprise then that quite a bit of ‘The Genius Killer’ is set in the mountains. In this case, the magnificent peaks of the Lake District.
The Genius Killer Review:
The standout element of the narrative was Karl. It’s not often that I find the antagonist to be the focal point of a story, but Karl indeed caught my attention. Delving into his background and sinister actions, the author skillfully delves into his psyche, revealing what propels him. This depth brought to mind the recent Dahmer series I watched. I couldn’t help but marvel at how effectively the author portrayed Karl. Despite his frightening and evil nature, the author convincingly contrasts him with Tex, making a part of you want to cheer for Karl.
The supporting cast is also commendably crafted. Debbie, as the aspiring journalist seeking prominence, stood out for me. In supporting roles, characters like Kerry, Nathan, and Patricia contributed significantly to the overall narrative.
However, I found Tex to be somewhat lacking as the protagonist. While I appreciated exploring his emotional struggles in coping with the loss of Susan and his therapy sessions, when it came to apprehending the killer, Tex seemed to stumble upon too many clues rather than actively pursuing them. In contrast, Debbie, with her more proactive role, even though she is a secondary character, garnered my admiration. Also, the plot seemed to veer off course at times, especially during discussions about other serial cases in class, which, while occasionally interesting, felt excessive.
Despite these minor critiques, “The Genius Killer” was enjoyable. I would eagerly revisit the characters in a potential sequel.
Book Tour Schedule
I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on The Genius Killer by Mark Robson Blog Tour hosted by Zooloos Book Tours.
Epic review – thank you so much for supporting the tour x