Review of Killers!

[Bertha Jackson]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Killers!" by Thomas A. Burns, Jr..]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Killers! by Thomas A. Burns, Jr. is the 6th book in The Natalie McMasters Mysteries series. Twenty-two-year-old Natalie (Nattie) McMasters vows at the funeral of her friend, Dr. Rebecca Feiner, that she will track down her killer. Nattie asks her Uncle Amos, who owns the 3M Detective Agency, to help her, but he hesitates because he disapproves of her lifestyle and marriage to Lupe and Danny. Their relationship goes against his Southern Baptist beliefs. After the funeral, Nattie returns home to find out that they have been evicted because of their non-traditional marriage. Nattie knows the killer is a serial killer nicknamed Marquis, after the Marquis de Sade, because of his torture techniques. Nattie decides to see her Tai Chi sifu, Ye-ye, who invites her, Danny, and Lupe to dinner. After Danny describes a man he chased, thinking he was the Marquis to Ye-ye, Ye-ye is sure that the Marquis is not Leonard Ashworth, whom the FBI has hunted for two decades. Who does Ye-ye think the serial killer is? Is the serial killer brought to justice? Why is Nattie so sure the killer is the Marquis?

Thomas A. Burns, Jr. did a fantastic job with the character and demographic development. His explanation of what made each character the person they were was informative and helped me understand them, regardless of whether their personality was influenced by rape, abuse, or love. I could easily visualize the swamps, forests, caves, mountains, and the alligators nudging boats. The action-packed and fast-paced plot flowed smoothly between chapters focusing on either Nattie, Rebecca, Lupe, or Ye-ye. The use of multiple serial killers in one book kept me guessing who the Marquis was. There were many options until the end of the book. These options kept me intrigued throughout the book. I enjoyed learning about Tai Chi Chuan as a form of defense.

There was nothing I disliked about this book. My only recommendation for Thomas A. Burns, Jr. is to have a professional editor edit the text to eliminate the many errors I found in the book.

The number of errors did not distract from my enjoyment of reading this book, and I am happy to give it 3 out of 4 stars. There was no reason for me to give this book a lower rating.

I recommend this book to open-minded adults who enjoy reading crime-thriller books that contain non-borderline profanity and explicitly detailed sexual content consisting of LGBTQ and BMSD. As is customary in books about serial killers, there is some gory content. This book contains religious and non-religious characters, making it appropriate for both sectors.

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Killers!
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[Kendal Low]

This sounds like quite an intricate series. I'd love to pick up the first book one day. Thanks for a great review.

[Amy Luman]

It’s very hard for me to read books with graphic sexual content. Such things make me very uncomfortable. I’m also not inclined to begin a series in the middle or towards the end. This is a great review, though.

[Jane Ogwang]

Sounds like a really exciting book and the errors are quite unfortunate. thanks for the detailed analysis.

[ELSETH MAEVE]

Your review is thorough, well written, and interesting too. It has got me intrigued about the story. My only fear would be reading about the torture scenes. If the author knows how to put words at play, we the readers are bound to be kept at the end of the edge.

[NetMassimo]

This seems lke an intense and sometime brutal thriller that features quite a diverse group of characters used to address some important issues. Thank you for your great review!