Thursday, August 9, 2012

review: freak by jennifer hillier


The story of a serial killer who kidnapped his sex addict lover that started in Jennifer Hillier’s Creep continues in Freak, but with a different perspective that keeps the story fresh.  Having nearly been killed by the serial killer’s girlfriend, Abby Maddox, in Creep, Jerry Isaac is now retired from the Seattle Police Department; however, his former partner calls him in when bodies with the words “Free Abby Maddox” are found.  Despite not wanting to be involved, Jerry soon finds he’s once again in the middle of the hunt for a serial killer.

Freak is filled with plenty of twists.  As Jerry points out when the murders are first considered solved, “It was all just…way too easy.”  And sure enough, there’s plenty more to be revealed before the killings stop.  The thrills and the danger just keep coming.  What Hillier really nails is the little details (although I feel I’d be remiss if I didn’t note that Corvettes do not have backseats) like the description of Highway 99 (also known as Aurora Ave) in one of the seedier parts of Seattle.  Those seemingly insignificant things are what push a novel from great to excellent.
5/5
Review copy provided by the publisher, Gallery Books.

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