A 110 page fast paced crime thriller.

From school bullies to the crime-ridden streets of his hometown of Los Angeles, Jeremy Riker has always felt the need to do something about the injustice surrounding him.

Just as he sets out on his journey as an urban warrior, he unknowingly gives rise to an obsessive adversary, who ends up becoming one of the most notorious serial killers the city has ever known. Dubbed by the news media as The Spyderco Killer, the methodical psychopath roots himself deep into Riker’s life for the long haul, until his own madness propels everything into an intense climax.

This novella could be an episode of any crime TV show. It packs a punch and features a psychopath. From a puzzling question of who? to a twisty showdown.

Meet Jeremy Riker- bullied in school by one of the security staff, Riker decides that getting involved in the police force is something he should do to protect the other vulnerable people. An unfortunate event, however, sees the police force dream of Riker’s being flushed down the toilet as he’s no longer physically ‘fit enough’ as per the police force requirement.

Riker does, with the help of a mentor he met in police force, start his own P.I. agency and together they solve the unsolved.

It’s not that easy though… that’s not all… Riker discovers that the Spiderco Killer is intentionally targeting people who are one way or another connected to Riker and the murders are quite calculated and gross. There are a few scenes there that are just plain horrible… especially if you have a vivid imagination…

I did have a major question about the psychopath… I seemed to have missed the point as to how how Jaime (Riker’s ‘niece’… again, can’t give too many away here) figured out that the psycho was the man they were after? Without knowing the Killer’s face how did they really crack the ‘case’? Maybe what was missing was the insight into how Riker was trying to solve the case… what kind of clues did he get, if any? What research did he do, if any? The sleepless nights he spent.. the loss of a woman he thought he was going to have a future with… it’s all ‘avoided’… but, it is a novella, so some things shouldn’t get attention, you’ll get plenty of action instead.

So, without giving any further details away to leave plenty of surprises for potential readers, I would just like to say that it’s a decent read. The connections of characters and events are well thought out.

I received a review copy from Rico directly- thanks! – and while there were some typos in the story, I am certain that these will be rectified when the book is launched for sale.

Overall, however, a satisfying and quick read bound to keep you entertained.

My Rating: 3 stars- I liked it. I liked how the story panned across decades and how it didn’t feel entirely watered down due to years and year being, say, cut out of the story. There’s always method to the madness 😉 I would recommend to all crime fans.

Riker’s Calling will be released on Augut 4th and is currently available to pre-order with a nice 25% discount.

Amazon UK — Amazon USA