Review: The Killing Season

Today I am reviewing The Killing Season by Mason Cross. I was given this book by BooklyBox for their October Mystery box. This review is spoiler free!

Overall, I would give this book a 5/5 star review - Goodreads gives this book an average of 3.9/5 stars - but I personally loved the book! The book starts off quickly and keeps escalating until the very end. It reminds me of a classic law and order episode, except the suspect escapes from death row and goes on a sniper, killing rampage. We follow the man that can find people that don't want to be found, Carter Blake - or at least that's what he calls himself. No one knows his real name, anything about his life, except that he was in the war with escaped serial killer and sniper Caleb Wardell and could have killed him when he had the chance, but didn't.

Blake is asked to help the FBI track down Wardell and is teamed up with Agent Elaine Banner - a woman looking to rise in the ranks of the FBI and will do anything to find Wardell and protect her daughter.

The book is 1/8 romance, 3/8 mystery, and 4/8 (1/2) UTTER SUSPENSE. The book is a bit graphic in description so beware, especially when involved with a sniper serial killer!

Now, here is how I got my rating:

I give reviews based on five separate categories: plot, characters, description, pace, and extras. Each point earns a total of 1 star - which is what gives my five star rating.

Plot: 1/1 stars. The plot is fast paced, unpredictable, and keeps you on your toes. It was so hard to put this book down in general, but there were times I would keep reading late into the night to find out what happens next. The suspense kills me!

Characters: 1/1 stars. The character development was AMAZING. The characters all seemed realistic, multi-layered, and interesting in general. Caleb Wardell (the sniper serial killer) was so complex and hard to understand, like I assume most characters are. He would do something that doesn't make sense to a person like me, but have complete reasoning for himself. Elaine Banner (the agent on the FBI team hunting him down) showed the stressful life that an FBI agent has, especially one that's a single mother. Her daughter has given up on her mother being involved actively in her life and we can see how that kills Agent Banner. She wants to love and be there for her daughter, while keeping her safe. And last, but not least, Carter Blake! His character was so funny and well thought up he made the book interesting. With his intuition and guilt, his search for Wardell becomes personal and makes his character development even better!

Description: 1/1 stars. The clarity in Cross' descriptions makes the book come alive right before your eyes. Which, on one hand is absolutely amazing and on the other, terrifying. Cross does not spare are details when it comes to the victims of Wardell's murderous spree and leaves no imagination for the reader. He goes in depth with his descriptions, which is probably why this book felt so real to me. It made me think I was watching a television show rather than reading his novel.

Pace: 1/1 stars. The pace was amazing! It started off already in over drive and sped up into hyper speed! The first few chapters bring us action and fear and Cross uses that to propel the reader into utter suspense. The book didn't lack moment, even when it finished. It propels us into his next book (which I'm most likely about to buy!).

Extras: 1/1 stars. Extras are what I consider the extra POP in a book that makes it go from a "good" book to a "GREAT" book! This book has POP. Pizzaz. Humph. The complexity of Wardell's mind and his unpredictable nature made this book all that more interesting. Some authors try and fail to create a complex villain - Cross does it with ease.

If you liked my thoughts, or completely disagree, please feel free to let me know!

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