The 7th Victim

Karen Vail Novel, Book 1

By: Alan Jacobson

Narrated by: Lila Wellesley

Length: 12 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

The Dead Eyes killer lurks in the backyard of the FBI's famed Behavioral Analysis Unit. His brutal murders, unlike any others previously encountered, confound the local task force, despite the gifted skills of Special Agent Karen Vail, the first female ever promoted to the profiling unit. But along with her keen insight, Vail brings considerable personal and professional baggage—both of which threaten to derail the investigation, destroy her storied career and get her killed.

Drawing from his meticulous research during seven years of study with the FBI's legendary profiling unit, Alan Jacobson brings dramatic realism and unprecedented accuracy to his pages as he takes readers behind the scenes of the FBI Academy. The 7th Victim is a terrifying and memorable work of psychological suspense, with rich, believable characters and a chilling intricate plot that will keep you guessing until the end.

©2009 Alan Jacobson (P)2009 Phoenix Books

It seemed like it took forever to get through this

The main story is about the "Dead Eyes" killer, a serial killer who mutilates his/her victims and paints on the wall in their blood. The hero/main character is Karen Vail, a FBI profiler.
Karen is in a custody battle with her ex-husband - this creates situations that don't seem believable. The physical fights between Karen and Deacon, her ex are tiresome. When her son is injured, it's unrealistic how she fits hospital visits into her schedule. Also she is falling in love with a fellow officer, finding out about her past, putting her mother in a nursing home and seeing a lawyer regarding the custody of her son - all this during the investigation of the serial killer. Too much blah, blah when there should be lots of action. When I finally got to the action part, it just didn't draw me in or make me turn the pages.

GREAT READ

Started a little slow, but the pace, plot and the "whodunnit" factor had me hooked. Great finish and a nice surprise ending.

A good read but....

This is a good book but its a little drawn out. if you can get through the first 70 some chapters it picks up like a true thriller is supposed to.

Karen Vail #2

Performance had quite a few errors, but the story was not negatively affected. The story is "Criminal Intelligence" with a twist. Very well done.

Great Book!

The 7th Victim kept me hooked the whole time! It had a great surprise ending!

Disappointed by the conclusion

I really enjoyed this audiobook ... until the ending. While it certainly was an intriguing resolution, it seemed 'rushed' (compared with the time devoted to other aspects of the plot), and, in my opinion, let down what was, overall, an interesting novel with engaging characters and pleasant narration by Lila Wellesley.

This book has everything!

I’m a fan of the show dexter and I couldn’t help but think that this book shared the same quality storyline, character development, realism and mystery. I had a lot of fun reading this one.

Stiff and Unbelievable

I couldn't get past the second chapter. I not only live in Northern Virginia but am also intimately familiar with the law enforcement community that the writer attempts to represent. I didn't find even the first two chapters remotely believable as the would-be protagonist would never have completed Academy were she a real person. Sadly, the narrator added to the character's unbelievability in that it was clear that she had no concept of much of the terminology that she was reciting.

Dissapointing

I was looking forward to find a new series to listen to, but was very dissapointed with 7th Victim, in fact I didn't even finish it. For the first time on an audiobook I skipped to the last chapter just to find out "who did it". The author lost me when he had the main character go on with the investigation when her child was in ICU saying "the hospital will call me".