A Killer's Mind: Zoe Bentley Mystery, Book 1

Prime Day was great for me. I was able to buy the other five Amazon First titles, in addition to “The Tenth Island.” Although I greatly enjoyed that memoir, I can readily understand why “A Killer’s Mind” rocketed to the number one bestseller on Kindle. This book already has a terrific review by Dee Arr, which deserves the popularity it is receiving. I will not repeat what was said in Dee Arr’s review. Rather, for the few who might be interested in certain other aspects, this review may help. As the other review indicated, Chapter 1, starting with the sense of smell, is one of the better written opening chapters I have ever stumbled across. Shows us just enough of the mindset of the murderer, and leaves us eager to turn the page to Chapter 2. Chapter 2, although as well-written as 1, it was a bit of a downer to be lurched back in time. I’m not criticizing the move, just expressing its effect on me, as the reader. To better understand the writer’s style and flow, please take a look at the below excerpt. BLUSH FACTOR: Chapter exhibits the only f-word in the story. There are a few, very few, other locker-room words in the entirety of this book. Having said that, the content of this story might suggest due consideration before reading this allowed to youth or, say, to your prayer group. This includes the topic of sex, although, frankly, this hinted more than it actually showed, in a literary sense. ADVENTURE: Although differing locales are mentioned, I can’t state that there is a sense of adventure in this book. If the writer had attempted to show the locales, in fact, it probably would have detracted from the story at hand. SOUL: Yes, well, sort of, in an oblique way, because a murderer such as is depicted is not likely to have a soul, as I understand the term. If you consider the feeling that, as a reader, was it possible to inhabit the villain’s embodiment and feel much of what he was feeling, well, in that sense, absolutely. This book has soul. WHAT GRABBED MY ATTENTION: The writer’s ability to get me inside the killer was so well done and expertly personified. That, and the writer’s understanding of the chemicals used by the serial kiler. WHAT PERPLEXED ME: Perhaps the lurching back in time. Otherwise, see the question below just after the heading, BOTTOM LINE. POINT OF VIEW: This is written in third person POV. EXCERPT ‘…right. When he moved the chair slightly backward, he inevitably collided with the cabinet, emitting a loud clang. As the day went by, the detectives around him talked and joked with each other, went to lunch together, and pointedly ignored him. He suddenly yearned to be one of them. How had he gotten here? A job in an agency that didn’t appreciate him, in a department he didn’t want to be a part of, with no friends and a superior who distrusted him. And a bunch of self-pity to boot. Disgusting. People would give their left kidney to be an FBI agent and their right one to be in the Behavioral Analysis Unit. Except that would be counterproductive. Having at least one functioning kidney was a requirement for all FBI agents, he was pretty sure of it. He saved the report he was working on. He had spent the entire day going over the autopsies of the two victims, talking to the medical examiner, and discussing the case with the detectives assigned to it. The task force was actually on the right track—or had been, up until three days ago. The first thing he had to do was to help them get back on course. He had a vague idea how to do it. He took out his phone, about to call the chief, when he saw the notification of four unread messages. He opened them—all four were from Marvin. Where is the cat food? Never mind found it. That wasn’t the cat food but he likes it. I think the cat is ill, he vomited in the living room. The fish is fine. Tatum groaned and wrote back that the cat food was in the leftmost cupboard in the kitchen. He wondered what Marvin had been feeding Freckle and decided that any answer to that would only make him feel worse. Scrolling down his contacts, he located the contact Christine Mancuso and pressed the call button. She answered after a few seconds. “Hello?” “It’s Tatum.” He looked around him. The room was currently empty; all the detectives were either somewhere else or had gone home. “I know.” “Right. Okay, listen. The guys here are fine. The lieutenant in charge is pretty sharp, they have a decent task force working on those murders, and they were doing well until recently.” “And then what happened?”…’ Omer, Mike. A Killer's Mind (Zoe Bentley Mystery Book 1) (pp. 32-33). Thomas & Mercer. Kindle Edition. BOTTOM LINE Rather than again tell you why this is a great thriller, I will pose one question: How is it possible that “A Killer’s Mind” has not yet been turned into a blockbuster motion picture already? A most solid five stars out of five. I am writing a book for aspiring reviewers and for product suppliers seeking reviews in an effort to help improve the process and to understand the value of Amazon’s Customer Review process. I hope to incorporate many of the received comments, with attribution to those making the suggestions, into my books. Together, you and I can build a great customer review process that helps everybody. Will you join me? It is people such as you who have helped me improve over the years. I'm still learning, and I have a great deal yet to learn. With your help, I'll improve every day. One request: Be respectful and courteous in your comments and emails to me. I will do likewise with you. Thank you so much for indicating if this review helped you, or for your comment.

I really enjoyed this book! It is one of the most interesting and entertaining books I've read this year. I wish I could give half stars (I find myself wishing this a lot), but this book for me is 4.5 stars. The basic plot isn't anything new, but it was well written and for me it had just the right amount of suspense. There is a serial killer on the loose and the FBI is sent in to assist a police department. Of course the agent is set up to be a rogue agent with a problematic past and the police are somewhat resistant to assistance. Adding a twist to the mix is a forensic psychologist who is a consultant for the FBI and sent to help with the investigation. The Pros: I thought at the beginning that I was not going to like the FBI agent Tatum. From the book description it seemed like he was going to be obnoxious and full of himself. But in reading the book he wasn't. He was very likable and played the partner role well. He also had a soft side evidenced by Freckle the cat and his grandfather. I would have to say that Tatum was actually my favorite character...next to the cat! The forensic psychologist, Zoe, was quirky and had few social skills, but this worked to make this more interesting than the standard whodunit serial killer story. I also enjoyed the pace of the story. It took them quite some time to find the killer, but the story was never boring. The amount of time it took to find the killer gave the story more credibility in my opinion. There were mistakes made and a lot of time spent trying to find the killer's motivation. On tv or other books there is some "genius" who puts things together quickly and everything is solved, but that is clearly not how it happens IRL. There was a plot twist and portions of the book are in flashbacks. The book never gets confusing and the flashbacks were integral to understanding more about Zoe. I did figure out who the killer was before the reveal, but that didn't impact the enjoyment of the story. Tatum and Zoe have good chemistry and I liked the fact that the author did not immediately throw them into a relationship or into bed together. I think that is probably going to happen at some point if these stories continue. Note to the author Mike Omer, when that happens, I hope that it is handled with the right amount of awkwardness on Zoe's part and the complimentary amount of patience, understanding and sarcasm from Tatum. I'm not even into romance novels, but these two getting together after the right amount of build up and tension...yeah, I'm here for that! The Cons: There were two points in the book where I didn't like how something was handled, but neither effected my overall enjoyment of the book. One being how casually Zoe showed pictures of the crime scene and suspects without any approvals, which seemed like it would be against some type of protocol. The other, when Zoe decides to go off on her own and of course it doesn't work out too well. Just once I'd like an author not to use this, the reader knows that something is going to go wrong because it always does. Without giving too much away, I would have preferred for that sequence of events to have taken place in her hotel room, apartment, etc., someplace where she should have reasonably been. I would recommend this book and I can't wait until the next book.

J’ai absolument adoré ! A very good book. Scary and funny at the same time :)

I'm loving these books . I actually started reading mike omer books when I came across the Abby Mullen series ,however the next one is not out yet. But I loved it so much I went to his earlier work . That's how I fell in love with the Zoe Bentley mysteries! I'm on to my next one and I can't wait!!!!

A remarkable main character due to their determination to dive into the available data from crime scenes and fish out information about how and why the crime was committed, as well as messages left by the criminal that may lead to their capture. The suspense arises because the reader cannot predict what will happen next. The adverse conditions in which the main characters operate make the plot even more engaging.

1) Best serial killer books of recent times . 2) suspense building is amazing. 3) the end was hurriedly done . 4 ) I really loved the emotional touch bw zoe and tatum

Well written it has a good pace and the right amount of suspense. It has an open end which triggers the reader's curiosity. Recommended.