E. J. Findorff

Angel Blondeaux left her home town to escape her family and their control of the local area. Her choice of career with the FBI was never going to be compatible with her Grandmother’s organised crime organisation.

Thirty years before, nineteen high-school baseball players vanished without trace and following the untimely death of Angel’s aunt, the FBI convince her to attend the funeral and see what she can find out.

Never knowing just who she can trust, Angel is thrust into a life threatening investigation where practically nothing is as it seems.

An engaging plot with some great characters and plenty of shocks and surprises as Angel uncovers a thirty year old mystery… (mehr)

E.J. Findorff has a unique way of presenting a mystery-thriller. Typical stories throw out multiple suspects to provide readers the chance to guess who and why. Findorff’s Angel Blondeaux series presents the criminals early. The reader can figure out who's involved in the crime before those investigating can.

In this case, the Blindfold Killer is murdering young women in the New Orleans area. Some serial killers keep trophies of each crime, and the Blindfold Killer manually removes and keeps each victim’s hazel eyes. Blondeaux is part of the FBI team working with the police to solve these murders. For some (initially) unknown reason, the killer will call Angel to discuss the case with her and how he’s stalking her.

The intrigue lies in what comes next. What else will the criminals do before they get caught? How many people will die? How will the investigators get the answers and the necessary evidence to put the villains in jail? The Alpha is unsettling as the reader figures out how each person is involved.

I had to put down the book several times because my skin crawled as Findorff dug deeper into the killer’s plan. Like Angel, I couldn’t step away from the story for long, even as it kept getting darker.

The Alpha is the second book in the Angel Blondeaux series. It works well as a stand alone mystery. There are references to the first book, Blood Parish, that are vague enough not to give anything away but enticing invitations to go back and read the first book. The Alpha’s ending sets up another case for Blondeaux, and I’m looking forward to reading that too.

Thanks to BookSirens for providing me with a review copy of this book.… (mehr)