From Publishers Weekly
Moving his readers along at a breathless pace (and keeping them one step ahead of the boys in blue), Randisi renders the mad ramblings of a pathetic young man who follows a series of sexual murders in the New York City tabloids and determines to copy, and finally to surpass, the murderer's work. For a number of sinister reasons, detective Joe Keough's superiors are determined to pin all the killings on the man the papers call "the Lover." But Keough isn't convinced: the earlier killings occurred in Manhattan and the later ones in Brooklyn, a change of venue that matches subtle alterations in MO. Keough has a reputation for trouble, but so do a few of his superiors?and they hold the face cards. Randisi power-shifts this work from the start, slowing only to provide procedural detail before resuming speed, even on the brave narrative detour in which the Lover, concerned about his reputation, makes phone contact with Keough. As one killer comes to the surface, the other's rage intensifies. This is top-notch suspense, right from the chilling prologue to the brutal conclusion.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
The Lover is terrorizing New York City. He strangles and rapes women, and he leaves a rose protruding from their lifeless bodies. Lieutenant Joe Keogh, a renegade cop banished to Brooklyn, believes there are two Lovers out there, but when he tries to advance his theory, he's summarily ignored. A politically connected Lover Task Force is closing in on the killer and doesn't want to hear Keogh's strident cries of "copycat." The reader knows the truth because Randisi inserts brief chapters presenting the points of view of both killers, who soon come to resent sharing the limelight and plot to eliminate each other. Meanwhile, Keogh, with the help of crime reporter Mike O'Donnell, tries to convince an unyielding bureaucracy that it should be looking for two killers. This is an entertaining, well-written crime novel that stands out on the basis of its shifting points of view, sharp dialogue, humor, and bang-up conclusion.
Wes Lukowsky
