Close Enough to Kill (by Beverly Barton)

It's funny to think that I almost missed out on this book. I was just about to walk away from one of those the revolving book rack at the Indooroopilly library when this book caught my attention. I pulled it off the rack, had a glance at the back, & knew straight away that I had to borrow it. And I'm glad I did.

"Close Enough to Kill" is set in Adams County, Alabama. It is a quiet & peaceful area, until a few young women are murdered one by one. The pattern leading to the murders is the same - the assailant would sent the victim a series of gifts & nude sketches of the victim, the assailant then stalks & kidnaps the victim, & the victim would then be killed. A serial killer is at large. But who would perpetrate the killings & why?

That is the task that confronts Sheriff Bernie Granger & her newly elected chief deputy Jim Norton. Bernie Granger is a third generation sheriff in the county - her father also previously held the post. Jim Norton was a former detective with the Memphis Police, just coming off a divorce, & accepted the job at Adams County so that he can be located close to his son. Aside from all those gifts received by the murder victims, Granger & Norton had to work with precious few clues to try to hunt down the twisted serial killer. As the story progressed, the serial killer took a very personal step - he stalked someone close to Granger. Both Granger & Norton worked very well together, & as the story progressed, their relationship developed at both professional & personal level.

Terrific book! Very thrilling. Beverly Barton did well in the way she moved the storyline from one victim onto another, & in the way she withheld the identity of the serial killer until the very end. In fact, the storyline left the killer's identity so open ended, that it could be any of the men in Adams County. I did manage to guess who the killer is, but must admit that this is more to a lucky guess than judgement.

I would recommend the book as a good read. And I shall certainly look forward to more Beverly Barton books in the future.