Irresistible

This is the second novel in a series featuring Conrad Voort, the richest detective in New York. It is about a female serial killer who hates men. What makes this novel (and the other books in the series) so enjoyable is that it mixes police work with the personal (romantic/sexual) life of hero Voort - and that life is a fascinating, well-written one. I read this genre all the time but I found Ethan Black's novels more enjoyable than most. My problem is that he doesn't write them fast enough and so far there are only three published.

This second book by the author of "Broken Hearts Club" is really very sexy, tense, and a good read all around. It features Conrad Voort, of the pre-revolutionary war Voorts of New York. He's the richest cop on NYPD. Lives in a $4.5 million three story home that has been in the family since New York was Dutch and still lives with all the now priceless antiques that furnished the original home. Also, he's a terrific cop. New York is suffering through one of the worst heat waves in recent memory, but crime marches on. Specifically in the form of that rare thing, a female serial killer. Or so it would seem. They are so rare that even the famed FBI profilers are of no help. She's Nora Clay and she's beautiful and alluring. So much so that she seems to be "irresistible" to anyone she goes after. Paul Anderson, a producer for NBC is found slashed to ribbons in his penthouse. Then come two more murders in rapid succession, both repeatedly stabbed and slashed in what appears to be an uncontrollable frenzy. What's the connection between these men? Neither the police or the feds are able to connect the dead men in any meaningful way. Conrad Voort and his partner, Mickie, work the midnight oil trying to find this killer before another man is murdered. What shocks them both is to find out that Conrad is next on the list. To complicate matters, Conrad is between two women, both of them important to him. I haven't read "Broken Hearts Club". Don't know why. Just missed that one. If it's as good as this second one in the series, then it's well worth pursuing.

With all the new thrillers that come out I eagerly search for new writers that are worth reading and Ethan Black is that writer. "Irresistible" is a non-stop pschological thriller that will keep you in suspense until the very end. Nora Clay is the knife weilding killer who knows the secrets of (4) men in Manhattan and she is going to make them pay for their sins... Conrad Voort is the detective assigned to the mysterious case and the only clue he has is the message "I KNOW YOU" scrawled on the wall of the first murder. Voort has to solve the case before the killer goes through her list of victims, the last of which is Voort himself. Put Ethan Black on your list of must read authors as he now joins the ranks of John Sandford and Michael Connelly. "Irresistible" is a must read.

I thought Ethan Black's first book "The Broken Hearts Club" was great, but this one kept me up all night reading. A terrifying read. A memorable book. A truly terrific main character. I look forward to more Conrad Voort novels.

Nora Clay keeps files on people. She knows their secrets, the real reasons for their success, and the indiscretions they have committed. She uses her knowledge to benefit herself but Nora's real pride resides in the special list containing four names. The first person on her list is TV producer Paul Anderson, who Nora brutally knifes to death, removing his penis.NYC sex crimes detective Conrad Voort heads the official investigation into the Anderson murder. The crime scene reveals no clues outside of the viciousness of the killing to either Conrad or his partner Mickie Conner. As the second and third persons on Nora's list die, Conrad struggles to come to terms with the knowledge that the city's first female serial killer is responsible for the vicious homicides. Unbeknownst to Conrad is that the fourth name on the list is his.With novels like the BROKEN HEARTS CLUB and now IRRESITIBLE, readers will come to know Ethan Black as a master of psychological thrillers. Though the identity of the criminal is revealed early in the tale, the excitement never eases up as the audience wonders if Nora will complete her quartet homicide scenario with the murder of Conrad. Nora feels chillingly real in a black widow sort of way. However, what makes Mr. Black's novel simply IRRESTIBLE is the compassionate Conrad, whose caring nature would seem far-fetched in the hands of a lesser talent.Harriet Klausner