Secret of the Seventh Son (Will Piper, 1)

Reading this today has a much larger impact on me than I think it would have when it was released... Though it doesn't touch on a single bit of the current state of the world, it completely benefits from the uncertain time in post US election, current political enviroments worldwide and wars (and threats of) across too much of the planet... What is our future just a few years away going to be like? This book ends perfectly having read it in Nov of 2024.

Liked: I bought this book because I love police procedurals, and I thought this book would be a prime example of that. Wow! I got that and more. This was a serial killer mystery with a historical element that will make you really think. The writing was excellent, drawing scenes in the reader's mind with ease. The switching among the three time frames was done effortlessly and seamlessly in a manner that kept the reader enthralled rather than confused. Disliked: This is hard to say without giving spoilers, so I will just state that there were a couple of avenues that the author could have explored and didn't. Overall: A tremendous thriller with a solution that will have you pondering things long after you put it down. Rating: R for language, violence, and rape

Please note that this novel is marketed as 'Secret of the Seventh Son' in the USA. 'Library of the Dead' is the title in Europe and Australia. The Doomsday Killer, so nicknamed, has claimed six deaths in just two weeks. The people of New York City are terrified and the police are mystified. The victims appear to have nothing in common, and the only thing that appears to connect them is a postcard sent to each victim announcing the date of their death. The FBI assigns the case to Will Piper, once amongst their best agents but now marking time until retirement. At the heart of this novel is a secret which has been closely guarded for centuries. Meticulous records, contained in an underground library on the Isle of Wight in the 1940s have deadly consequences. Although the records have been moved to the USA, and are continually being analysed in a secure facility, they still hold their power. There are some neat (and not so neat) twists in this story. The various points of view that tell the story jar at times but overall it is an effective mechanism to tell those parts of the story that span the centuries. The shifts in time and between locations are clearly marked. To enjoy this book, I think you need to suspend a few rational beliefs and get caught up in the page-turning journey. Even though I worked out the answers before the end, there was enough going on in the life of the characters to keep my interest. Jennifer Cameron-Smith

I loved this book! It is without question a terrifying thriller in the true sense of the word but quite sophisticated and incredibly well-written- not generally a hallmark of this genre. Once you get into it you literally can't put it down, except of course to give your heart a break from beating so fast. The structure transitions seamlessly from modern day New York to 8th century England to post WWII, in what initially seems like an attempt to solve a serial killer on the loose. Nothing seems to connect the victims, except they each received a postcard accurately predicting their date of death. We are gradually drawn into a much more complicated and seriously disturbing underworld, and the attention to detail and historical accuracy helps us suspend any semblance of disbelief and go along for the ride. Taps into the fascinating yet irritatingly irrational belief that when it comes to our own mortality, somehow, our days are numbered.

If like me you are a fan of the finely told tale get ready to be transfixed. I got this a little early in the Harper Collins Canada title "Library of the Dead" because I couldn't wait after talking to someone who read it in Europe. Glenn Cooper finds just the right tone as he weaves serial murder with urban legend, predestination, and a little history. Wade in. A cannier roller coaster ride, this book will exert its forces on you until the final page. Exhibiting an equally deft touch with obsessed FBI profilers, fascinating historical figures, and the seamy underbelly of Las Vegas, Secret of the Seventh Son delivers. TB -Boston