Split

In the second bestseller by young crime writer Tara Moss, her heroine Mak Vanderwall is back at uni to get her Forensic Psychology PhD at the University of Vancouver and to try to move on from the dramatic events in the first novel Fetish. She suffers insomnia and paranoia which eventually ends up being more than warranted as her 'psycho magnet' qualities draws her into the path of another killer. The dark forests on the outskirts of Vancouver make for a frightening setting as the killer grabs his victims and sets them out into the woods to be hunted like animals. Mak must use her wits and strength to survive his terrible game... Mak is a wonderful, feisty female protaganist and a pleasure to read. I enjoyed this novel and look forward to the next one in the series. Recommended.

I am always impressed when an author's research shines through in their work without distracting or overpowering the plot and flow. Moss's writing has matured and this book is even better than the first one, with crisp dialogue, fast pacing, and more suspense. Some scenes reminded me of the horrible Robert Hansen case, where he would release women into the wild and hunt them down like deer. Definitely the perfect book for thriller lovers!

Mak Vanderwall is trying to put her troubled past behind her (her brush with a sadistic killer in the brilliant debut in the series, Fetish) and is back at the University of British Columbia campus for her psych studies. But the campus is gripped by fear as a killer is snatching away female students and hunting them down like animals. Mak's 'psycho magnet' days are not over yet! In this second bestselling novel from Moss she delves even further into criminal psychology, psychopathy, polygraph and even has a cameo from famed psychopath expert Dr Robert Hare. A must read for fans of psychological thrillers. Moss's in depth research with police, forensic scientists and the FBI shows through to make for a suspenseful, chilling and absorbing read. No wonder it was nominated for the Davitt award.

Mak is back at campus at the University of British Columbia, and trying to put her experiences in Sydney (in the debut novel in the series, Fetish) behind her. She falls for a handsome security guard at a time when the campus is on high alert from a killer stalking students and hunting them down like animals. Mak becomes the next target. Her days of being a psycho magnet are not over. In the second adventure of Mak Vanderwall, the author Moss delves even deeper into her subjects of profiling, psychopathy, polygraph and more, even including a cameo from world famous psychopath expert Dr Robert Hare. Highly recommended read for psychological crime lovers.

She appears to have gotten her life together, working as a model to pay for her Masters in Forensic Psychology at the University of Vancouver, but Makedde Vanderwall has never gotten over being kidnapped by the Stiletto Slasher in Australia. She knows she was lucky to have escaped thanks to the last minute rescue by her lover Detective Andrew Flynn. However, unable to cope with the near tragedy, she returned to her Vancouver home wanting nothing to do with her lover, who saw her at her most vulnerable. A year later Makedde is unable to sleep and when she does snooze she suffers horrific nightmares. She has not been with a man since she left Andy, but campus security guard Roy Blake persuades her to step out with him a few times. Andy comes to the school to attend a symposium and to help the locals with a serial killer case in which college students are the victims. Makedde realizes she remains vulnerable with Andy and decides to avoid him and see Roy, but their paths will soon cross as she is the next target. The heroine is a spunky, assertive person who readers will care about as she tries to get over the trauma that still haunts her. Warm and caring Andy, who still loves her, seems too passive when it comes to persuading his beloved that they belong together so they never come across as a pair. Tara Moss creates a terrific protagonist starring in a suspenseful well written story line with a shocking and unforgettable climax. Harriet Klausner