(Reviewed by Cathy Carey)
“After she placed the duct tape over his mouth, it became very difficult to make out some of his words. “No” was muffled, but reasonably understandable. “Don’t ” didn’t quite sound right, but she got the idea. She mimicked his muted pleas pretending to feel his fear and pain. It was the end of Father Anthony Moralli. “
Her victims were all powerful men in authoritative positions. She is a beautiful, drop dead gorgeous woman mourning the loss of her daughter. She hears voices compelling her to right the wrongs she should have done before her daughter committed suicide.
The precinct captain wants to put his best detective, Jake Roberts, on the case. The problem is that he’s been on medical leave since being shot by a perp. Though he in turn, shot and killed her, he’s haunted by the realization that she was just a kid. Add to that he is living on pain killers. To help him through all of this, he is seeing the psychiatrist that the department has ordered after an officer kills someone.
Jake is reluctant to return to the job until he learns that his psychiatrist has been gruesomely murdered.
Due to the MO of this murder, and the fact that it has crossed state lines, the former love of Jake’s life, Federal Agent Mika Scott, is back at her old precinct to investigate this case.
Mika is determined to find and bring this serial killer to justice . Jake returns and is reunited with his former partner and many of his close friends on the force. He still and always will love Mika Scott, but there is no time to rekindle those feelings while a serial killer is at large.
After the Evil, the first in the Jake Roberts series, is so fast paced that you can’t stop turning the pages. I found myself hoping the killer could stop killing and not be found. With every turn of the page you wonder, will she or won’t she get caught. Who is going to die during the course of the investigation? Will Jake be united with Mika?
Author Cary Allen Stone is verbally and visually extremely detailed. I learned so much about crime scene investigations and he left me wanting to learn more. His writing compels the reader to be personally attached to his characters.
I must apologize to the author for taking so long to write this review of his first novel. After I finished this one, I immediately had to start reading the next one in the series. I am now on the third Jake Roberts novel. I highly recommend you buy the first two novels together. Once you finish this one, you immediately need to read the next.
I highly recommend After the Evil to anyone who loves a highly descriptive, fast paced murder mystery with a twist of romance included.
(Editor’s note: Keep your eyes out for Cathy’s review of the 2nd in the Jake Roberts series, Mind Over Matter. Coming soon!)
