Blurb:
A
reincarnated evil is stalking the women of Houston. With each murder, the
madman quotes an excerpt from the Oscar Wilde poem, “The Ballad of Reading
Gaol.” A huge smokestack belching smoke, a ragged flea market double-breasted
wool coat, and an old antique picture frame, bring the distant past back to
haunt Houston Homicide Detective, Sean Jamison. With those catalysts, Jamison
knows who he was in a past life and that he lost the only woman he could ever
love. Searching for his reincarnated mate becomes Jamison’s raison d’être as he
and fellow detectives scour Houston for a brutal serial killer. The memory of
timeless love drives Jamison’s dogged search for a serial killer, determined to
finish what he started decades earlier.
Each
clue brings Jamison closer to unmasking his old nemesis. Tenacious police work,
lessons learned in the past, and intuition may be the only weapons he has in
preventing history from repeating itself.
About the Author:
Rick
Sulik was born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio. After completing high school in
Boardman, Ohio, he enlisted and served four years in the United States Air
Force Military Police. After receiving an Honorable Discharge, he worked three
and a half years with the Houston, Texas Police Department, twenty-two years with
the Pasadena, Texas Police Department, and ten years as a courthouse bailiff
with the Gonzales County, Texas Sheriff’s Department, before retiring in 2013.
Review:
Death Unmasked was an interesting mix
of paranormal, police technique, and suspense. It begins when a man named Emil
and his beloved Laura awaken on the morning their country is invaded. A Nazi
officer rapes and kills Laura in front of Emil, and as he is about to enter the
furnace to be burned to death, Emil gouges out the officer’s eyes.
Decades
later, a serial killer stalks women in Houston, Texas. Sean Jamison is a
homicide detective nearing retirement. A belching smokestack and tattered old
coat bring back memories of his past life as Emil, and somehow he knows the
serial killer is his old Nazi nemesis. He also knows Laura is back, and she’s
the man’s next victim. He has to find her and save her.
Death
Unmasked was tautly written and fast-paced, with twists and turns that even I didn’t
see coming at the end. Part of me, however, thought Darn! I should’ve seen that
coming! The reasons I’m giving the book four roses is that the dialog was
stilted and unrealistic. Since when does a cop say things like, “Seems to me
this joker is determined to put fear in people so he can get away with anything
he so desires.” “So desires?” Really? How about, “This joker’s trying to scare
the $#@! outa people so he can do whatever he wants.”
Another
one is: “I’m hearing my sentinel inner voice, and it’s cautioning me that
something terminal is about to occur.” Huh? Wouldn’t a cop be more likely to
say, “My gut’s telling me something bad’s about to go down.”? Please, save the
thesaurus for the narrative, Mr. Sulik. Or better yet, just dump it. Be sure
your grammar’s correct (unless the person speaking’s an illiterate perp), and
write a bit more normally.
Aside
from the dialog, I would recommend Death
Unmasked. It’s an interesting thriller.
Author Website: N/A
Warnings: Violence
Length: 265 Pages
Prices:
Print: $14.99
Digital: $6.99
Thanks
for visiting.
