Steve Copling The Shooting Season

The Shooting Season

Steve Copling

Five Star, Oct 2005, $25.95

ISBN: 1594143242

When the sniper kills gynaecologist Dr. Charles Thayer in Plano, Texas, law enforcement knows the serial killer is back. The first incident occurred three years ago in Everett, Washington with a doctor, lawyer, judge, and lead police detective murdered in that order. A year later the same deadly pattern occurred in Tempe, Arizona. Last year the murders happened in Boulder, Colorado. Lead Detective Greg Rush knows that if he fails to stop this killer he will close out this year's tale with his death.

FBI Agent Zeke Bunning heads the investigation by giving out false leads to the media to try to trick the culprit who does not seem to meet the pattern of a serial killer. Gregg did some training time with Zeke and worries the cop will panic when the pressure mounts; his partner Rick Chinbroski is already badly frightened with his wedding just three weeks off and being a potential final target for this spree. This time the killer plans to wrap up his four years of murder by achieving his objective with the killing of Stub, who he believes he owes death to; everything else was training and tricks to fool law enforcement until he could take out the cop he has hated since childhood.

This is an exciting police procedural serial killer cat and mouse tale though the motive of the killer to murder anyone besides Stub, especially innocent strangers, whom he considered a bully, is difficult to fathom. The story line is fast-paced with the readers feeling the tension as Greg assumes he is the final target of this quartet of homicides. Fans of edgy thrillers will want to read this tense tale.

Harriet Klausner