Maelstrom

Sarah Reilly is the daughter of FBI legend Harry Reilly. Her father made his reputation hunting down one of America's worst serial killers. But Harry never met the violet-eyed man. Sarah has inherited her father's impulsive intuition and is making a name for herself as a rookie FBI agent. Given the job of investigating a recent double murder, she uncovers some strange anomalies in the modus operandi of the killer ...and a maelstrom of evil is unleashed as a killer finds himself hunted by more than one adversary.

Reviews

Relentless action marks this debut action thriller set in Boston and the US east coast. Harry Reilly, retired from active FBI duty, believes that a copycat killer is working in the shadows of other serial killers. His daughter Sarah, also in the FBI, comes up against a private 'Black Ops'-style vigilante group which enjoys hunting down and murdering serial killers. The story opens with the approaching murder of a young couple spending their first weekend together. It's set up to look like the work of the 'Lakeside Killer', but certain details don't add up. While the writing is somewhat stilted, the style and story premise will appeal to action lovers. The plot's implausibility is jarring-the FBI exists only to make incredible blunders in pursuit and surveillance; a serial killer deliberately steps out of the shadows for no credible reason; a wealthy ex-military citizen can find a killer's address more easily than the FBI; the phrase 'Violet-Eyed Man' quickly becomes tedious. Empathy with the victims is lacking-a stylistic fault rather than a plot failure. But Sean Mangan's reading is magnificent-his voice is textured and spine-tingling without descending to parody. Matthew Reilly fans will probably enjoy this. Recommended primarily for action fans. Ingrid Heyn is an audiobook specialist at Soundbooks, an opera singer, composer, writer and web designer

About the Author

Michael MacConnell was born in Australia and has lived in Europe, America and the Middle East for several years. He has a degree from Sydney University and majored in International Relations, History and Ancient History. A member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers, he is currently working as a Licensed Corporate Security Consultant.

Reviews

'A stunning don't-put-it-down thriller by a local author' - Woman's Day 'A very absorbing FBI serial killer story, full of non-stop action and lots of shivers' - Australian Women's Weekly