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A murderer is on the loose on the streets of New York City: nicknamed
the Doomsday Killer, he's claimed six victims in just two weeks, and the
city is terrified. Even worse, the police are mystified: the victims
have nothing in common, defying all profiling, and all that connects
them is that each received a sick postcard in the mail before they died -
a postcard that announced their date of death. In desperation, the FBI
assigns the case to maverick agent Will Piper, once the most
accomplished serial killing expert in the bureau's history, now on a
dissolute spiral to retirement.
Battling his own demons, Will is soon drawn back into a world he both loves and hates, determined to catch the killer whatever it takes. But his search takes him in a direction he could never have predicted, uncovering a shocking secret that has been closely guarded for centuries. A secret that once lay buried in an underground library beneath an 8th Century monastery, but which has now been unearthed - with deadly consequences. A select few defend the secret of the library with their lives - and as Will closes in on the truth, they are determined to stop him, at any cost ...
Battling his own demons, Will is soon drawn back into a world he both loves and hates, determined to catch the killer whatever it takes. But his search takes him in a direction he could never have predicted, uncovering a shocking secret that has been closely guarded for centuries. A secret that once lay buried in an underground library beneath an 8th Century monastery, but which has now been unearthed - with deadly consequences. A select few defend the secret of the library with their lives - and as Will closes in on the truth, they are determined to stop him, at any cost ...
Genre: suspense
Publication date: December 2010
Mature content: yes
Review: Library of the Dead is the first book I've read by Glenn Cooper and I enjoyed it very much. The beginning is a bit confusing because you seem to be reading about totally disconnected events both in the present and in the past, but slowly you begin to understand the cleverly weaved plot.
I didn't like Will's character very much - even if at the end he sort of redeemed itself, throughout the book he comes across as a rude man, drinking too much and misbehaving. And even after he's involved with Nancy, he's still thinking about other women and wondering if the can get away with the cheating.
I also had two issues with the plot. First I never understood how Mark could have done what he did (no spoilers you need to read it) to get back at Will when Will wasn't on the Doomsday case from the beginning and never would have been if not by pure chance. And second, I believe that if the Navy and the FBI would have really wanted to find out what Will had done with his copy of the list, they would have managed to do so. Probably by some gruesome method, I'm sure, but since they didn't seem to have quandaries about what they did to all other people involved, they wouldn't have balked at that either. That they let him walk free is great for the happy ending but not necessary consistent with the rest of the book.
But these are obviously minor details coming from my picky mind, which usually tends to over-dissect the plots of suspense books (that's why I don't read this genre too much). Library of the Dead is still a great book, full of surprising twists and turns and once you start reading it, it's hard to put it back down before the end.
Recommended! I didn't like Will's character very much - even if at the end he sort of redeemed itself, throughout the book he comes across as a rude man, drinking too much and misbehaving. And even after he's involved with Nancy, he's still thinking about other women and wondering if the can get away with the cheating.
I also had two issues with the plot. First I never understood how Mark could have done what he did (no spoilers you need to read it) to get back at Will when Will wasn't on the Doomsday case from the beginning and never would have been if not by pure chance. And second, I believe that if the Navy and the FBI would have really wanted to find out what Will had done with his copy of the list, they would have managed to do so. Probably by some gruesome method, I'm sure, but since they didn't seem to have quandaries about what they did to all other people involved, they wouldn't have balked at that either. That they let him walk free is great for the happy ending but not necessary consistent with the rest of the book.
Have a wonderful weekend,
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