Solid Serial Killer: Looking Glass

I was pleasantly surprised by how different Andrew Mayne's The Naturalist was, in terms of the investigation of a rampant serial killer working under the radar, and in the quirky, almost inhumanly scientific way that Dr. Theo Cray uses his weirdly wired brain to solve the unsolvable.

This continued with the second installment, Looking Glass, which handled the same kind of case - the kind that goes on and on for years with people not even realizing it's happening, but with the new twist of the killer being more of an urban legend than reality. Mayne is able to successfully demonstrate the gravity and scope of the crimes he writes about it in a way that gives you a real sense of urgency in the solving of cold cases. I don't read crime thrillers extensively, but this is certainly a unique take from what I've seen, and it's what keeps me coming back. That, and the fact that Theo is a likable guy, even though the other characters in the book don't seem to like him. This is especially true of law enforcement characters- they don't like being told how to do their jobs, predictably, even when they need to be told how to do their jobs. So that element of tension in the books, and what Theo will or won't have access to to complete his investigations is compelling. Also, I really do sympathize with a character who is always and indisputably the smartest guy in the room.

The other thing that I appreciate about Mayne's work is that he doesn't play it safe in the nature of his crimes. They are grisly and disturbing, and in many ways all-too-real. The same is true of the bleak backdrop, both in the opioid crisis of the first book, and of the broken family dynamics in low-income and/or crime-ridden areas, as is the case in this book. He's not afraid to have kids be his primary victims, and I appreciate that boldness and edginess. As someone who reads horror and thrillers that gear toward horror, in my estimation, it wouldn't be as good if it wasn't transgressive, and in a way that is also a pointed social commentary on social issues that are not fictional or imaginary. The backyard full of bones was an especially powerful scene.

Another excellent title on on fronts. And that kind of reliability these days is very hard to find.

K Rating: 5/5