Nine

Jan Burke

Alex Brandon and his partner, Ciara Morton, are homicide detectives who have been called to a gruesome murder. A drug lord who was on the FBI's ten most wanted list is now hanging naked upside down over a bathtub. The number "9" is also at the scene. When bodies labeled "8" and "7" are also found shortly, they learn the meaning.

A vigilante, or group of vigilantes, are exterminating the US's most wanted criminals. They are not just killing them, but making a statement at the same time. They leave clues that are meaningful to Brandon. The bodies are left in Los Angeles county in Brandon's jurisdiction but had to have been brought from other areas.

Kit Logan is an extremely wealthy young man with a secret. His stepfather had been a serial murderer. When Logan was a young teen, he couldn't take any more and struck out. He killed his stepfather and was released to the care of his wealthy grandmother. He was sent to a "corrective" rich young men's school where he had to face down other delinquents. He has learned to watch his back even though he has finished that high school and graduated from college. He knows his life, and that of a young girl, could be in danger.

Brandon and Logan's paths crossed when Logan killed his stepfather. Brandon realized the abuse the young man had had. Now their paths are inexorably bound towards each other again. The vigilantes appear to have two purposes - to kill off the FBI's most wanted, and to get to both Brandon and Logan.

Burke has once again written a chilling novel. Brandon and Logan are well-defined protagonists. The antagonists are cold and calculating. Brandon has to be a cop who is glad to see the capture of the FBI's ten most wanted, yet knows their murders should not have happened. This novel examines the effects of vigilantes. The victims may be guilty, yet should have the same access to defense as anyone in the United States judicial system. This book not only gives a gripping suspense story, but also gives the reader something to consider on how our system works.

Notice: Graphic violence