A sadistic serial killer is being hunted by a brilliant but flawed police officer.

This may seem like a formulaic crime novel, and in some ways, it is. But the author creates a sense of fear and dread that persists throughout the novel. It is very dark and exceedingly brutal, and readers will be holding their breath as the suspense builds and builds.

The Killing Lessons is a very quick read despite being nearly 400 pages because it is so engaging. It is not perfect, though. Its main flaws are a few strokes of luck that are almost too good to be true:

Spoiler

first, there is Valerie, the lead detective, randomly spotting a picture of Leon, the serial killer, when Leon was a child in a database of child abuse and pornography on her partner's computer, and, second, there is Valerie's just happening to run into Leon by chance at the mall in St. George, Utah

. Still, as crime novels and police procedurals go, The Killing Lessons is fantastic.