A Fearless Reminder

Tom Adair, author of the newly released book The Scent of Fear, asked me if I would be willing to review his book. It has been a while since I've dived into a good book, so I was happy to lend my thoughts.

I honestly finished the book in two days. It was a page turner, but be forewarned, it is not for the weak of heart! I am a sucker for a good murder mystery, and admit that CSI type tv shows are often watched at my house. However, I found reading the story actually seems more real than watching tv shows attempting to portray a murder's aftermath. Putting words to the murder is almost worse to stomach. The killer's intent and shadowed stalk is slowed down as each word is individually read... I knew what was coming and found myself skimming over these sections in the book in an effort to hurry up the inevitable. The imagination is definitely worse than the reality of images flashing across a tv or movie screen.

It was easy to cheer on the main character, Sarah, a criminalist who somehow ends up being the target of a psychopathic murderer. The stage is set as Sarah is off to a mountain vacation, ends up in the middle of an accident on a mountain pass in the middle of a snow storm, and quickly recognizes the scene for more than just a mere accident. What is strange is that the body found ejected from an old truck is unclothed and appears to have been dead prior to the accident. It is all down hill after that... Sarah ends up chasing the killer through the woods in a middle of the snowstorm. He escapes their first encounter and the story unfolds from there.

Here is my list of pros /cons..

Pros:

• Story line draws you immediately in
• Characters are relatable
• Hunting references woven throughout the book
• Game Camera plays a role in catching the killer - cool!
• Recognition of the areas mentioned in the book... could identify with the characters more

Cons:

• Too much language for my preference
• Recognition of the areas mentioned in the book... not sure if I like that considering it is a murder mystery
• Murders were graphic and mainly women targeted (hard to stomach the types of murder... don't get me wrong, all murder is a gross injustice. You'll understand what I'm talking about if you read the book)

Overall, I enjoyed the read. It is a good reminder of the depravity of humankind, how far we've fallen and the potential for evil in this world. I am glad for a realistic view of the world I live in. I am thankful for the right to carry a gun and am reminded of why I am Armed with Tooth and Claw and not a girl with a shy smile. It is not my Glock that I ultimately trust in, but if needed for protection against some crazy in this world, it is loaded.

Thanks, Tom, for the reminder to be fearless!

(P.s., I can't wait for the next book... I heard that a trilogy is in the works.)