Review: You Can Run by Steve Mosby

Title: You Can Run by Steve Mosby
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 327 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

A page-turning psychological thriller, the new novel from CWA Dagger winner Steve Mosby explores the blurred lines between truth and fiction.

When a car crashes into a garage on an ordinary street, the attending officer is shocked to look inside the damaged building and discover a woman imprisoned within. As the remains of several other victims are found in the attached house, police believe they have finally identified the Red River Killer—a man who has been abducting women for nearly twenty years and taunting the police with notes about his crimes. But now the main suspect, John Blythe, is on the run.

As the manhunt for Blythe intensifies, Detective Inspector Will Turner finds himself fighting to stay involved in the investigation. The Red River killings hold a personal significance to him and he must be the one to find the killer, although he’s determined to keep this from his fellow officers at all costs.

Review:

In You Can Run, Steve Mosby puts a truly clever and unique twist on the serial killer plot device. This police procedural is a fast-paced and engrossing crime drama that is absolutely brilliant.

When a car crashes into the garage of a residential home, police are shocked when they find kidnapping victim Amanda Cassidy barely clinging to life. Detective Inspector Will Turner and his partner DI Emma Beck are assigned to the case and they make a stunning discovery in the basement of the home: four barrels containing the decomposing bodies of women who have been abducted and murdered by the Red River Killer. Their attempts to locate homeowner and now suspected serial killer, John Blythe, result in a massive manhunt. Will is troubled by an unexpected detail after the bodies are removed from the barrels. However, it is his interview of Jeremy Townsend, the husband of victim Melanie West, that really sets his alarm bells ringing. Turner is also convinced that John Blythe might have someone helping him evade capture but will Emma believe his theory once the truth about his personal connection to the case is revealed?

Will is an excellent detective who greatly relies on gut instincts and feelings during his investigations. He easily picks up on nebulous clues that everyone else overlooks but his co-workers consider him to be a little weird. Will does not have the same career aspirations as his partner Emma and he sometimes feels like he is hindering her career. Will is not one to talk much about his personal life, but in the Red River Killer investigation, he is holding back vital information that could have far reaching implications for both of their futures.  After Will has a rash confrontation in full view of his fellow police officers, he jeopardizes both his and Emma’s roles in the investigation.

While there is absolutely no doubt that John Blythe is the Red River Killer, there are plenty of twists and turns during the manhunt to capture him. There is, of course, a great deal of suspense surrounding Jeremy Townsend which leads to more questions than answers due to his somewhat bizarre behavior. Simon Bunting is also a rather mysterious addition to the cast of characters and it is virtually impossible to figure out exactly how he figures into the unfolding storyline. Will’s childhood friend Rob is a mystifying piece in this perplexing puzzle that will keep readers guessing how he fits into the Red Killer investigation.

You Can Run is an intricately plotted and suspense-laden police procedural that has a dazzling array of cunning twists and turns.  Will and Emma are a well-matched investigative team that are more than capable of solving this increasingly complex case. Steve Mosby puts a fresh spin on the serial killer plot device and he keeps the tension high as the novel wends its ways to a jaw-dropping conclusion. I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend this un-put-down-able mystery to fans of the genre.