Bookish Thoughts: Huntress Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff

The city teems. ~ Opening of Huntress Moon

Huntress Moon (The Huntress/FBI Thrillers #1) by Alexandra Sokoloff

Thomas & Mercer, 2015 (originally published 2012)

Crime Fiction; 369 pgs

It could have been an accident, but FBI Special Agent Matthew Roarke does not believe it. When one of his undercover agents is killed on a busy street right in front of him, the coincidences seem to be too much. The agent had contacted him for an emergency meeting as their current investigation was reaching a climax, a major breakthrough on the horizon. Just before the accident, a woman had caught Roarke's attention, and although he had little to go on but a feeling, and later a witness who said the woman spoke with the agent before his death, Roarke is certain she had something to do with it.

From San Francisco to Salt Lake City to Portland to Pismo Beach and all the way to Blythe, Roarke follows the very thin trail of the woman, finding more death along the way. Roarke, once a member of the elite Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI, draws from his past experience to search for what he has come to believe is a female serial killer, a rarity like no other he's encountered before. Roarke is obsessed with finding her and discovering what the connection is between her victims. She is definitely on a mission, but what that mission is, he can only guess.

The novel follows both Roarke's search for the woman and the woman as she attempts to hide in plain sight, lying in wait--for what, the reader does not know. She finds refuge with a young boy and his father, neither knowing the danger she may pose.

Huntress Moon is a smart thriller, well-researched and with well-defined characters. As the story unfolds, it becomes more clear Roarke's fascination with the woman he is hunting. As the reader, I am fascinated by her story as well.  Who is she? How does she choose her victims? Why does she do what she does?

I always enjoy seeing how a mystery unfolds, walking through the process with the investigator as he pieces together the evidence and tries to solve the crime. It was no different as I read Huntress Moon. Roarke thinks outside the box when he needs to and is thorough in his work. Roarke is confident about his skills as an investigator, although not at all arrogant, and very determined.

One of my favorite characters in the novel is Epps, an FBI agent working under Roarke. There were several times in the novel he brought Roarke back to earth when he most needed to be grounded. It is clear Roarke is identifying with the woman more than he probably should as a law enforcement officer, and the more he learns about her past, the more sympathetic he becomes to her cause (even as a reader, it is hard not to take her side). He's walking a dangerous line.

With serial killers it is often a question of good versus evil. There is rarely anything good about the crimes serial killers commit. Jeff Lindsay pushed the boundaries with his Dexter series, putting Dexter on the path of criminals who "deserved" to die. And now we have the Huntress who is on her own mission, for right or wrong.

Three years ago I read a romantic mystery short story by Alexandra Sokoloff called "In Atlantis" that continues to be one of my favorites even today. I am glad for the opportunity to read more of her work. Huntress Moon was an enjoyable, dark and addicting book to read. I am looking forward to reading the next two books in the Huntress/FBI series, and seeing what direction the author takes us next.

To learn more about author Alexandra Sokoloff and her work, please visit the author's website. You can also find her on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads. 

Source: I received an e-copy of this book from the author for an honest review.

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