Degrees of MURDER

It’s five in the Morning, to be more precise, its 5am on a Friday morning, and there I was wide awake ready to do anything and everything! Run a marathon? Jog around the Zabeel Park?? Cook a five course meal for 10 people!! Tell me and I am Ready!! Alas, There is nothing to do! :P

So what exactly am I doing up so early on a day that I have soo longingly looking forward to, in order to catch up with my on and off friend, Sleep!

Its like that, sometimes the more you look forward to something, the more you feel excited for getting closer to that ONE thing, you sort of lose the interest and the vigor, the junoon, all that you felt all along, just when you are finally able do it! For me, fortunately or unfortunately Weekends, especially this one has been one of those times…

Waking up on Fridays and finding myself to be the first one awake in the house is routine, and so is to feel like a criminal in my own house! Picture this, everyone at home is fast asleep in the DEEP sleep stage and here I am moving stealthily from my bed, taking 3 whole minutes for opening the Main door in order to pick up the Newspaper, trying not to make the smallest of noises possible and the door gives up on ME making this LOUD thunderous CRASH................!!!! Wait was it the door’s sound or was it the sound of my HEART that crashing in my chest cavity?? U see what I am talking about? LOL I would like to think this is NORMAL, But I know this is all the after effect of the in-numerous detective, investigative and murder stories that I religiously watch, read and imagine! Seasons of Criminal Minds, Bones, CSI’s, X files and My July Book!

Ahh… coming to my July Book, It Happens to be yet another gruesome, blood filled, gory and violent Murder Investigative story! This book is from the stable of James Patterson, him collaborating with Swedish author, Liza Marklund to give *POSTCARD KILLERS* a predominantly Swedish setting with a good portion of the action taking place in Stockholm, a city with which I have recently been acquaintanted to  through My dear friend Aashini, who just had all the pictures for her Family Holiday to Stockholm posted on Facebook! That really gave me a good picture of the place! A Special Thank you going out my *Little Pelvic Trust* Friend!! :D

Going back to the Story at hand, the book follows Jacob Kanon, who has taken a leave of absence from his NYPD job to track down the "Postcard Killers" who have been leaving a trail of bodies throughout Europe, including someone very close to Jacob. He won't rest until the killers have been caught. Without giving much away, he simply CAN'T rest because he holds himself partly responsible for what happened to that someone. The killers, are very interesting pair, who basically select couples in love and get close enough to drug and kill them before leaving their gruesomely mutilated bodies in a pose reminiscent of the country's most famous artwork. The killers advertise their presence in a country by sending a postcard to someone in the media, followed by a Polaroid of the dead bodies. Serial killers, with a desire to be famous and KNOW for their Artwork!

Then we have Dessie Larsson, a journalist for one of the leading crime newspapers in Stockholm who has just received such a postcard and so Jacob crosses her path. Unwashed and smelling, she doesn't trust him at first but eventually they become a team. She is able to identify the artwork theme, long before the police. An unexpected twist in the actions of the killers sets the story in a different direction and in the final section; one of the iconic IKEA stores plays an important role in the final confrontation between the good and bad guys.

It did take me a while to get into the story with Jacob, and Dessie, who despite being a bicycling, bisexual, vegetarian, with unusual upbringing, is still an un - involving character. What really intrigued me were the KILLERS! The duo is fresh, the pairing innovative, shocking, in your face and is so well introduced that they stay with you long after the story comes to an end! My only real complaint is the lack of clarity and soo many unanswered and hastily dealt with details of the most important and often ignored question of WHY??

But that is not all that important to many, but to me that is the most important question, WHY? Why kill? Why kill the way they do? Why do something like that and not feel the remorse that seems so natural to me?

Once I got into it, POSTCARD KILLERS, which has 140 chapters in a 420 page book, was a gripping and a super quick read. Its pacy, fast page-turning read about sadistic serial killers who have esoteric reasons for their actions!! Also, be forewarned, There was an icky incest angle!  

Ultimately, This is a story about two young people making their way across Europe and butchering other couples. How twisted are James Patterson and Liza Marklund to write this tale? Pretty twisted. And How twisted am I to like it?? LOL! I would like to leave that question unanswered!