annieb123
Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.
Killer in the Crowd is a well written standalone mystery thriller by PN Johnson. Released 30th March 2022 by Burning Chair, it's 318 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.
This is the author's debut novel and I was most pleasantly surprised with the quality of the writing. It's an engaging and immersive cold-case missing persons mystery/thriller with a death in the current day which draws the female protagonist into trying to solve the 30-year-old mystery of her own mother's disappearance. Much of the book is set in the underground/punk music scene and the author does a superb job of recreating the milieu, including the gritty behind-the-scenes realities.
There's a romance subplot which was deftly handled and which meshes nicely with the book's denouement and resolution. All in all a well written mystery thriller. There are mentions of drug abuse and sexual crimes. The language is rough in places with rugged monosyllables sprinkled throughout. Very much a case of sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll.
Four stars. It'll be nice to see how (or if) the author develops the characters further.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.