annieb123's Review of So It Began

by Owen Mullen

'A taut, edgy thriller. Grabs you by the guts in the first chapter and slow squeezes the breath out of you until the very last line.' Helen Fields

PI Vincent Delaney thought he was done with the New Orleans Police Department. But now a string of child murders brings an unexpected invitation from the FBI, and his old boss.

A serial killer is roaming the South, preying on children appearing in pageants. The police want Delaney to go undercover and use his own family as bait. Accepting would mean lying to people he loves and maybe even putting them in harm’s way.

It’s not like Delaney doesn’t have enough problems already. In Baton Rouge, a violent criminal has escaped and is seeking revenge for the brother Delaney shot dead. And north of the French Quarter, shopkeepers are being extorted—which would normally be a matter for the police, except the police are the ones responsible for the crime.

Delaney has his work cut out for him. And he’ll be lucky if he makes it out of this alive…

Owen Mullen is a best-selling author of psychological and gangland thrillers. His fast-paced, twist-aplenty stories are perfect for all fans of Lee Child, Ian Rankin and Harlan Coben.

What readers say about Owen Mullen:

'Owen Mullen knows how to ramp up the action just when it’s needed… he never fails to give you hard-hitting thrillers that have moments that will stay with you forever...'

'One of the very best thriller writers I have ever read.'

'Owen Mullen writes a good story, he really brings his characters to life and the endings are hard to guess and never what you expected.'

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

So It Began is the first book in the Delaney thriller series by Owen Mullen. Originally released in 2017, this reformat and re-release is 246 pages and is available in ebook format. (Other editions available in other 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; it makes finding phrases or passages so much easier when reading. For Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is currently included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free.

This is a serial killer thriller. The murders involve children, specifically children entered in pageants and shows. Although the author thankfully refrains from descriptions which are shocking or titillating, I found the subject matter relentlessly difficult to read and sad. The climax and denouement are well written, and admittedly go a way toward relieving the distressing plotline. The secondary plot threads are very well written and provide a great deal of backstory and development for titular protagonist Delaney. The main plots are resolved in this book and there's nothing left dangling at the end. (Cliffhangers annoy me).

The setting is New Orleans and although I've only briefly visited the city, I felt that the author did a good job with the setting and atmosphere. There weren't any errors which jumped out at me. The dialogue flows well and all in all it's an engaging and exciting read. The language is somewhat rough (as is, obviously, the subject matter).

Four stars. It would be a good fit for fans of modern police serial killer thrillers.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

So It Began

by Owen Mullen

Reviewed by annieb123 on May 30, 2021

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