Book II in the Thriller Award-nominated Huntress/FBI series
Twenty-five years have passed since a savage killer terrorized California, massacring three ordinary families before disappearing without a trace.
The haunted child who was the only surviving victim of his rampage is now wanted by the FBI for brutal crimes of her own, and Special Agent Matthew Roarke is on an interstate manhunt for her, despite his conflicted sympathies for her history and motives.
But when his search for her unearths evidence of new family slayings, the dangerous woman Roarke seeks - and wants - may be his only hope of preventing another bloodbath.
It is highly recommended that you read Book 1 of the series, Huntress Moon, first.
I'm the Thriller Award-winning and Bram Stoker and Anthony Award-nominated author of the bestselling Huntress/FBI Thrillers: Huntress Moon, Blood Moon, Cold Moon. Bitter Moon, Hunger Moon, Shadow Moon, the supernatural thrillers The Harrowing, The Price, Book of Shadows, The Unseen, The Space Between. The New York Times Book Review has called me "a daughter of Mary Shelley" and my novels "some of the most original and freshly unnerving work in the genre."
I'm a California native and a graduate of U.C. Berkeley, where I majored in theater and minored in everything that Berkeley has a reputation for. After college I moved to Los Angeles, where I've made an interesting living doing novel adaptations and selling original thriller scripts to various Hollywood studios.
In my stories I like to cross the possibility of the supernatural with very real life explanations for any strangeness going on, and base the action squarely in fact. THE UNSEEN is based on real paranormal research conducted at the Duke University parapsychology lab, and BOOK OF SHADOWS teams a Boston homicide detective and a practicing Salem witch in a race to solve what may be a Satanic killing. THE SPACE BETWEEN, is an edgy supernatural YA about a troubled high school girl who is having dreams of a terrible massacre at her school, and becomes convinced that she can prevent the shooting if she can unravel the dream.
I also have written paranormal romance (THE SHIFTERS, KEEPER OF THE SHADOWS) and the non-fiction workbooks SCREENWRITING TRICKS FOR AUTHORS and WRITING LOVE, based on my internationally acclaimed workshops and blog https://alexandrasokoloff.substack.com/
I live in Los Angeles and in Scotland, with Scottish crime author Craig Robertson.
When I'm not writing I dance: jazz, ballet, salsa, Lindy, swing - I do it all, every chance I get.
Twenty-Five years has passed since The Reaper terrorized California, massacring three ordinary families before disappearing without a trace. Cat was the only surviving victim. Roarke had no idea where she is, or if she is dead or alive. But she has killed thirteen men that he knew of, probably many more, including one of his own team. It was his job to arrest her and he was very good at his job.
Roarke and his team continues the investigation into the trafficking stemming from the plant at the cement plant, seven arrested, ten dead. At the storage facility, thirteen arrested, four dead. Busts that would never of happened if Cara had not led them to the desert. She is on the wanted list. Bulletins are out to the agencies, throughout the states, as well as in Nevada, Oregon, and Utah. Singh believed that Cara has several perfect id's. She knows how not to be found and is hiding not for mischief but for survival. Cara's killings were chronicled that they had taken place in nights when the moon was full. The Reaper, the killer of Cara's family also killed during full moons.
Cara let's herself wonder for the first time, what it would be like to be free, not to endlessly hunt and be hunted. Merely to live. Cara was known to not kill anyone who wasn't dangerous, or just plain evil. She kills pimps, child molester, rapists and sex traffickers. It is some kind of vigilante thing. She uses wigs, sunglasses and costumes to change her appearance.
Roarke had a profile of The Reaper. He is a paranoid schizophrenic of violent murder based on delusion. He is a highly disorganized killer almost certainly psychotic. Ah a teenager he was already a chronic alcoholic and substance abuser. The families he chose were Middle to Upper Middle class. His massacres happened in California towns. The Leland family had been killed on the Twenty-Fifth anniversary of Cara's family, the Lindstrom's. They were killed the same way The Reaper killed the Lindstrom's. There was a full moon, a blue moon.
My Thoughts
This is the second book in The Huntress/FBI Thrillers series. I suggest to read this series in order because this book ended in a cliffhanger and I am so looking forward to reading book 3. This was a buddy read with my buddy Susan. We are reading the whole series in order. We both loved and enjoyed this one. This one was even better than the first one and I hear that they even get better with each book. There is plenty of suspense in this book. It hooked me in straight from the beginning to the end and kept me on the edge if my seat. We both devoured it and we finished it quickly. When you read this make sure you don't have any plans because you will probably want to devour it too. I can't give the justice this book deserves in words. The character development is done so very well. I just love Cara's character. Roarke's character is done very well too and I also love Jason's character. He is only 5 years old and he is just adorable. I highly recommend this series to those that love a good Serial killer story. This one is a page turner that is so intense.
After thoroughly enjoying Huntress Moon, the first book in this series, I just had to move on to book #2, Blood Moon. From what I’ve seen so far, it appears each of these books close out the main storyline, or at least get to an acceptable stopping point, but maintain a major core thread that travels throughout the entire series. All I can say is that I’m glad I waited to start this series until all the books (I think) were available.
Again, our protagonist is FBI Assistant Special Agent of San Francisco Matthew Roarke. In this installment, I feared for Roarke’s mental health! He gets himself so worked up that he is riding right on the edge. Though this is a FBI novel, I found it also to be an outstanding character study of Roarke with significant elements of a true psychological thriller where the reader is allowed free access into this man’s head. It gets to the point where Roarke doesn’t know what he’s thinking anymore, a dangerous place to be when numerous lives are at stake. This feature alone creates tremendous tension, which is present for much of the book. Add in the character of Cara Lindstrom, the unstable enigmatic survivor of familicide 25 years previous, and we have pervasive potential for explosiveness.
Ms. Sokoloff continues to work magic with her imagery, adding atmosphere and menace to the proceedings. We again have Roarke’s right-hand man, Agent Epps, who in this book doesn’t always agree with Roarke’s ideas but goes along anyway as he attempts to keep Roarke from going off the rails. I was happy to again see the moon icons at the beginning at each chapter, which serve as a countdown to a fantastic finale. The writing is so pacy that I finished the book in three days, fast for me. The climax was simply downright thrilling; the last scene was oh so poignant. No question what I’m reading next. Book 3, here I come!
A note to all. This is a series one must read in order. No cheating here. If you read willynilly, you will kick yourself when you’re done as you will have totally lost the essence of a brilliant set of stories.
Why do I read books before the series is finished!?!? Now I have to wait to find out more!
With these books I really think you have to read them in order. Starting with this one rather than Huntress Moon would make you miss so much of what's going on that I can't imagine liking the story as much.
May contain spoilers from book one:
The book picks up shortly after the first book drops off. Cara is gone and Special Agent Roarke with the help of his team are bringing down some of the bad guys that she wormed out. Roarke knows he has to arrest Cara when she is found but he is conflicted. This could have gone all moody with Roarke mooning away after a beautiful woman, but the author gives you enough that you really don't want her caught either. The tension that is felt is beyond sexual attraction. It's hard to explain exactly why these books work so well, but they do.
Vigilante or not, Cara is a strong character. I do wish the books would give us even more of her. The trauma of her life is just unbelievable. She has nothing or no one-and hasn't since her family was murdered. I said in the first book that fans of Criminal Minds will enjoy these books and this one was even better than the first one. Roarke brings in his old mentor from the BAU and the behavior behind "the Reaper" is fascinating to read as in unfolds.
I'm curious to how the author is going to wrap up the story-line. Will Cara go free? There are so many ways this story could go......
I received an arc copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I see a bad moon a-rising I see trouble on the way... Don’t go ‘round tonight It’s bound to take your life There’s a bad moon on the rise. – Creedence Clearwater Revival
When I started reading Alexandra Sokoloff’s Blood Moon , the follow-up to her wonderful Huntress Moon, I couldn’t help hearing CCR’s 1969 song, Bad Moon Rising in my head. We know from the first book that Agent Matthew Roarke is hunting a female killer who appears to have a propensity for killing “men who needed killing" when the moon is full. In this second thriller, however, Roarke’s investigation takes him back to where it all began a quarter-century earlier– with the serial killer known as “the Reaper.”
Cara Lindstrom, the only survivor of a brutal attack by the murderer who killed her entire family, is an ever-present shadow, however. She is supposed to be Roarke’s main focus; he’s been ordered to find her and arrest her. Roarke, however, has reason to believe that the Reaper has resurfaced after a twenty-five year hiatus, and he is determined to put an end to the horrendous familicide before the next full moon – the blood moon.
Yet, Roarke is haunted by Cara, to say the least. He knows that she is a disturbed individual who needs to be taken off the streets, but he understands her motives and seems hesitant to capture her. His reticence has forged an uneasy tension between Matt and Agent Damien Epps, who does his best to keep him on track. There are times when Roarke acts like he doesn’t know which end is up. He���s fighting fatigue, his superior officer, and most of all, his emotions. His nightmares are incredibly vivid!
Besides Roarke and Epp, whom we met in the first book, we get to know more of the team. Antara Singh is a fabulous researcher. Techs Lam and Stotlemyre are practically joined at the hip, but are very, very good at what they do. Newcomer Ryan Jones seems qualified, but we don’t really get to know him in this story. We do see more of profiler Chuck Snyder, who is someone Roarke relies upon and whose judgment he trusts.
Character development, plot, mood, and setting – this book has it all. The story. Oh, goodness, the story. You won’t catch me using phrases like “gripping,” “un-put-downable,” or “shocking,” but in truth, I found Blood Moon to be all this, and more. Don’t even try reading this book before you’ve read the first one. It’s important to understand who Cara is and what she’s been through. It’s just as necessary to know who Matthew Roarke is as an FBI agent and as a man and why this case has him all jumbled up inside. Then, I dare you to stop after the first two books. I know I won’t.
Blood Moon by talented author Alexandra Sokoloff, is Book II in the Thriller Award-nominated Huntress/FBI series. Blood Moon is the sequel to Huntress Moon. These books keep getting better and better! I am hooked on this series! So good!
It is highly recommended that you read these books in sequence as the storyline continues on from where book one leaves off.
The novels in this FBI thriller series include: Huntress Moon (Book 1) Published 2012 Blood Moon (Book2) Published 2013 Cold Moon. (Book3) Published 2015 Bitter Moon (Book4) Published 2016 Hunger Moon. (Book5) Expected Publication 2017
Twenty-five years have passed since a savage killer terrorized California, massacring three ordinary families before disappearing without a trace.
This book continues with FBI Special Agent Matthew Roarke and Damien Epps still on the hunt for Cara Lindstrom, an elusive vigilante. Cara is the sole survivor of a killing spree by a man dubbed "the Reaper" that included the massacre of her entire family. Cara was five at the time and that one horrific night has shaped her existence, her outlook and her quest for eliminating evil.
Cara Lindstrom, is now wanted by the FBI for brutal crimes of her own, and Special Agent Matthew Roarke is on the hunt for her, but it had been Cara who had lead them to a trafficking ring, to free victims from a Latino Residential Brothel.
But Cara was in Roarke’s dreams, but he had no idea where she was or if she was alive or dead. There is definitely a connection between Roarke and Cara.
Cara Lindstrom was a killer. She hunted and killed brutally, a vigilante, her victims hand-picked for their crimes ie. Child molesters, sex traffickers and terrorists. In this novel, we get to dig deeper in Cara’s essence.
But there are signs that “The Reaper” may have resurfaced!
The story ends with a cliff-hanger…but good! so I can’t wait to start “Cold Moon” Book 3 in the series.
This is proving to be an excellent little series. Many thanks to the TBC reviewer request group for providing me with the ARC.
4 "IT" is Out There Stars * * * * Spoiler Free THIS IS THE BEST SERIES, Limited Time Only 99 CENTS!!! I was taken by the first book in this series, Huntress Moon. It brought me back to the Mystery/Thriller days when I would devour these types of books for breakfast. It was full of intrigue, woven with skill, and left me wanting more, more, more.
I missed the chance to read it through NetGalley by hours... so annoyed with my bad timing. The Book Gods smiled at me, though, as another opportunity appeared to read it and I leaped at the chance.
Blood Moon picks up right where the first book ends... so I highly advise you to read the first book.... otherwise you will be at a loss. There are "catch up" references to the original tale; however, it feels more for the sake of keeping all the details together for the reader.
In this book, the main characters are all there, fighting the good fight against evil...IT. It is the idea of evil and how it shows itself... how it takes advantage of whatever is available to do these acts... these crimes.
The question is asked so many ways through the FBI agent and then the survivor of one of the most horrific killings...is there no end to this thing...and can lives be tied together.... meant to cross paths in order to fight an evil targeted at them.
I was so taken by the structure and writing. I received everything I needed to be right there with these people. The tension was strung tight and kept my mind racing to the end. You know you are really captivated when you periodically sneak a peek at the bottom of the page to see if something big is coming...
If you like police procedures with conflicted and troubled characters torn...between the right thing versus the legal thing... then this will be for you. There are serial profiling, real data, and enough to make you take notice of your surroundings, the people around you, and cause you to be aware.
There is an ending of sorts...but we are left wanting more and Cold Moon is coming... Our Agent will be hunting for his Suspect...but is it because he wants to jail her or help her...
The Huntress series takes place over six months in the present and in multiple timelines in the past. Shadow Moon is a culmination of those characters and storylines and it is strongly recommended that the series be read in order.
This was a fantastically wild ride! This series is filled with thrills and chills and leaves you wanting more. I didn't think it possible but I actually enjoyed this one even more than the first one although I wished there had been more of Cara. She is such a complex character and I couldn't help but feel a strong, positive connection to her despite not even being able to adequately imagine what she's gone through.
This book continues with FBI Special Agent Matthew Roarke still on the hunt for Cara Lindstrom, an elusive vigilante who Roarke struggles to keep firmly planted in the perpetrator category. Cara is the sole survivor of a killing spree by a man dubbed "the Reaper" that included the massacre of her entire family. Cara was five at the time and that one horrific night has shaped her existence, her outlook and her quest for outing evil; the Monsters and Beasts that live among us.
This was a hypnotic read, I was totally enthralled... "It was like being dropped through the rabbit hole, all semblance of reality wavering."
If you're a fan of mysteries, suspense and thrillers, and understanding the mind of a killer excites you, you'll love this series. It's so well written and the characters are real and complex. I love how the author questions the never ending debate about whether life/actions are black and white or are there gray areas? While evil is apparent in humanity and ever present in this book...
...some horrible acts can be driven by good intentions. And can actually result in making people safer. Ridding the world of scum. Does this mean that person should be punished? Put in prison? These are all moral and ethical questions that Roarke battles with as he gets closer to capturing Cara.
My GR friend,Shelby, warned me that I'd want the final book as soon as I finished this one. And she was right. There are so many ways in which this could go and it's going to be hard waiting to see how this one ends.
an ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This is proving to be an excellent little series! I am not sure how I came across it now but I am very glad I did. It is unusual in that one of the main characters and the love interest is a murderer. And the guy who loves her is the cop. So I am not sure where it is actually going to end up but it is really fun finding out! I read this book in more or less one day and did not want to put it down. The author writes well and the action is very well paced. Add in a very nasty serial killer and you end up with something really, really good. Recommended to anyone who likes a good cop thriller.
I thought that this book was very well done. This is the second book in the Huntress/FBI Thrillers series which is a series that really does need to be read in order. This book picks up shortly after the events in the first installment in the series with Special Agent Roarke still trying to capture Cara. I was quickly pulled back into this ongoing story and had a really good time with it.
Cara Lindstrom was the only survivor of a murderer known as The Reaper when she was just a young child. She is now also a murderer and wanted by the FBI. Her crimes have been committed against those that have harmed or are in the process of harming others. It is next to impossible to feel regret over the lives she has taken but Roarke is determined to bring her in.
Roarke intends to set a trap for Cara and stumbles upon a crime much larger than he thought possible. I was completely pulled in by this story and had a great time trying to figure out how everything would work out and what the FBI's next move would be. There was a lot of action and the story moved at a pretty fast pace. I liked the profiling aspect of the story and thought it added a really interesting aspect to the story.
R.C. Bray did a fantastic job with the narration. For some reason, his voice just seems perfect for this kind of story. He was able to really bring the story to life and did a great job with all of the character voices. I really like the quality of his voice and found that I wanted to listen to this book for hours at a time.
I would recommend this series to others. I think that this is a very well done mystery that kept me guessing paired with great characters and enough action to keep things interesting. I am looking forward to listening to the next book in the series very soon.
I received a digital review copy of this book from Thomas & Mercer via NetGalley and purchased a copy of the audiobook.
Initial Thoughts I am so glad that I got back to this series. This book was very well done. It picks up shortly after the events of the first book with Cara still on the loose. Roarke and the team are trying to find her and the stakes are high before the end of this story. I liked getting a chance to be with the agents as they worked to figure out how the criminal would act and process the evidence. R.C. Bray did a great job with the narration.
I don't care what they say and how the 'label' her - she kills abhorrent garbage such as paedophiles, rapists, human traffickers. She should NOT be hunted, but encouraged!
There was this small male character, aka FBI agent Roarke. Well, I wouldn't feel sorry, if he disappeared. Can't stand him. All words, little action. And this one is trying to hunt my lovely Cara? 🤣🤣🤣
Yep, they put her in jail at the end - I don't even worry, she will escape/set free whatever! I have faith in Cara! ✌
And I definitely don't want to read a book full of narcissistic FBI-guy!
Cara - is the reason I read this series! 😎
If someone is wondering, there is NO romance between FBI agent and Cara - the female vigilante. She was in a short relationship with OM in the 1st book - and I hope they would end up together. Roarke has aka gf (very nice and strong woman, way too good for him! 🙄).
I hope 2 main characters won't come together romantically. Cara deserves a better man!
I read this book to fill the Free Space square of my 2018 Halloween Bingo card.
Bloody hell, what a good book! Make it 4.25 or 4.4 stars or something of that sort. An intriguing mash-up of the FBI profiler genre with a dash of the paranormal. Special Agent Matthew Roarke realizes that his morals have been compromised—he has come to identify with a woman who murders the men who prey on women. His partner is giving him the side-eye, not entirely trusting his judgement anymore, but his team still seems to be following his lead. When he chooses to re-open a decades old cold-case in the course of investigating Cara Lindstrom, his superior officer closes things right down again. Until it becomes clear that the Reaper is back and Cara is as interested in catching him as the FBI is.
Sokoloff knows how to build tension effectively and how to structure the mystery to keep me reading, reading, reading until the end. She is also gentle with the paranormal aspects of the story, never over playing them and leaving room for us to wonder if there’s a rational explanation.
Written well before the “Me Too” movement, this book still made me think about it, as women still take the brunt of domestic abuse, serial murder, kidnapping, sexual enslavement, and other forms of violence.
The only survivor, of a twenty five year old unsolved, serial killing case, is on the run from the FBI for her own recent vigilante killings. Meanwhile the maniac who slaughtered whole families all those years ago, is at it again. The main FBI detective who is assigned to tracking her down has now inherited the old case as well because of the connection between the two. Through his investigation into her he has learned that she has become quite proficient at tracking just these types of twisted zealots, so he concludes that it may be in his best interest to find a way to secretly keep her in the loop. After all, she above all others, has got a merciless vendetta to fill. Mary and I are buddy reading this series and it has not dissapointed so far. A fast paced, suspenseful thriller with engrossing characters that have enough depth to carry the story, without having to dwell too much on the gruesome facts. Looking forward to the next chapter in the life of our magnetic heroine, defender of the weak. It is a different twist from the norm to be rooting for an allusive, female serial killer. R. C. Bray does a good job with all the voices and handles the fast pace well.
I loved the first book in this series and moved right into reading this one seconds after finishing book one. A female serial killer that is more of a vigilante. Pedophiles, human traffickers, pimps & other predators beware! The FBI is determined to bring her in before she kills again. That doesn't stop her from hunting those that hunt kids & females.
Blood Moon is the sequel to Huntress Moon. I can't say too much about this because really the storyline just continues on from where book one leaves off.
We have more of Special Agent Roarke in pursuit of Cara Lindstrom, a delicious anti hero, whose mission it is to see justice served in her own inimitable way. As an audience, it's wrong, but it's kind of right too.
Again, the book moves at a thrilling pace with enough tension and suspense to keep the pages turning long into the night. Ok, I admit, I may have locked a door or two and hidden under the duvet listening out for any suspicious sounds! If you read, you'll understand ..... Once again we're treated to the same bunch of characters making up a terrific team of sleuths and quite honestly I'd like to 'road test' some of the hotels they stay in!! They sound fab!!
Overall, it's a fun, albeit slightly terrifying read, with more than enough intrigue to take me straight to book three. I really need some answers!
Recommended.
Again, thanks to the author, publisher, Netgalley for the ARC. Much appreciated.
Holy crap that was a doozy. It started with a bang and went nuclear from there!
Roarke's team in the San Francisco FBI office are still hunting for Cara Lindstrom, the beautiful and enigmatic (but deadly) sole survivor of familicide 25 years ago when she was five years old. Now she hunts people who prey on the weak. Her latest victim is a nasty mean pimp. Roarke is conflicted. He knows she must be stopped but he can't bear the thought of her in prison. The rest of the team shadow Roarke thinking she will try to make contact with him. But no.
They finally come up with a plan to trap her. They will find a family killing that is similar to the Reaper killings from 25 years ago and pass it off as the real thing hoping that it draws Cara out to kill the Reaper. They find the perfect candidate in Reno. The only problem is, Roarke is wondering if it isn't really the Reaper after all. What the Hell? Why now after no activity for 25 years? Is it a copycat? Roarke is really struggling psychologically now, his decision making is off and even his sidekick Epps almost doesn't trust him anymore. Soon another family is slain and all hell breaks loose. I don't want to say more about the plot but it is pretty full on and exciting. The ending though, wow, that threw me. I'm not even sure how the series can continue now. But continue it does so its on to book 3 to find out what gives.
I am so excited to be back with Special Agent Matthew Roarke, kicking down doors and taking down the bad guys, as his hunt for Cara continues. I love action from the opening page, getting me fully invested in the story and Blood Moon has it in spades.
This book picks up where Huntress Moon, Book I, left off. It does fill in some blanks from the first book, but I will tell you now, I am so happy I started at the beginning. I don’t want to miss a thing and I don’t think you will either.
Cara is a female serial killer, but she is so much more than that. She is a vigilante that Roarke has been chasing since Huntress Moon, Book I of the series. Cara was not born this was, she was created…by The Reaper. She touched me deeply. Right or wrong? Who are we to judge? She is exorcising her demons the only way she knows how, saving innocent lives along the way.
Life is not black and white, but many shades of gray. Blood Moon makes many questions come to mind as man’s inhumanity to those unable to protect themselves is shoved in your face. Is evil alive? Does it have a physical presence?
How far should they, the FBI, go to draw her out? Roarke has conflicting feelings, but comes up with a plan. Cara was Roarke’s incentive to become an FBI agent, since he learned about the tragedy surrounding her at when he was nine years old.
Alexandra Sokoloff has written a story that pushes and pulls me in so many directions making me question myself. My morals and ethics. Who is right? Who is wrong?
She skillfully weaves the past and the present, sharing the storyline from Cara and Roarke’s perspective. The investigation takes them to surprising places, the clues and evidence leading them in unexpected ways. This is not your typical police procedural. Reading all the evidence takes a meticulous and detailed mind, thinking outside the box. I think it takes a special kind of person, whether you are deciphering the clues as a reader or creating them as a writer.
Alexandra Sokoloff is able to ramp up the intrigue, my curiosity, the suspense, and my anticipation to a horrifying, frantic level, making me wonder how this can possibly end.
Would you care if the traffickers, rapists, and pimps were offed? Would you go out of your way to find the vigilante who protects children who are unable to protect themselves and others have cast aside?
The characters come to life in a way I never anticipated. I loved them, I hated them, I worried about them, I raged at them, I fretted with fear and terror, and I wished they would go down in flames, and I mean that literally.
I love/hate the ending, BUT don’t think for a minute that the story is done, because Alexandra Sokoloff has so much more coming in Cold Moon, Book III, and I do not want to miss one second of Roarke’s and Cara’s story. I didn’t wait…I immediately began to read it.
I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of Blood Moon by Alexandra Sokoloff.
Second in the Huntress/FBI thrillers series which commences with HUNTRESS MOON, BLOOD MOON continues this spookily spectacular saga in which a series of bloody unsolvable massacres a quarter of a century in the past reverberate in the present, presenting more killings, and danger for Assistant Special Agent in Charge Matt Roarke of the San Francisco FBI Office, a former profiler. Now it appears that the mass killer from twenty-five years ago has inexplicably returned, with more expertise, more control--and his still unsatisfied agenda. How many more families will suffer.
I don't recommend reading this before you read the first book, even though the major events are summarized adequately. You just won't understand the character dynamics.
The story from the first book continues, with The Huntress still at large and FBI agents Matthew Roarke and Damien Epps continuing their quest to find her. They're somewhat sidetracked when there are signs that The Reaper, the unknown person who massacred three families in California 25 years ago, may have resurfaced.
Agent Roarke is such a complex character. He has a special sensitivity and connection not only to The Huntress but other strong forces (good and evil) and it makes him vulnerable and more interesting. His relationship with Agent Epps, so symbiotic in the first book, is tested here as Roarke at times seems to lose his objectivity. The tension was constant throughout the investigation not only between these two but also from the parallels of the two cases. I thought The Huntress was daunting but The Reaper was absolutely frightening.
I was just as intrigued by this story as I was with the first. Most of it is set in San Francisco, which was vividly brought to life through the exceptional writing skills of Sokoloff. I've visited the city at least seven times and felt areas like Haight-Ashbury were captured with such precision I was transported back there for a time. This is an extraordinary story with enigmatic characters that I find incomparable and writing that is almost lyrical in its prose. I can't wait for the next book because the story continues. Roarke and The Huntress aren't done yet.
Started out slow. Phase picked up, but sudden conversation changes made me stop and go back to listen again. Strong and stubborn characters, human trafficking. Five families brutally murdered, surviving five years old girl, from twenty five years ago determined to eradicate some evil people. Also find the reaper that is responsible to killing her family. Got this book free with my Kindle Unlimited subscription, also brilliance audio was included too.
This is a gift it comes with a price Who is the lamb and who is the knife – Florence and the Machine – Rabbit Heart
“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.” – ― Elie Wiesel
I find the idea of vigilante justice very attractive. I like the idea that the murderer decides that this person has gone too far, and nothing will happen to him unless she does something to stop him. – Donna Leon
This series should carry a sign.
OK? Do we have that out of the way now? Whew. Good. Because you won’t find “Fifty Shades of Horrible Writing” or “The “Twilight” of the Modern Mind” between these pages. What you will find is Outstanding psychological suspense.
Sokoloff’s work reminds me, in her writing style and story lines, of Fyodor Dostoyevsky. If there is no God, everything is permitted. Mass murder. Child sex slavery. Or a small girl, throat slashed, left to lie in the blood of her slaughtered family.
This is the story of Cara Lindstrom, a five-year-old little girl whose family is slaughtered by a serial killer. Now, twenty-five years later, Cara is an Avenging Angel – Santa Muerte – an Angel who brings death to the evil of the world. Her specialty? Child sex traffickers. Find them. Kill them. Release the children they exploit.
Of course, the FBI can’t have that. In Huntress Moon, after Cara killed the members of a child sex slavery ring in the desert of California, and to be fair, an undercover FBI agent (who happened to be “sampling the wares”) it is Matt Roarke’s job to capture her, bring her in, and put her away for the rest of her life for doing what the FBI can’t, or more importantly, won’t do.
“You can never kill them all,” she whispered. “They keep coming back.”
And Cara should know. She sees the monsters in men’s souls. And while the monster who took her family and two others twenty-five years ago disappeared, now he is back. Back to slaughter. Back to kill the one who got away. And he isn’t the only one. For there is another killer, perhaps more savage than the first, who is walking death across the country – The Reaper. And finding Cara may be the only way Roarke can stop the past from becoming the present – even if capturing Cara means her complete and total destruction.
Twenty-five girls to a block, locked in the rooms and drugged to the gills, servicing twenty-five to forty men a day, twelve hours a day, seven days a week.
The monsters live amongst us. And Santa Muerte, the Lady Death, walks amongst them, nibbling away at a $33 billion a year industry of rape, torture and abuse – she saves with death – unless the FBI, and Matt Roarke, can stop her. After all, you could only sell a drug or a gun once, but you could sell a girl to the walking vermin known as johns twenty-five times a night.
Terry Pratchett said it, and Blood Moon reflects it:
“This is Art holding a Mirror up to Life. That’s why everything is exactly the wrong way around.” ― Wyrd Sisters
Roarke seeks “Justice” – but is it justice, truly, to capture Santa Muerte?
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a realistic review. Ms. Sokoloff is an amazing storyteller, and her works are now high on my “automatic buy” list. I hope you enjoy her work as much as I do.
Coming May 5, 2015
Cold Moon Book Three in the Thriller Award-nominated Huntress/FBI series
It is strongly recommended that you read Huntress Moon and Blood Moon first. The hunt for mass murderer Cara Lindstrom is over. FBI Special Agent Matthew Roarke has been working for this moment: the capture of a killer who savagely hunts the worst of humanity. But Roarke remains traumatized by his own near-death at the hands of the serial killer who slaughtered Cara’s family…and haunted by the enigmatic woman who saved his life.
Then the sixteen-year-old prostitute who witnessed Cara’s most recent murder goes missing, and suddenly pimps are turning up dead on the streets of San Francisco, killed with an MO eerily similar to Cara’s handiwork.
Is a new killer on the loose with a mission even more deadly than hers? In the pulse-pounding third Huntress/FBI Thrillers book, Roarke will have to go on the hunt…and every woman he meets, even those closest to him, may prove deadly.
About the Author: Alexandra Sokoloff is the Thriller Award-winning and Bram Stoker, Anthony, and Black Quill Award-nominated author of the supernatural thrillers THE HARROWING, THE PRICE, THE UNSEEN, BOOK OF SHADOWS, THE SHIFTERS, and THE SPACE BETWEEN, and the Thriller Award-nominated, Amazon bestselling Huntress/FBI series (HUNTRESS MOON, BLOOD MOON, COLD MOON). The New York Times Book Review called her a “daughter of Mary Shelley,” and her books “Some of the most original and freshly unnerving work in the genre.”
As a screenwriter she has sold original horror and thriller scripts and adapted novels for numerous Hollywood studios. She has also written two non-fiction workbooks: SCREENWRITING TRICKS FOR AUTHORS and WRITING LOVE, based on her internationally acclaimed workshops and blog (www.ScreenwritingTricks.com), and has served on the Board of Directors of the WGA, west and the Board of the Mystery Writers of America.
Roarke is tasked with building a case against Cara, despite his connection to her and his reservations. His team decides the best way to flush her out is to reopen the Reaper cases by pretending a similar family crime is related, only when they begin to investigate it they realize that the Reaper has indeed resurfaced.
Damn this is starting to get good! I gotta admit, I am a tangle of feelings about these books. On the one hand, part of me is saying "Finally! A woman vigilante serial killer taking the lives of the nasty men performing various crimes against women and girls.", but on the other hand, the gore, the crimes themselves, and truly horrid actions of the Reaper tend to take a toll on my excitement. I suppose there is a shaky balance there between the feeling of justice served and the darkness of evil. Roarke seems to feel the same way. I have no idea what things are going to look like when he and Cara truly converge, but I'm anxious to find out.
First Sentence: Twenty-five years have passed since a savage killer terrorized California, massacring three ordinary families before disappearing without a trace.
FBI Agent Matthew Roarke is conflicted. As a child, Cara Lindstrom, was the only survivor of her family's massacre by a man known as The Reaper. Now, twenty-five years later, Cara kills those who prey on innocent girls. Knowing why she kills doesn't help; Roarke knows he must arrest her. After learning of the recent murder of a family with details very similar, too similar to that of Cara's family. Could The Reaper be back? Or has he been killing all along?
Sokoloff creates an excellent sense of place. Wherever Roarke is, one is right beside him. There is a tiny element of the supernatural in the plot, but more as an element of racing against the clock. An effective dream sequence plays a part, as does the author's evocative descriptions—"Dawn is a curious shade of gray; the fog drifting outside the window above her is so thick it is nearly impossible to tell the time of day."
The characters of Roarke and Cara support the theme of the moon; light versus dark. Part of Cara's appeal is that there is something mercurial about her. Part of Cara's appeal is that there is something mercurial about her. There is the sense of her being tuned in to an uncommon knowledge of the world. One isn't certain as to whom they should support; Roarke on the side of the law, or Cara, knowing her past and present. Although the story is told with alternating points of view between the two, it works well.
The author brings Roake's team to life while providing a connection back to the series' first book, "The Huntress." Then there is Agent Epp, an interesting character perceptive of both Roarke and Cara.
Sokoloff creates effective and perfectly timed plot twists, constantly building the suspense. On one hand, she thinks through the logic of situations, putting the pieces together. On the other, it is the forensics and following the clues, especially seeing what others should have seen, that gives genuine power to the story. Amazing the things to be learned.
"Blood Moon" is an exciting read and a wonderful addition to the "Huntress" saga. Start at the beginning and prepare to become addicted.
BLOOD MOON – VG PolProc-Agent Matthew Roarke-CA/Nev-Contemp Sokoloff, Alexandra – 2nd in series Thomas & Mercer, Feb 2015, 313 pp.
I was given this book by the author in exchange for an honest review and OMG if I could give this book 100 star ratings I would (but that would mess up my rating figures!). I am always curious as to whether authors can keep up the momentum when they write a series. Well Alexandra Sokoloff kept it up and then blew it out of the water!
In this book we are delving even deeper into Cara Lindstrom’s psyche. We learn a lot more about what haunts her and there is an undeniable connection between herself and Roarke. Cara continues her hunt for “It” while Roarke is hunting her.
The tension between Epps and Roarke is all the more evident and as a reader I feel conflicted too! Who do I side with…well sorry Epps but I am with Roarke on this one.
A few new characters are thrown in for good measure and really add to the story: Jade ~ a witness the FBI need to keep on side and Rachel ~ who runs a home for helping children who are sexually exploited. Both fascinating characters in their own rights, I suspect there will be more reveals in Cold Moon.
I was so intrigued by this book it took me about 8 hours total to read. We are left with another cliff-hanger but thankfully I had my copy of Cold Moon so I was not left “rattling”. A #crimebookjunkie like me needs to feed her addiction and this is a series which I never want to end! I am currently reading Cold Moon and expect to post my review in the next few days.
Once again Alexandra Sokoloff has outdone herself! A gripping series mixing reality with fiction leaving the Huntress Series pulsing through my veins! I would love to see this on television! I was even more excited to see that Wolf Moon, the next in the series after Cold Moon (which I am currently reading) will be out in 2016!!! #excited
I believe that the highest praise is afforded when someone changes your mind or cracks open a door into a world that you never knew existed. That's exactly what Alexandra Sokoloff did to me with her two most recent novels, Huntress Moon and Blood Moon. With two quick, dynamic strikes she has converted the unwashed heathen (that would be me) and made him a fan - not only of her own work but of the suspense genre.
Ms. Sokoloff writes with passion, power, and velocity. It is notoriously difficult for my ADHD-addled brain to engage in a good read and I often struggle to move past the first chapter of many books - even those I am very interested in reading. But with both Huntress Moon and Blood Moon, no sooner had I dipped my toes into the river than I was carried off by each story's current. In addition to passion, power, and velocity, Ms. Sokoloff writes with assurance, and I did not once hesitate to allow myself to be carried away by this confident, sinister storyteller.
I'll wrap up this review by saying that Ms. Sokoloff has created a stunning antagonist whom I cheered for as much as her protagonist. I don't want to slip and spoil anything, so I'll stop right there and leave you with this: grab a suitable flotation device - preferably one with an umbrella for shade and a nice cup holder for a tasty beverage - and read Huntress Moon and Blood Moon.
Book one on the series = excellent .. book two = fantabulous!! Not much more to be said as this book continues to open up the fantastic characters and storyline . Looking forward to book 3 . This series is really good but I recommend you read in order . Thanks to tbc reviewers for my opportunity to read
Alexandra Sokoloff is a superb talent and I have found both of books that I have read to be absolutely superb stories. She can build tension and suspense and maintain it for a very longtime. Her plotting is just excellent and her characters have the type of depth and texture that makes them come alive as you read. I have clear visual and emotional pictures of almost all of them.
Blood Moon carries on from the point at which Huntress Moon ended. One should, therefore, start with Huntress Moon, the first of the four book series and, after reading that, if you are so inclined continue in the order in which they are intended. While either could be read as a stand alone book, you would have to be a knucklehead to do so - and my Goodreads friends, with one possible exception, are not knuckleheads.
FBI agents Roarke, the senior and Epps, the Junior, continue their pursuit of Cara but, in parallel they pursue the family destroyer known as The Reaper. Any more information will be too much.
You should know pretty quickly whether these books are to your taste. Obviously, they are very much to mine. Interestingly enough, I will not read Sokoloff's work beyond this series because, as I understand it, they are horror stories and that is a genre for which I do not care.
Not sure what happened to my review here as I thought I had written one, apparently it did not save.
Anyways, I loved this book. I had just finished the first in the series and was so glad I had this one on my iPad. I started on it immediately. This one just like first did not fail to deliver!! A female serial killer that you will definitely be rooting for. While I did not care for the ending, not spoiling it here, I still loved this second book in the series. Now apparently I have to wait until May to read the third one. Ugh!
Thank you Amazon Publishing and Net Galley for providing me with this e-galley in exchange for an honest review.
I am completely in love with the characters in this series, and it's become my favorite to push on unsuspecting friends, neighbors and people on the street. Blood-chilling suspense? Check. Sexy lead characters? Check. Having to check the lock on my front door three times while reading it in an over-lit house in case a crazed lunatic is thinking of coming in and stabbing me to death? Check!
I am hooked and want to know so much more!! Great lead characters and a lovely pace to the story that has you moving through the story quickly. It is great to see the conflicted feelings of Roarke and explore how the stories of hunter/huntress switch and the line between the two becomes blurred - who is hunting who? Great build up and some great tense sequences. Fantastic to know there are 3 more books in the series.