Before He Kills: a great mystery with interesting characters

Before He Kills is the first book in the Mackenzie White series by Blake Pierce. A woman is found murdered in a cornfield of Nebraska. Strung up on a pole, the victim of a deranged killer. It doesn’t take long to realize that a serial killer is on the loose. Detective Mackenzie White is a young, tough, smarter than the aging, chauvinistic men on her local force. She finds herself called in to help solve it. As much as the other officers would hate to admit it but they need her. As she begins, she realizes that this case could be an impossible riddle, a riddle that she or the police force has ever seen. As the case heats up, Mackenzie finds herself battling her own demons as the hunt for this sadistic killer takes her to the darkest places of her mind and memories. Will she find the killer before he strikes again? Or will the psychological warfare inside her head be her downfall? 

Once again, Blake Pierce did not disappoint. Before He Kills is my third book by Pierce and it was a fast-paced, hold on to your seat mystery with a great leading lady. From the get-go, Mackenzie is a strong, intelligent detective but underneath her bravado is a flawed and broken woman who is haunted by the memories of her father’s murder. She is determined to find the killer before he kills again, even risking her career and her life to stop the madman in his tracks. The story is filled with other great characters like her reluctant partner, Walter Porter, to the police chief, Clark Nelson, who hate what Mackenzie represents but can’t help but admire her skills and tenacity. At the center is a great mystery that didn’t drag on with too many twists and false leads. If you love murder mysteries and need a weekend read, I highly recommend Before He Kills. 

Before He Kills is available in paperback, eBook, and audiobook.