The Man Burned by Winter (Rooker Lindström Thriller Book 1)
by Pete Zacharias Book Review
I got this book at an Amazon Prime First Reads Book for May. Book release date June 1, 2022.
It is listed as The Man Burned by Winter (Rooker Lindström Thriller Book 1). This is the first novel written by Pete Zacharias.
This book takes your imagination to dark places. I love serial killer thrillers BUT if you are triggered by violence / violence to women, you should skip this book.
It takes a certain kind of writer to evoke the terror and intensity of a sensational serial killer thriller story.
As a retired detective this was quote of the book:
“Remember if it’s you or them going six feet under it has to be them.”
The Man Burned by Winter by Pete Zacharias, p 26
That quote resonated with me because the goal was always to make it home safe to my husband (also a cop) and our kids.
Characters
The storyline centers around a detective with her own demons, an investigative journalist, Rooker Lindström, bordering on insanity and self destruction after dealing with a personal loss, and a serial killer pushing the limits in a very dangerous game.
Reluctantly, Rooker decides to help the police catch the killer. A killer who seems to be following in the footsteps of Rooker’s notorious serial killer father. By the time you figure out what the two have in common, there will be a trail of bodies.
This serial killer is confident and calculating. His murders are cold and planned, each one a perfect crime.
My Thoughts
You probably guessed it already since this is the first book in a SERIES (haha), but will Rooker be able to outrun the shadow of his father’s past and personal tragedy to help the police catch a new killer? You’ll have to read to the end to find out.
This book was a page turner. I enjoyed the dynamics of the characters. I actually thought I had the book solved at one point (I was wrong). The way the characters interacted with one another and the attention to details described were so clear. I would have liked more insight into Detective Harlow’s past. Hopefully, that will be a theme in book 2.
I did have a few issues procedurally with the book. As a retired detective there are things that never, ever would have happened in the course of an investigation BUT for the sake of fiction they are things I choose to call on my inner Elsa for and let it go!
Trigger Warning
About the violence in the book. I think the author did a great job describing the crimes without being distasteful. This is difficult to do with these types of crimes. Yup that’s my retired LEO brain talking.
Star Rating
I give this book a ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 star rating! Read about my star rating here.
Definitely a page turner that I would recommend IF violence / violence towards women isn’t a trigger for you!
Amazon shows the next book in the series titled as “The Man Trapped by Shadows” (Rooker Lindström Thriller Book 2) Release date of July 11, 2023.
