Wednesday, September 05, 2012

E.L. Pender #2: Fear Itself (2003)

Fear Itself

just a few days before retirement, FBI agent Pender received a letter from Dorie, mentioning some unlikely deaths of people like her, who attended conference for suffering a variety of phobias. however, these deaths seemed strange, not some random suicides as they appeared to be - a man afraid of heights fell nineteen stories to his death, a woman terrified of blood was found with her wrists slashed. now that her friend Wayne missed their appointment, Dorie was afraid that the killer was coming for them next. the moment Pender stepped into the case, he suspected these suicides were the works of a twisted psychopath.

it was so much fun following Pender on his chase and Dorie on her run. as always, Pender had his intuition to lead him to the intelligent killer, who was so good in covering his tracks that he overdid it and left a empty spot behind. the mystery was at its peak until they figured out who the killer was. but when he was on the run that sent Pender on the chase, the story became slightly dragging. fortunately when Pender caught up, there were a final showdown that made it all interesting again, giving it a perfect end. while the fear of heights and blood were much more infectious and relatable, Dorie's fear of masks was less terrifying and it could have been better if her phobia had been a more relatable one.

author: Jonathan Nasaw
published: 2003
genre: Mystery/Thriller

E.L. Pender series:
- The Girls He Adored (2001)
- Fear Itself (2003)
- Twenty Seven Bones (2004)
- When She Was Bad (2007)
- The Boys from Santa Cruz (2010)

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