On, Off
On October 6, 1965, female body parts are discovered in the animal morgue in the neuroscience research center of a private university in Connecticut. Lieutenant Carmine Delmonico is assigned to the case. Certainly, the killer must be someone who works at the facility, one of the researchers, administrators or assistants; but after interviewing them all, he has no reason to suspect one over another. Neither does the reader. He turns his attention to the victim. Contrary to expectations, he learns she was from a good family, Catholic, no boyfriend, never a moment’s trouble. Casting a wider net, he finds she was not the only Connecticut girl fitting that description to have disappeared over the past couple years. The killer has been busy and he isn’t finished yet. Typical of the genre, the story becomes a race, where cop tries to catch killer before he strikes again. Deaths mount along with new clues. For fans of serial killer murder mysteries, this is a well-plotted page-turner. For fans of Colleen McCullough, the same meticulous attention to detail and characterization that make all her stories so fascinating makes this one enjoyable as well.
