Guest author and friend of Uncomfortably Dark, Sue Rovens is back with another book review! This week, she brings us HIGHWAY MAN by M.J. Preston.
Enjoy!
Highway Man by M.J. Preston
By Sue Rovens
While the True Crime genre isn’t going anywhere soon, books and movies that utilize similar types of emotional responses, such as foreboding, terror, and fear, will also have the masses clamoring for more. And when the writing is solid and the characters are practically palatable, you know you’re in the good hands of a competent author.
M.J. Preston’s series, Highwayman, fits the bill in every sense. After reading Book One of this two-parter series, I can unequivocally state that those who dig dark genres, intense story making, and/or police procedurals should include this in their collection immediately, if not sooner. I’m normally one who tends to shy away from detective ‘by the book’ tales. There’s nothing wrong with them–they simply don’t tend to do much for me.
However, Highwayman is more than just pages of regurgitated ‘standard operating procedures or rehashed plotlines of S.V. U. or Criminal Minds. Once M.J. introduces you to a newbie serial killer, Lance Belanger, a rich college kid whose life is one whirlwind of chaos after another, you’ll be hooked before you hit chapter two. We follow Lance through trial after tribulation and beyond while different detectives/cops do their best to stay on the scent and bring this up-and-comer killer, down.
There is a bit of military/police jargon and terminology, but you don’t have to be ‘in the know’ or have that type of background in order to follow the story. And for those who love gory details of kills, a two-faced killer who loves to terrorize, and a ‘sidekick henchman’ who might be nothing but trouble for our pro/antagonist, Highwayman will check those boxes for you as well.
The ending is obviously a cliffhanger, as Book Two no doubt picks up after the first. I have yet to read it, but plan to get to it soon. I certainly want to know what happens to Lance Balanger, whichever way it ends, and I trust that once you’ve read the first installment in this series, you will too.
Highly recommend for those who enjoy true crime, true-crime adjacent stories, police procedurals, serial killer tales (fiction or non-fiction), and stories that move quickly.
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