The Unforgiven (Detective Jacob Striker #4), by Sean Slater

Eight stars

Sean Slater has penned another explosive Canadian police procedural in this fourth novel of the Jacob Striker series. Slater presents a strong story that encapsulates a great crime thriller with police investigation supports. Gripping and quite telling, the story pushes the limits and keeps the reader coming back for more. While Sean Slater has no other books in this collection to date, I hope that changes soon, as this series is something else.

After Vancouver Homicide Detective Jacob Striker is called out to investigate at the local bus station, he is amazed at what he encounters. There is a bus engulfed in flames and the fire department are struggling to contain the blaze. Once all is settled Detective Striker makes an eerie discovery, when a body is pulled from the wreckage. It is a woman with whom he used to work, and all signs point to her being lured to this spot, then attacked.

Striker cannot let this go and convinces his partner, Felicia Santos, to join him as they search for her killer. This will mean taking her active files and culling through them to find something that will let him know why she was called to this part of the city. What seems like a fairly straightforward investigation gets exponentially more difficult when no one will talk with them about what was being investigated.

As Striker and Santos push harder, they discover that the killer is exacting some form of ritualistic attack, placing bodies and using fire to finish the spell. What’s more troubling is that the victims are all tired in with something that will implicate the city the province, and even the Church. As Striker tries to handle his emotions, he discovers that this is not just a murder investigation, but a form of retribution for past wrongs. Slater keeps getting better with his writing and this is proof of that!

Police procedurals require a certain element that I cannot point to when trying to put things into words. A crime story needs great movement and strong protagonists to keep things clipping along, without making it too personal or clunky. Slater does well with this novel—as he has with the other three—in keeping the story front and centre while making sure that Jacob Striker remains in the reader’s mind throughout. Short chapters push things in a forward direction and the reader is left with little to do but keep turning pages to whet their appetite for answers. Slater has mastered the art and kept that Canadian flavouring that is just what I like.

Sean Slater uses characters development effectively and keeps it at the forefront of this book. There are many who need to be presented in a certain way for the reader to feel their pain. Slater does that in ways that really brings the point home for the reader. He advances the characters’ stories and yet fits it all into the larger narrative. Jacob Striker remains front and centre in the piece, with his own development and advancement, though not as prominent as in past novels. Striker has got police work running through his veins and I am eager to see if there will be more for him, as the reader is able to attach to his personality relatively easily. Lot twists develop well in this book and the reader cannot always predict what awaits them. By keeping a quick story and multiple perspectives, there is much to be desired in this fast-paced thriller that does not let up for a moment.

Kudos, Mr. Slater, for dazzling once more.

The Guilty (Detective Jacob Striker #3), by Sean Slater

Eight stars

Sean Slater another explosive Canadian police procedural in this third novel featuring Jacob Striker. Slater develops a strong story that has all the elements needed for a gripping thriller, keeping his protagonist in the middle of the action and never providing too much in any one chapter. Strong storytelling and a fast-paced story help the reader push through, in a piece that has kept me up flipping pages in hopes of learning a little more.

After Vancouver PD Homicide Detective Jacob Striker discovers a torture chamber in an abandoned building, he tries to make sense of it all. Chasing down the perp, who has a hostage in his possession, Striker is close to capturing him, but cannot complete the arrest. Soon, bombings begin across the city and Striker is left to wonder if this may be a parallel to the torture chamber.

After tracing the hostage‘s identity, the bombings begin shedding more light on the perp, who appears to have a larger move that must be completed. While Striker and his partner, Felicia Santos, try to stay one step ahead, they are blocked with various roadblocks, both literal and figurative. The bomber has begun targeting people, leaving a variety of explosives in spots that are sure to draw a crowd, as media reports discuss the carnage.

Struggling to locate the bomber before all is lost, Striker and Santos will have to make sense of the clues they are given as well as the protection of people in and around Vancouver. It all seems to trace back to an archived police file, but answers are not clear. All that Striker learns is that this is not a single bomber, but a pair working towards a joint goal. Time is running out and Striker refuses to stand own, leaving him the prime target for the final explosive statement. Slater does a masterful job in this piece, keeping the reader on edge throughout.

Superior crime thrillers mix strong stories with wonderful narrative flow. Sean Slater has both, and then some. As Slater delivers this third novel in the Striker series, he knows where he wants things to go and how to get Detective Striker there. The story is intense and full of great police lingo, but it is the clipped narrative and short chapters that truly drive things towards being a great book that will keep the reader engaged. The police themes are surely an added bonus that most likely only those who have been behind the police curtain can present with ease.

The characters prove effective and Slater adds depth to his returning core, as well as painting newbies with a great brush to give them life. Flavouring the story is the internal struggle of both Striker and the antagonist, both of whim have much they need to unload as the story progresses. This becomes a sensational game of cat and mouse, with great tangents used to build up some of the intensity for the reader’s delight. Plot twists do the same here and Slater knows just how to deliver them effectively. The suspense is high and leaves the reader begging for more. Thankfully, I have the fourth novel in the series ready to go, as I await Detective Jacob Striker’s next move.

Kudos, Mr. Slater, for your best novel to date.

Snakes & Ladders (Detective Jacob Striker #2), by Sean Slater

Eight stars

Sean Slater returns with another great Canadian police procedural. Meeting or exceeding expectations, Slater develops another strong story with great police flavouring. A number of apparent suicides show some sign that there may have been outside influence. When Detective Jacob Striker is contacted by an elusive individual, targeting him and warning the Vancouver Police to stay away, he pulls all those involved into a deadly game. Ready to do whatever it takes to ensure success, the Adder creates a dangerous game of Snakes and Ladders, With Detective Striker in the middle. Slater does wonders with the story and his abilities, keeping the reader hooked!

After discovering that a number of suicides in Vancouver might have been covered-up murders, Homicide Detective Jacob Striker is quick to act, He follows the leads he has and soon ends up at the Riverglen Mental Health Facility. All who died were once patience’s here, under the support of Dr. Erich Ostermann, a psychiatric practitioner of some regard. When Striker learns that one of his close friends was also a patient of Dr. Ostermann, he is troubled to find out that she is missing.

As time ticks on, someone reaches out to Detective Striker to let him know that he ought to steer clear of the investigation, as it is becoming a dangerous game. This game is one where lives can be lost quickly and people devoured by those they cannot see. The Adder signs his notes and Detective Striker is fuelled to keep looking with renewed vigour.

As things get intense, Detective Striker and his partner try to piece things together, all the while, remaining one step behind the man who holds all the answers. They will have to make their move and hope to turn the tables, or many lives could be lost before anything can be done. Sean Slater does well once more with this piece that had me flipping pages well into the night.

A great crime thriller uses capable writing and clear storylines to keep the reader engaged. Sean Slater does that easily, building from a strong debut novel exploring the streets of Vancouver. Slater uses his knowledge as a cop to craft this piece that pulls on everything to present a cogent book. Short chapters help push things along and keep the reader wanting just a little more.

The characters present themselves effectively, providing the reader with a story flavoured by multiple angles. Plot twists find their way into the story and do not let go, leaving the reader in awe at some points. I want to see where Slater will take things and how Detective Striker will get out of the danger that is put before him, while also keeping the action high.

Kudos, Mr. Slater, for another great read.

The Survivor (Detective Jacob Striker #1), by Sean Slater

Eight stars

Sean Slater storms onto the scene with this strong Canadian police procedural. It checks all the boxes and keeps the reader hooked from the opening pages until the very end. A school shooting might look like an open and shut case, but for Detective Jacob Striker, it is anything but that. Working alongside a partner and former girlfriend, Striker will have to dig deep and discover that there shooting had deeper implications. Slater offers up a great series debut with this book and I cannot wait for the next book.

Detective Jacob Slater had to wonder how bad things could get. In the first hour back from a six-month hiatus, he is called to his daughter’s school, where a school shooting is in progress. Detective Striker and his partner assess the scene before taking action, which includes getting into a fire fight with two of the three gunmen, clad in goalie masks. When Detective Striker sees one of the shooters obliterate their fellow gunman’s face before fleeing, there is a sense that something more is going on.

As the manhunt for the escaped shooter progresses across Vancouver, Detective Striker must also come to terms with the fact that his daughter, Courtney, is rebelling and could have been in the middle of the bloodbath, had she not skipped school that day. As pieces of the shooter’s past slowly fall into place, it soon becomes apparent that there is more to this than a school shooting.

Rushing to get answers and solve the case once and for all, Detective Striker learns of a long-ago connection with the shooter and a killing spree that took the world by storm. There is little time to waste and everyone will have to act swiftly if more killings are not to fill Vancouver’s streets, with a formidable person and the centre of it all. Sean Slater does well and captures the reader’s attention throughout.

A great crime thriller needs strong writing and a great storylines to keep it afloat. Sean Slater does that with ease, developing a strong debut novel in this series, set on the streets of Vancouver. Slater pulls on his experiences as a cop to craft this piece that pulls on experiences and stunning developments in the investigation. Using short and poignant chapters, Slater keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. I could not get enough of this piece and hope the others are as exciting.

The characters emerge with ease, providing the reader with something great on which they can follow along. The plot twists are equally as effective and keep the reader guessing until it all comes together by the end, leaving threads dangling for the next book. I am eager to see where Jacob Striker will go and how his single-parent situation will resolve itself, out whether an errant teenage daughter will be the bane of his life outside of work. Off to get the next book to see how things progress.

Kudos, Mr. Slater, for a great series debut!