The way in which the author has written the characters does make them real to the minds eye. I feel the characteristics of a crime/thriller novel are a crime to solve, a killer/murderer, a hero/detective (a good guy) and plot witch will get the reader involved. There are small part of blood and gut, the book is very graphic in describing these parts,

"I don't want to think about the next bit. It wasn't nice. It's a lot harder to strangle somebody than it looks. Especially when you're wearing latex gloves and your hands start sweating and slipping inside them." page 101-102.

However there is a romantic involvement to balance this out.

The different threads through the plot made my involvement far more active, there was strong imagery produced by the

In some ways I felt with previous experience with novels of the crime/thriller genre that the plot would be far fetched and very simple, but they way things are described and the characters reactions makes it seem very real. The plot does have a 'whodunnit' feel, but with the different threads from the other murders it makes you think and also the interaction between the other murders.

My expectations of this genre were far different to what this book turned out to be. I expected two-dimensional characters with out a past and a very simple plot. The authors style makes this book different crime/thriller novels. The characters come to life, the have a history, instead of just being there. For example the main character is haunted by the thoughts of her murdered sister Lesley,

Also the sections from the diary kept by the murderer of his thoughts and how he felt killing the crime/thriller writer's, allows you to get an insight as to how he thinks. The character of Fiona Cameron has been written in a way in which the reader gets to know her, through out the novel, she is trying to redeem herself and her best friend for an unsolved murder/rape, she is trying to save her lover and she has the ghost of her sister following her, because she feels it was her fault that the killer was never found but it did cause her to become a psychologist.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1205
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)