Warning: If you have not read “Absolute Fear” by Lisa Jackson, do not read this review if you wish to avoid spoilers. If you don’t mind spoilers or already read the book, feel free to read this!
I’m back with another book review, and this time it’s “Absolute Fear” by Lisa Jackson! Here’s a summary so we know what it’s about:
“Every Serial Killer…
A serial killer is stalking the streets of New Orleans. The victims are killed in a ritual fashion, a series of numbers tattooed into their bodies. There are no clues, no connections except one: a crumbling old asylum that was once the scene of unspeakable madness–and is now the calling card of a new kind of fear.
Is Searching For…
Eve Renner knows Our Lady of Virtues Hospital well. As the daughter of one of its doctors, she spent her childhood exploring its secrets chambers, hidden rooms, and forbidden passageways. Now, somewhere in the decaying asylum lies the key to a betrayal from the past whose echoes are being felt with a vengeance–a crime beyond imagining that seems to lead to Eve herself.
The Perfect Victim…
As each new body is found and forgotten, memories surface, and Eve must race to put together a deadly puzzle, one terrifying piece at a time. A killer is watching, planning, luring her back to the ruins of Our Lady and the shocking truths hidden there. For the sins of the past must be revealed, and the price paid–in blood…”
There were quite a few Biblical references scattered throughout the book, and those were interesting. Given that “Our Lady of Virtues” is a religious hospital, and nuns are also included among the victims, I wasn’t wholly surprised. The way they used said references, though, is quite twisted—especially when there’s an ‘Adam and Eve’ reference thrown into the plot. I won’t elaborate on that one, because that leads to major spoilers for the book, but it was definitely an interesting sort of usage in the book despite how messed up it really was.
When it came to characters, none of them felt that well-developed. This may partially be due to the fact that this is a very much plot-driven story rather than it being driven by characters. This also makes the plot somewhat predictable at times, however, despite how interesting it may be. Also, I don’t need to repeatedly hear how the characters are sexy and beautiful, nor the repeated sexual thoughts of the killer all the way through the book. Once or twice is sufficient enough.
Eve and Cole as a romantic pairing had no chemistry. It felt really forced, and I hated how Eve seemed to trust Cole so easily despite the fact that she believed he tried to kill her and all. If I were in her situation, I would’ve ordered a restraining order on Cole and stayed as far away from him as I could, not go and have sex with him after three or four arguments.
Overall, I rate this book 1.5 out of 5 stars for the lack of character development, no chemistry in the romance, and somewhat predictable plot.