Weekly Reader: Righteous Assassin A Mike Stoneman Thriller by Kevin G Chapman; Suspenseful Thriller About A Religion Obsessed Serial Killer

 

Weekly Reader: Righteous Assassin A Mike Stoneman Thriller by Kevin G Chapman; Suspenseful Thriller About A Religion Obsessed Serial Killer

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Kevin G. Chapman is a tight and suspenseful murder mystery/psychological thriller about two police officers and an FBI agent who are on the search for a serial killer so obsessed with his warped sense of religion and justice that he is willing to kill people for.

Detectives Mike Stoneman and Jason Dickson come upon the body of a man who was killed in a very unusual way. Mob boss, Mickey "Slick Mick," Gallata or what was left of him was found inside the tiger enclosure of the Bronx Zoo with the large felines munching on his remains and the binding that held him. It's a gruesome sight.

At first the detectives think that it could be anything: a mob hit, a jealous rival, anything. Then they investigate a few earlier unsolved cases such as Pierre LeBlanc, a businessman who owned a drug company and was found frozen to death in the cold storage unit of a restaurant. There were also businessman, Nicholas Devito and fashion designer, Marlene Sheraton who died from a fatal shot of Novocain and were poisoned by a sharp object respectively. All dead in unusual ways, all unsolved, and all at the end of the month. 

With the help of a forensic pathologist, Dr. Michelle McNeil, and FBI profiler Special Agent Angela Manning, Stoneman and Dickson realize that these murders are not random. They are the work of a serial killer obsessed with religious ideology. 

In fact, the murders are reminiscent of the 10 plagues of Egypt. The killer believes that he was sent by God to bring justice into the world. Not only that but his blog entries reveal that he is bragging about it and is looking for other targets.

The mystery is a nice effective one. The Righteous Assassin is one of those villains who gets off on showing how smart they are while being consumed by their obsession. Their blog entries are filled with religious dogma and nicknames for  enemies like "Abel," "Eve," "Napoleon", "Centurion" and so on. They set themselves higher than their victims. 

Even the methods of murder are clever in a sadistic sense with how they tie to the Ten Plagues. Since New York City isn't exactly surrounded by livestock to poison, the Assassin poisons a potential victim's steak in a restaurant. Another victim is burned by boiling water, since the chances of them getting boils aren't as likely as they would have been in Biblical times.

Sometimes in thrillers, the murders are not really justifiable but understandable especially if they are the type who escaped punishment. This shows that somewhat as the chosen victims were involved in such activities as human trafficking, drug dealing, and organized crime which often resulted in the ruin and deaths of others. 

However, the Righteous Assassin does not come across any better. They are not as sympathetic as say Neiman, the serial killer, in Brian O'Hare's Murder on the Dark Web. In fact, they are judgemental, self-righteous, and delusional. Even their backstory carries no understanding for their character. This is not a case of subverting guilt and innocence, right and wrong. Instead it's the guilty vs. the truly guilty, wrong and also wrong. 

Of course the investigators on the case have their own issues as well. Stoneman and McNeil have a developing romance that gets up to them dating. Dickson and Manning have some flirtatious exchanges. The romances come to an unfortunate conclusion when lives end up on the line.

By far the biggest conflict is between Stoneman and Dickson. Stoneman is an older, street smart, seasoned detective who knows when to research information and when to follow a lead. Dickson is younger, intellectual, passionate, and is eager to look for this killer before they strike again.

However, the biggest hurdle in their partnership involves race. The Caucasian Stoneman acts condescending towards the African-American Dickson. Stoneman calls his partner demeaning nicknames like "Junior" and "Kid" and dismisses some of his theories even though Dickson is often right. It takes well into the book before Stoneman realizes that his behavior is interfering with the investigation. He slowly begins to understand his partner's position and recognizes his abilities. He develops as a character through his partnership with Dickson.

Righteous Assassin is a suspenseful thriller that looks at subjects like race, crime, justice, religion, and revenge. It is a truly righteous thriller.