Serial killer has struck three times, fourth victim doesn't die but is in a comatose state. Then we find the first three victims were "mistakes" - he was aiming for the vegetative state each time! Can our hero solve the case in time to prevent further attacks?

This book got quite good reviews but I thought it was pretty poor - the whole thing seemed pretty cliched as we get:

• grumpy detective haunted by past mistakes : check
• .. who gets into a row with superior officers and is ordered off the case : check
• .. then gets into a relationship with someone involved in the case: check
• said relationship threatened by an obsession with the investigation : check
• detective catches up with killer just as he's about to commit his final crime : check
• killer has enough time to explain everything while detective glances around looking for weapons : check

One slightly interesting thing is the "locked-in syndrome" which the killer is aiming for: this was also described in Thinks..., and the same example mentioned in that book (of Jean-Dominique Bauby, who dictated the book "The Diving-bell and the Butterfly" using just his eyelid) was referred to here.

Anyway, I won't be reading the follow-ups.

Completed : 17-Feb-2004