In the first book in this series, 'The Cleaner', a serial killer dubbed The Christchurch Carver is terrorizing Christchurch, New Zealand. The murderer, named Joe Middleton, is able to hide in plain sight - in a police station no less - by pretending to be a mentally challenged janitor.
As this sequel opens, Joe is in jail awaiting trial. He still pretends to be slow-witted, and claims to have no memory of killing anyone. In fact Joe, who's aggrieved about being locked up, thinks of himself as Joe Victim and seems to believe a jury will set him free - and that the general public will approve. (Talk about being delusional!!)
Joe's trial is scheduled to start next week and he gets several visitors in the days leading up to it. In addition to his attorney and a court-appointed psychiatrist, Joe is visited by a shrink named Alice, who was hired by the defense. Alice's assignment is to assess Joe's mental health, for a possible insanity plea.
During the shrink's visits Joe reluctantly reveals shocking details about his childhood. He also demonstrates his inner pervert by having sick thoughts about doing things to Alice, but - luckily for her - he's securely handcuffed to the table.
Another visitor to the jail is Carl Schroder, the detective who arrested Joe. Schroder has been dismissed from the police force for a bad shooting, and is working as a consultant for reality television shows. One reality star is a fake psychic who plans to 'find' a dead cop named Robert Calhoun - who was buried by Joe. To facilitate this 'clairvoyance', Schroder is tasked with bribing Joe to reveal the location of the grave.
Joe, who's likely to be imprisoned for life - or executed - would appear to have no reason to cooperate. However Joe agrees to take the cops to the burial site because he thinks his murderous girlfriend Melissa, who's on the run from the police, will stage a rescue.
The police are reluctant to assist in a subterfuge that benefits a phony psychic, but Schroder convinces them to do it....so they can bring home one of their own.
In the meantime, as Joe waits in jail, he's tormented by guards and attacked by a fellow prisoner.....all of which is described in graphic detail.
As all this is happening, Joe's girlfriend Melissa - a psychopath in her own right - is making plans to shoot Joe on the first day of his trial. Melissa needs assistance for this, and is scurrying around Christchurch trying to line up an accomplice. This leads to more violence and death.
The plot is quite complex, and things are not always what they seem.
The novel has some comic relief in scenes featuring Joe's mum, who seems to live on a different plane than other humans. Mum is planning to marry her fiancé on the first day of Joe's trial, and - in phone calls with her son - keeps urging him to attend the wedding. (Just ask the warden if you can go! LOL) Mum's eccentricities cause Joe some trouble. but it's hard to feel sorry for him.
Joe Victim has enough background information to be read as a standalone, but - for maximum enjoyment - it's best to read The Cleaner first.
Paul Cleave writes excellent psychological thrillers and I enjoyed the book. Highly recommended to fans of the genre.
Rating: 4 stars
Great review, Barb! I am going to have to look for both books while on vacation. I love Paul Cleave books.
ReplyDeleteThank you Avonna. 😊💖🍀
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