THRILLER OF THE WEEK
JoAnn Chaney’s debut thriller quite clearly takes its inspiration from the life and crimes of John Wayne Gacy, the Chicago serial killer who loved dressing up as a clown and entertaining at children’s parties. So, too, does Chaney’s creation, Jacky Seever. What makes her book superior to the endless trashy serial killer thrillers out there is its focus on what happens after the killer has been caught. Can the families, the cops and the journalists involved ever go back to a normal life in Denver after coming so close to evil? Unsurprisingly, the answer is an emphatic no. This is a scary and insightful debut from a writer of real promise.