A killer targeting a specific address across America…
AN ADDRESS TO DIE FOR…
There’s a killer on the loose. And he’s targeting one specific address — 138 Main Street. The problem? There are over 7,000 Main Streets in the USA. And the police and FBI have no clue which one will be next.
For FBI Special Agent Ben Walker and his rookie colleague, Officer Zoe Hill, the pressure to solve the case is unimaginable. There aren’t enough police officers to cover every house, and vigilante residents are attacking anyone who rings their doorbell. Main Street might be one of America’s most popular addresses, but for those living at number 138, it comes down to fight or flight.
Then a manuscript is sent to the New York Times, purporting to be the manifesto of the “Main Street Killer” and demanding radical social change. As the effect of the terror campaign takes hold across the nation, Walker and Hill find themselves in a race against time to stop the killer. But with their target always several steps ahead, and almost 3,800,000 square miles of ground to cover, they’ll have to find him first…
The premise for 138 Main was the first thing that caught my attention: it’s an original take on the serial killer manhunt, which presents law enforcement with a near-impossible task. Later, I learned that “Gavin Bell” is the real name of the author Mason Cross, whose books I have been a big fan of for quite some time — I highly recommend his Carter Blake series. I was lucky enough to get an early review copy (though clearly forgot to write the review in a timely fashion), and I’m happy to report that this is another excellent thriller.
The novel primarily follows FBI Special Agent Ben Walker and his new colleague Officer Zoe Hill. When Walker arrives at one of the early 138 Main Street murder scenes, Hill’s keen skills of observation catch his eye (she notices a signature that connects the scene to the other murders) and he plucks her off her beat and brings her into his task force. As news breaks of the connection between the various murders taking place across the country, the task force comes under incredible pressure to find and stop the killer. There are thousands of potential next victims, with no chance of protecting them all. The killer has released a manifesto, but one that doesn’t give much away as to his identity.
Bell does a great job of conveying the sheer scale of the task in front of them, and the difficulties involved in managing a cross-country manhunt; not only that, a manhunt for someone they know very little about. The investigation evolves quickly, but there are no incredible, improbable leaps of logic that solve the case. Bell conveys the growing tension amongst the American population — particularly those who live at a 138 Main Street — very well, as paranoia grows.
All of Bell’s skills as an author are on display here. The story is populated by well-drawn and realistic characters, from the protagonists on down to peripheral characters. The heroes are flawed, but not cliché. Bell’s prose is excellent and tightly-composed. The plot is quickly-paced, but not rushed; the reader’s attention will be grabbed early, and the story will pull them through. (I struggled to put the book down, and ended up finishing it in the very-wee-hours of a morning, having stayed up far too late.)
I’d certainly be interested in reading more stories featuring Walker and Hill, and am crossing my fingers that there’s sequel in the works. If you’re a fan of fast-paced, large-scope thrillers, then I think you’ll find a lot to like in 138 Main. If, like me, you’ve enjoyed Bell’s other books, written under the “Mason Cross” and “Alex Knight” pen-names, then I’m sure you’ll enjoy this as well.
Definitely recommended.
*
Gavin Bell’s 138 Main is out now, published by Gallery/Scout in North America and Simon & Schuster in the UK (as 138 Main Street).
Also on CR: Reviews of Mason Cross’s The Killing Season, The Samaritan, Time to Kill/Winterlong, and Don’t Look For Me
Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, BlueSky
Review copy received via Edelweiss
