Teaser Tuesdays: The Cold Room by J T Ellison

She was lying in the rough-hewn slab of wood that passed for a kitchen table. Her body was small, almost birdlike, her fine bones fragile, the skin so pale that Gavin could see the tracing of her veins.
~Page 368

Title: The Cold Room
Author: J T Ellison
ISBN: 9780778327141
Publisher: Mira Books/2010
Pages: 401

Taylor Jackson is a homicide detective in Nashville. She has had her share of seeing horrific crimes in her life. Yet some killer known as the conductor can still manage to shock her. He captures young women, keeps them in a glass coffin, slowly starves them to death and when they are almost dead, he gives in to his pervert attraction for the victims.

That is not all. After the murders, the bodies are re-arranged somewhat like famous painting. It is like as if he is gloating about his artwork. And he doesn't seem to be alone as similar murder victims are found in Europe too. So similar that it seems bizarre, which makes sense only in the end..

Taylor along with her fiance, FBI profiler Dr. John Baldwin, sets out to find the killer(s). When another young woman is found missing, they know they are running against time. Another detective from New Scotland Yard, James Highsmythe, also known as "Memphis" joins them in their search. This detective has some sort of attraction for Taylor. The conductor has to be stopped and his partner(s), if any, has to be found.

The novel does have graphic details of the crimes committed. It might offend some who can't go for gory murders. When the truth comes out for the various murders committed in opposite parts of the world, it jolts the reader. As a crime fiction/psychological thriller, it is fast paced and finishes quickly. The various characters are well developed and we also get to see someone named the Pretender, who is kind of stalking Taylor. She is a detective worth watching out for. Crime fiction readers will like this book. Just the way I did.

Thanks to the author for my copy.