UNSUB

A Novel

By: Meg Gardiner

Narrated by: Hillary Huber

A riveting psychological thriller inspired by the never-caught Zodiac Killer, about a young detective determined to apprehend the serial murderer who destroyed her family and terrorized a city 20 years earlier.

Caitlin Hendrix has been a narcotics detective for six months when the killer at the heart of all her childhood nightmares reemerges: the Prophet. An UNSUB - what the FBI calls an unknown subject - the Prophet terrorized the Bay Area in the 1990s and nearly destroyed her father, the lead investigator on the case.

The Prophet's cryptic messages and mind games drove Detective Mack Hendrix to the brink of madness, and Mack's failure to solve the series of ritualized murders - 11 seemingly unconnected victims left with the ancient sign for Mercury etched into their flesh - was the final nail in the coffin for a once promising career.

Twenty years later, two bodies are found bearing the haunting signature of the Prophet. Caitlin Hendrix has never escaped the shadow of her father's failure to protect their city. But now the ruthless madman is killing again and has set his sights on her, threatening to undermine the fragile barrier she rigidly maintains, for her own protection, between relentless pursuit and dangerous obsession.

Determined to decipher the Prophet's twisted messages and stop the carnage, Caitlin ignores her father's warnings as she draws closer to the killer with each new gruesome murder. Is it a copycat, or can this really be the same Prophet who haunted her childhood? Will Caitlin avoid repeating her father's mistakes and redeem her family name, or will chasing the Prophet drag her and everyone she loves into the depths of the abyss?

©2017 Meg Gardiner (P)2017 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“Gardiner's novel breathes new life into the sub-genre with her mastery of police procedure; with superb characterizations of her heroine, the heroine's father and the killer; and with enough twists and turns to leave fans of TV's Scandal and How to Get Away with Murder short of breath. The result is an intelligent, sharply written, compelling page-turner that is satisfying on every level.” (Associated Press)

“An adrenaline-fueled rush, this series first has newly minted narcotics detective Caitlyn Hendrix reassigned to homicide so she can track down a sadistic serial killer, the Prophet...Shades of Silence of the Lambs’ and the Zodiac Killer.” (Boston Globe)

“Gardiner has created the perfect balance of vulnerability and violence in her main characters, all of whom are damaged in their own ways. When the killer becomes a 'hot knife through the center of (Caitlin’s) head,' UNSUB will already have a cold grip on your heart.” (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)

Superb !!

Meg Gardiner has quickly become one of my favorite authors. This series always leaves me wanting more and Unsub is no different.. With dispenser, gore and an 'anything goes' attitude, you'll burn through this one in no time.

loveeeee

Such a great book! kept you hooked all the way through. 10/10 would listen again

Loved it

I know I really like a book when I keep rewinding to make sure I didn’t miss anything. The narrator wasn’t the best choice and there were times the director could have had her reread lines that didn’t sound right for situation- enough so to stand out. Plus, no Bay Area native refers to BART as a subway, and some locales were mispronounced, which was lazy. But overall this story is great, I’d have no issues if I’d just read it.

Must read for Criminal Minds fans!

Fantastic! I love the methodology/MO of the killer. I've read the inspiration for his kills a few times and I suspected he was following it, but it was just vague enough to keep me guessing. Impressive. Can't wait for the rest of the series and the show. Thanks for the rec, Stephen King!

Only complaint is that the narrator is a little dull. She makes Caitlin sound older than she is, but the writing was so good it barely registered as more than a minor annoyance.

Unsub was a wild ride!

this was a book that lived on my wishlist for a long time, I'm disappointed It took me this long to listen.

Exciting but tedious

Characters weren't well developed. Story was over the top, at times almost fantastical. Couldn't wait to be done with the book.

Freaking awesome!

My only fault with this book is it ended. After I type this review I must go find more from this author. And I must see if there will be more books with Caitlin. Anyway, this is a fast paced, intriguing novel about a really smart, organized, evil, poetic serial killer. I guess that is how I’d describe the Prophet. I could use many more adjectives, but my heart is still pounding as I type, so I can’t think clearly yet. So, in case you haven’t noticed, I loved this book. It’s so intense. I like the characters. I love the plot. It is very well written. Well planned out. I think we should be very afraid of the author. I definitely wouldn’t want to get on her bad side. Seriously, if you like thrillers and serial killer stories, you will love this one! If you hate gruesome details and can’t stomach gore and torture, then you better skip this one. Okay, I’m going to go order a copy for my mom, and do some research on Meg’s other books now.

Well crafted nightmare

This was a well crafted nightmare. I was relieved by a few things as they revealed but it didn’t settle my unease. I was on the edge of my seat!

Great Listen, But Couldn’t Connect to Female Voice

This was my first time listening to a crime thriller narrated by a woman, and I found it a little more difficult to relate to than I probably would have found it to be with a male narrator.

I’ll adjust.

I’m 49 years old and have seen a handful of films similar to this novel. I would have been more enthralled by UNSUB if I were younger and hadn’t seen so many similar narratives.

Good book

Pretty good story. Wasn’t crazy about the ending, but don’t want to give it away. Narrator was good.