Sunday, February 21, 2010

Stress Fracture- D. P. Lyle

Stress Fracture
D. P. Lyle
Medallion, Apr 1 2010, $24.95
ISBN: 9781605421346

After retiring from homicide investigations, Dub Walker became a forensic consultant to the FBI's Behavioral Assessment Unit and a noted author on the topic. However, he returns to field work when his close friend Sheriff Mike Savage is brutally murdered in Alabama. Apparently this psychopath has viciously killed two other people.

The annihilator kills with rage and Dub knows he will not stop. He even knows who the predator is. Iraqi veteran Brian Kurtz came home with a severe case of PTSD; the Neuropsychiatric Research Institute gave him an experimental drug that for no apparent reason failed to calm him down, but instead turned him into a sadistic vicious beast. Dub must hunt down the animal, who has residents of Huntsville in a panic.

The key to this strong police procedural medical thriller is the killer whom ironically the audience meets at the beginning of the tale as Kurtz the monster receives empathy from readers who know he must die to end the blood rage. Dub is terrific as the hunter who feels the prey is stalking him. Expecting a High Noon showdown, fans will enjoy this entertaining cautionary tale as underneath the non-stop action, D.P. Lyle warns readers of the excessive use of drugs.

Harriet Klausner

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