Hello Again Review

Title:  Hello Again
Series:  The Evelyn Talbot Chronicles #2
Author:  Brenda Novak
Publisher:  Headline
Release Date:  Oct. 3, 2017

My Rating:  4.5 Chilling ♥'s!

Synopsis:

SHE CAN MAKE SENSE OF A COMPLEX CRIMINAL MIND.
Evelyn Talbot, a psychiatrist at a maximum-security prison in Alaska, studies some of the world's worst serial killers. But she’s about to meet her most elusive patient at Hanover House yet: Dr. Lyman Bishop, AKA the Zombie Maker given his fondness for performing ice-pick lobotomies on his victims. A brilliant cancer researcher, Bishop is either the most cunning psychopath Evelyn has ever encountered—or he is wrongly convicted.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A CRIMINAL CAN SEE INTO HER OWN?
When a new ice-pick fatality occurs, it seems Bishop really was wrongly convicted. Except...Evelyn has a personal connection to the victim and that suggests the killer may be someone from her own past: Jasper Moore, her high school boyfriend who tortured her and left her for dead when she was only sixteen. Jasper also murdered three of her friends—and was never caught. Is he trying to send a message with this copycat crime? The only thing Evelyn knows for sure is that if Jasper is on her trail, she might not be able to escape again . .  

Review:

Fantastic addition to the series! Riveting suspense, great character/relationship development, heart-racing twists & turns...A Must Read! Full review coming.

As I mentioned above, I think Hello Again is a great addition to The Evelyn Talbot Chronicles Series.  Novak has picked up the pace, raised the stakes even higher, and dove deeper into the minds of the criminally insane through Evelyn's research at Hanover House - a maximum-security prison in Alaska where some of the world's worst serial killers are imprisoned and studied.  As the story opens, Evelyn is preparing to meet with Dr. Lyman Bishop, aka the Zombie Maker, a brilliant cancer researcher so named because he performed ice-pick lobotomies on his victims.  After talking with him, she realizes he's one of the smartest, most conniving psychopaths she's ever interviewed . . . a deadly, master manipulator.  Evelyn may have met her match, but when another ice-pick murder occurs, the possibility the wrong man was convicted is pursued.  And yet, Evelyn has a gut-feeling that Jasper, her ex-boyfriend who tortured her and killed three of her friends, may be involved in the latest killing.  Is she right or just being paranoid?  Time is of the essence and lives are on the line.  

Hello Again is a riveting, psychological thriller.  The story flows smoother and the pace is faster than in Her Darkest Nightmare, I think.  I liked that Novak took some big steps forward with character relationship development and the overall story arc.  The flawed characters came across almost a little too real in some chilling scenes, causing me to look over my shoulder a time or two!  Like driving on a curvy, dark country road at night, this story unfolds with twists and turns that left me breathless, heart racing right through the end (which I won't discuss, but omg!).  I'm more intrigued by this series than ever.  An awesome addition to the series!  A Must Read!

My Rating:  4.5 Chilling ♥'s . . . And that's the truth!

Cross My Heart . . . xxx

Sandra