I can be pretty scathing in my reviews for this author (read my other reviews, to find out). I just believe he has given us, his readers, some pretty mediocre reads of late. He latest is an amazing commentary on societies obsession with perfection and beauty. It contains lukewarm thrills at best and he reveals the killer and his hand to quickly. The book begins with a strange prologue (as usual) that seems to have nothing to do with the book until you get 200 pages in. Then we meet the cast of characters. Alison Shaw a fifteen-year-old, who is living a quiet life in Santa Monica, California. Her mother Risa, a realtor and her father Michael, a t.v. news manager have an almost perfect marriage. But that marriage is broken when it is revealed that Michael is gay and has been having a relationship with another man, Scott Lawrence. So, Alison's perfect exsistence is shattered. Meanwhile, famed plastic-surgeon, Conrad Dunn and his wife Margot are on rocky ground. She was in a horrible boating accident that left her scarred. And here is what makes no sense whatsoever. Why doesn't Conrad fix his wife's face? It is never even hinted at why he doesn't. Major plot hole #1. Eventually, he does fix her face after she has thrown herself off a cliff. What?! Anyway, we pick up a year later and Risa is marrying Conrad. I don't understand why or how it even lead to that. Major plot hole #2. Alison is upset about leaving Santa Monica and moving to Bel Air. Eventually, she starts to try and fit in. Going as far as getting a boob job. What?! Major plot hole #3-Risa seems to have no problem with her husband doing her daughter's surgery, come on! In the background a serial killer is offing women and taking certain body parts. A reporter in Michael's employ starts to put the pieces together. The pieces are easy to figure out and the reader will no doubt have the mystery solved way before the big reveal. A reveal in my opinion is revealed too soon. The ending was okay and once again Saul gives us a useless epilogue. It adds nothing to the story. This book was better than In the Dark of the Night (2006) but not as good as last year's effort The Devil's Labyrinth. It certainly isn't on par with books like Suffer the Children or even The Presence. Rating: ****
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