I really struggled to get into this book. I tried forcing myself to keep reading but I couldn’t make it past chapter 3.
I felt that the book read like a non-fiction text and not an interesting one at that. The structure was very much “first I did this”, “then I did this because”.
I wouldn’t recommend.

This one wasn’t really my favorite book. I think it’s misleading. I expected it to be creepy but it wasn’t. The book isn’t bad though. It just wasn’t for me.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my review. Thank you NetGalley.

this is a short, easy read full of amazing twists. I got through this book in one sitting and would definitely read it again.

I really liked this book, it was a quick read, kept me guessing with twists and turns with plenty of action especially being a short book. Well worth the time to read!

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview the Slaying of the Innocents by Robert Dustman. A police officer moves his family from NYCity to Washington State. He's looking for more quiet time, peacefulness, and overall lack of stress.
But he's not too lucky because just when he arrives there is a series of grisly murders that appear to be systematically done with archaic death tools.
As the bodies pile up, the suspect lists does too.
Will they find the killer or will someone close to him be the next victim.
2.5 stars - Fast read, but i did find some of the plot hard to follow - too many unnecessary characters. I think the premise is good, and needs more re-writing.

A twenty-year veteran NYPD Detective Sergeant relocates to a comfy small town in Washington State, where no murder has occurred in a decade.


Until now--suddenly citizens of all ages are being brutally murdered in bloody rampage. The weapon: a medieval flail, wielded by killers dressed in dark robes. These senseless slayings are seemingly unsolvable--and why occur in this particular timeframe?

Detective Philip Gaines packs up his family and moves to the small town of Clover Valley. He's tired of all the crime and working in a small town means small crimes ... or so he thought.

Groups of people are being butchered with a dubious medieval weapon. First, it's a woman in her home. Then a family of 6 .. not even the children are exempt. Another group of 6 are then targeted and luckily one person survives.

Gaines and his partner, Detective Brad Watson are leading the investigation and working through a maze of suspects and potential motives. Are these all random killings ... or something much, much worse.

They have a primary suspect, but getting proof is almost impossible. Seems like every time they get close, the suspect finds a way to weasel away. And there is still no motive for the killings.

Being a short book of less than 150 pages, It is action-packed, filled with twists and turns that lead to an astonishing ending. The characters are finely drawn and are memorable. I enjoyed how Gaines' professional and personal lives blended and brought more credibility to the story.

Many thanks to the author / Black Rose Writing / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.