I have read and own all of Chris Carters books to date so when I saw this it made my day! Unfortunately its only the first 3 chapters and where it ends is just cruel!!!
The 2 main characters, Hunter and Garcia are back and face "one of the most shocking crime scenes they have ever attended"
And it is at their arrival to that scene that this teaser ends so I still don't know what that is!!! But i cant wait to find out!
If you haven't read any of the books in this series then i strongly urge you to do so now before this one is released! If you like Chelsea Cain and Karin Slaughter then you are in for a treat with these!
It is going to be a long wait until 8th Feb now!
I have had this book pre ordered since the 9th June! ( )

This is another winner by author Chris Carter. In this ninth installment of the Dr. Robert Hunter series, Hunter is faced with another diabolical serial killer who kills for one of the most bizarre reasons ever. Making the action in even more suspenseful, Hunter learns the hard way that there is almost no one who can be trusted. I am looking forward to the next installment, especially because of how this one ended. Who is Lucien Folter? ( )

Robert Hunter und sein Partner Carlos Garcia werden zu einem Mordfall gerufen. Sie gehören einer besonderen Einheit des Morddezernates namens ultra violent (UV) an. In ihrem Job werden sie immer wieder mit Grausamkeit und Brutalität konfrontiert, aber dieser Fall ist besonders schockierend. Wenn sie zu diesem Zeitpunkt nur schon wüssten, dass sie es mit einem Serienkiller zu tun haben, der aller Welt seine Galerie der Toten präsentieren möchte.
Dies ist der neunte Band aus der Reihe um Robert Hunter und seinen Partner Carlos Garcia. Es ist nicht mein erstes Buch von Chris Carter, daher wusste ich, was mich erwarten würde. Seine Thriller sind nichts für schwache Nerven. Aber er hat einen sehr flüssig zu lesenden Schreibstil und Spannung von Anfang an ist garantiert.
Der sympathische Hunter ist ein intelligenter Mann mit einem fotografischen Gedächtnis. Er versteht es sehr gut, sich in die kranken Gedankengänge der Täter hineinzuversetzen. Oft kommt er fast schon zu perfekt rüber. Sein Kollege Garcia ist ein Familienmensch. Die beiden sind ein tolles Team und verstehen sich sehr gut. Garcias Humor sorgt dafür, dass die düstere Atmosphäre auch mal aufgelockert wird.
Die Geschichte ist brutal, beängstigend und spannend. Man hat Bilder im Kopf, die man eigentlich lieber nicht sehen würde. Bei diesem Fall muss sich Hunter auch noch mit dem FBI abfinden, das seine eigenen Methoden hat. Die Ermittler tappen lange im Dunkeln herum und mir erging es nicht anders. Es gibt immer wieder Wendungen, sie dafür sorgen, dass die Spannung erhalten bleibt und am Ende gibt es noch einen furiosen Showdown. Der Plot ist wieder gut durchdacht und schlüssig. Allerdings bleiben am Ende Fragen offen, so dass sehnsüchtig auf den nächsten Band hofft.
Ein sehr spannender Thriller. ( )

Gallery of the Dead by Chris Carter is a crime novel and despite being ninth in the Robert Hunter series, can easily be read as a stand alone. I'm new to this author and I was impressed by the tight writing and crime-solving he's got going on.

Robert Hunter is the star of the show - so to speak - and is an impressive main character. He has a PhD in Criminal Behaviour Analyses and Biopsychology and after turning down the role of FBI Profiler at the National Centre for the Analysis of Violent Crime, he joined the LAPD.

Working in the LAPD Homicide Special Section, Robert Hunter is assigned to a specialised unit called Ultra Violent Crimes Unit. This means he oozes qualifications and experience all of which make him a kick ass crime fighter with a reputation for catching bad guys guilty of terrible crimes.

Hunter and his partner team up with the FBI to catch an elusive serial killer and the clues and messages left by the killer keep the story moving swiftly. The graphic nature of the crimes are offset by a good sense of humour, with Hunter's partner Garcia delivering many sarcastic one liners that made me chuckle. Here's one of my favourites from Hunter's boss:

"Every time you have one of your hunches, Robert, we need to brace ourselves for a shit storm, and this is already starting to look like a hurricane." Page 71

Gallery of the Dead by Chris Carter is highly recommended for fans of the crime fiction genre.

* Copy courtesy of Simon & Schuster * ( )

I've just finished this book. I feel numb as if I've just stepped off the biggest roller coaster in the world! (Kingda-Ka, Jackson New Jersey) There are crime thrillers abundant who showcase various detectives in a book series, and what this means for the reader is that the lead detective will always survive to fight another day in another novel. I'm giving nothing away by stating that Gallery of the Dead is no different in that respect. Detective Robert Hunter is with us from page one and is still very much alive at page 500 ready for book 10 in the series. What however is important is how the author fills the gaps between first page and the end, and how he holds our attention, how he introduces those unexpected twists as yet another psychotic genius commences a killing rampage. I can tell you that I have rarely read a book so gripping so graphic in its descriptions that I am literally shaking from adrenalin and excitement so keen am I to sing praises for one of the greatest thriller writers out there.....there I've said it so what is this book about I hear you shout with anticipation.......

Detective Robert Hunter works for the Robbery Homicide Division and in particular the Ultra Violent Crimes Unit (UVCU) based in LA, where together with his partner Detective Carlos Garcia is tasked with solving those cases where extreme forms of torture and brutality have been used. Robert is unique in the world of fiction detectives; a very high IQ, psychology graduate from Stanford and the author of a book now mandatory reading for the FBI's National Centre for the analysis of violent crime. He is a loner, an overactive brain that causes him to suffer recurring bouts of insomnia. but also a connoisseur of single malt Scotch whisky. The first body discovered is that of model Linda Parker "posed" in a room where the low temperature has kept away the inevitable blowflies but this does not stop the author graphically explaining the damage this Calliphoridae insect can cause...."They would have concentrated their efforts in the mouth, the nose, the eyes and any open wounds. In the case of a skinned body, the entire body became an open wound and therefore a breeding ground for blowflies. In just a few hours there would have been as many as half a million eggs laid all over the corpse. Those eggs would have hatched within twenty-four hours and in a single day, the maggots that those eggs produced would have reduced a full grown body to half size.".......
The hands and feet have been separated from Linda Carter's body, the skin removed apart from a small patch at the rear where a series of marks and lines have been carved into the skin. Hunter becomes aware of the significance of this "signature" and as the body count escalates with more strange markings identified the detectives together with the assistance of the FBI work tirelessly in an attempt to make a connection between the bodies and thus hopefully identify the killer. The victims are displayed in a thought-out creative manner, Is the perpetrator trying to show the world how clever an "artist" he is or has he an underlying agenda? The answer when revealed demonstrates the author's understanding of the psychotic mind and reflects his training as a criminal psychologist.

As I read this book I was totally at the mercy of some very clever writing. I did not know where the adventure would take me, I was unable to second guess or spot the red herrings, all I knew was that a "Gallery of the Dead" was being created by a madman who appeared to have a higher intelligence than both the combined power of the Robbery Homicide division and the FBI. As I raced towards the conclusion I felt sure I would be able to anticipate the final outcome but was left gasping when a totally unexpected event occurred which threw into doubt everything I had read before......

So there it is dear reader of my review an outstanding novel that leaves me wondering just how Chris Carter can improve? I leave you however with a thought; Carlos Garcia is Brazilian.."Everyone likes Brazilian people because we can samba."... he also likes to wear his long hair "pulled back into a tight ponytail"....do you notice some similarities between him and a certain author of psycho thrillers? I leave that thought with you..... My thanks to the good people at Simon& Schuster for this "gratis" copy in exchange for and honest review, and that is what I have written. Highly, highly Recommended. ( )