cover image Duncan's Diary: Birth of a Serial Killer

Duncan's Diary: Birth of a Serial Killer

Christopher C. Payne. JournalStone (www.journalstone.com), $12.95 trade paper%C2%A0(280p) ISBN 978-0-9828119-3-1

Only readers with an appetite for explicit sexual sadism will find anything worthwhile in this contemporary serial killer thriller, presented as if it were a murderer's diary. Following the separation from his wife%E2%80%94described in overwrought prose: "The newness of my separation from my wife hung over me like the plastic vault of a new toy recently pried open with those damned metal ties that cling to its contents"%E2%80%94Duncan, the finance director for a California company, goes off the rails. While on vacation in the Dominican Republic, he has a surprisingly satisfying violent sexual encounter, which triggers dormant feelings that lead him to build a killing lair in his vacation home. With his soundproof base of operations established, the psycho seeks his first victim through the world of online dating. When the woman is reported missing, the case is assigned to police detective Sudhir Takhar, but his investigative efforts can't prevent Duncan from claiming more lives. The graphic descriptions of Duncan's slaughters shock but do not add any depth to this run-of-the-mill depiction of a conscienceless killer.