Blood Victory: A Burning Girl Thriller

In bestseller Rice’s exciting third Burning Girl thriller (after 2019’s Blood Echo), Charlotte “Charley” Rowe, who was tricked into taking a drug that gave her superhuman strength in her first outing, continues to work with members of the Consortium, a group that identifies and eliminates serial killers. This cause is particularly meaningful to Charley, because her mother was murdered by serial killers who were also the very people who raised her from infancy. The Consortium is now targeting Cyrus Mattingly, a long-haul Texas trucker. Charley must fool Cyrus into thinking she’s going to be his next victim, and then overpower him and ensure that he leads her to any women he might be holding captive. Not a typical serial killer, Cyrus is involved with something much bigger, and he uses methods against Charley that threaten her sanity. Meanwhile, some members of the Consortium decide it’s not in their best interests to allow Charley to succeed and perhaps even to remain alive. Cyrus’s true story unravels to dramatic effect. Fans of paranormal suspense will be well satisfied. Agent: Lynn Nesbit, Janklow & Nesbit. (Aug.)