Crimson Hunt: Behind the Red Part One

The domino effect in this gripping but chilling-to-the-bone story is set up in the very first chapter with all the elements of a good thriller - ruthless serial killers who travel across the States and leave bloody trail in their wake, a team of detective/hunter, hot on their heels but always too late to stop the next murder, a barely 20-year-old college boy caught in the crossfire and marked as the next victim. At first glance, everything about this story seems so peaceful and perfect - even after coming out, Kerry has a loving and supportive family, and by starting to work at the local cabaret in drag, he finds many friends and even more support. Incredibly smart, black belt in martial arts, strikingly handsome - this should have been the golden ticket to enjoy his 20s and explore his identity. The tension build up was slow but definitely there. And even though I enjoy a big cast of secondary characters, here it was just a little bit on the overwhelming side of good, because it was taking my attention from the main plot line - Kerry and how the loop of the trap was slowly but surely closing in around him. After so many warnings and red flags, he was so over confident, reckless and full of himself, that it was interesting yet terrifying to watch the fallout. Martin and Zak were helplessly fumbling around trying to prevent the previous repeats of events, but it was more than obvious they were failing with a bang. Typical for Beverly's books, Martin and Zak had a complex history and their darker past was haunting their present and coloring their life choices and decisions. I loved how the story gradually unfolded - piece by little piece a gruesome picture emerged from the darkness with Kerry as the central figure. I would have enjoyed it even more if everything happening on page was a little bit more condensed and the actual peak was reached earlier. But earlier or later, the fact is that the story was a real thrill and the ending, a perfect foundation for the horrors that were in store for Kerry, just waiting to be unleashed.
As a final note, I have to say that this is the kind of twist in a story that I enjoy the most - the kind of darkness that comes quietly and unexpectedly out of a seemingly bright blue sky and leaves destruction and scars in its wake.