The story begins in the 50's with the death of Doris McNally, mother to 7-year-old Henry and wife of Walton McNally. Although Walton is tried for the murder and eventually found innocent, the stigma follows him and he can't find work, so he turns to small time bank robbery in order to care for his son. Needless to say, this doesn't work out well for him and he is caught and placed in Leavenworth for his federal crimes, leaving his young son Henry to fall into the clutches of the social services system. McNally has a rough time in prison, getting into violent altercations and trying to escape several times. He is eventually moved to Alcatraz, where the cycle continues.
Meanwhile, in the present, Karen Vail is called out to a vicious homicide scene where an elderly woman is brutally raped and murdered. A short time later, a male body is found, the first victim's husband, and his body is placed prominently on display facing the bay in a different location. This couple is but one of a number of victims killed by the "Bay Killer" and Vail and her partner, Roxxann Dixon, team up with local cops Lance Burden and Robert Friedberg in an attempt to figure the killer out, even as the bodies begin to pile up. After a reporter leaks some pertinent info, the killer begins contacting the team via anonymous text messages and has them running all around town trying to stop him before the next victim falls. When they are drawn out to Alcatraz with yet another body, they begin digging into the prison's history to see if the killer could be hiding amongst the pages. Will they be able to stop him before he exacts his grand plan of death and destruction?
This is my first experience with an Alan Jacobson novel and while I enjoyed it as a whole, it took me a while to warm up to the book. For starters, having no familiarity with the characters, I found it off-putting that Mr. Jacobson often refers to situations in his earlier books. While I can certainly understand wanting to promote your other novels and have no problem with the occasional mention, it happened quite often and I felt like someone in on a conversation between two old friends, where I wasn't privy to the "inside joke." At one point, a previous incident from Vail's past is mentioned and it becomes a rather pivotal plot point. I honestly wasn't sure if I was supposed to have prior knowledge from reading an earlier book or if it would be later explained. It is eventually explained in the last few pages of the book, but I wasn't sure if it would be, which I doubt would have happened if there hadn't been so many other nods to earlier Vail escapades. I must also admit that some of the character names seemed like they were drummed up from 80's hair metal bands, like Roxxann Dixon and Redmond Brix (another police officer). After a while, they didn't bother me, but initially they seemed out of place.
As I said earlier, as a whole, I enjoyed the book. I had a pretty good idea of who the killer was, but I didn't figure the entire plot out, which is always great for a mystery novel. I found myself enjoying the tales from Alcatraz more than the present day story, and as a result, I was rushing to finish Vail's chapters so I could read more of McNally's story. Check out the excerpt at Amazon to see if it appeals to you.
