John sounds like a very average, likable guy stuck in a very non-average serial-killer world. We open with him and a few others drinking at an Irish pub, when immediately his friend Cathy steps outside and finds a local murdered, remains strewn on the trash, decapitated. Sounds just like the murders John's father had been the lead detective in solving (or not solving), which leads to John's character fulfillment as permanently tortured by unsolved murders. His relationship with his wife and adopted daughter Molly are interesting, though. The novel gets right to the chase, immediately goes for shock value, and won't shy away from details. Very promising for crime/murder/thriller novel lovers.