The Thief of All Light

June 15, 2018

Police detective and self-published author Schaffer (Way of the Warrior: The Philosophy of Law Enforcement) releases a debut thriller with Kensington set in rural Pennsylvania. Carrie Santero is a young, eager patrol officer, but the pace isn't fast enough, and she'll do just about anything to get an assignment on the revered County Detective squad. But when one murder becomes two, and the possibility of a serial killer is likely, she discovers that perhaps the detective work she'd craved is more than she can handle. Schaffer's knowledge of detective work, particularly the toll it takes on those involved in a case, is evident. He dives deeply into the psyche of the officers, the inner angst, frustrations, and doubts; getting into the minds of the criminals they're trying to catch, and dealing with the guilt and desperation that often results in the process. VERDICT While strong on the emotional struggles of the characters, this novel is a bit weak on personal dialog and as a police procedural. Still, it might appeal to fans of Brian Freeman, J.A. Kerley, and Meg Gardiner.--George Lichman, Rocky River, OH

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 11, 2018
Set in rural Western Pennsylvania, this middling series launch from Schaffer (Superbia) introduces Carrie Santero, a rookie small-town cop hoping to move up to detective. When a young woman goes missing, a man is murdered in the parking lot of a gay bar, and Carrie’s best friend and the friend’s daughter disappear, Carrie’s boss, Bill Waylon, calls in the best detective he knows, his old partner, Jacob Rein, to assist in the investigation. The evidence points to a single perpetrator imitating other serial killers, what Jacob calls an omnikiller. Schaffer’s experience as a police officer lends verisimilitude to the attitudes and actions of his cast—at one point the police chief explains to Carrie that coffee is the real reason that cops have been spotted at donut shops. Though Carrie is a fairly standard headstrong officer, and the
villain is a typical depraved murderer, the character of Jacob is more complex, which bodes well for the sequel. The graphic violence may put off some readers. Agent: Sharon Pelletier, Dystel, Goderich & Bourret.

May 1, 2018
Rookie detective Carrie Santero is keen to solve a murder in her small Pennsylvania town?until her best friend and the friend's daughter go missing, that is. With the lives of close family friends at stake, she finally understands what it means to confront a personal life-or-death situation. New to the homicide business, she enlists the help of Jacob Rein, a washed-up former detective who investigated a case that parallels this one. At first, the rash of murders, rapes, and abductions plaguing the area seem unrelated?the victims include a young woman, then a gay man, and now, potentially, a mother and child?but Carrie and Rein soon deduce they are dealing with a sadistic omnikiller, who switches his methodology to copycat famous serial killers. Schaffer, a police detective himself, draws from his own experience to present a thriller that is both gruesome in content and honest in its portrayal of police procedures. Readers will find themselves?like Carrie and Rein?both fascinated and repulsed by the killer's savagery, so recommend this one to suspense fans who can tolerate plenty of graphic violence.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)