"Perfect Victim" is James Patterson/Alex Cross light. It's not that it's a bad book, it's just that I'd already felt like I'd read the story (and experienced the qualities of the main character) in an earlier Alex Cross novel (or two) by James Patterson. The main character, Ulysses Grove, is practically a clone of Alex Cross with a wife who questions her role in her man's life, a boss who is often "down" on him, a nice kid that he loves dearly but doesn't get to spend enough time with, etc. In addition, the personal qualities of Grove (black, good-looking, FBI superstar with preternatural knack for reading what the bad guy will do next) are also too Cross-like for me.

All of this didn't seem to bother me until this book because I have read (and enjoyed) the three previous Grove novels. The similarities with Cross just seem to be too great in "Perfect Victim" and got in my way of enjoying the story.

This novel starts with an interesting enough premise - serial killer following same pattern of killing his victims, victims spread over eastern third of country, and with the grand scheme having some sort of connection (no spoiler here) to Grove. As Grove begins to unravel the killer's ultimate plan, both his private and public lives are put in jeopardy. His wife and son leave at the same time his boss suspends him. As one would expect, this doesn't deter Grove who, with the assistance of one of his students, ramps up the search for the killer before it's too late for the next victim.

The book certainly is a quick enough read and if you've read the previous 3 Grove novels, you'll more than likely will want to read this AND will may even like it. However, this novel would not necessarily be a great jumping off point for someone new to the Grove series, because after reading it, they might not be interested enough to go back and read "Frozen", Twisted", and "Shattered".

I'm glad I've read the series up to this point, but I'm not sure I will continue with it from here. It doesn't appear that Bonansinga is adding to the series either as it looks as if he's concentrating on writing "Walking Dead" novels. ( )

Thus is a great thriller by a great writer. I first read Bonansinga's "Shattered" and I was hooked. He draws you into his characters and his stories. I couldn't put it down. Be prepared for a somewhat different lead character, but a fantastic one just the same. ( )

This is the continuing series of Ulysses Grove, FBI profiler. His is a strange and interesting life, with some weird African ju ju going on in his past. A serial killer has a unique connection to Ulysses and he is using that connection to draw Ulysses into his trap. At each crime scene there is a message for the profiler. He enlists the aid of a young FBI recruit to investigate Ulysses’ past while he investigates the serial killer. Edith Drinkwater can’t believe some of the stories she is hearing after she chases down the identity of the men she found in a photo. But the real shock comes when she talks to Ulysses’ mother. This thriller laced with the occult and paranormal, comes to a chilling conclusion as readers start to wonder if Ulysses is dead or alive at the end. ( )