The Fourth Horseman

Publisher Marketing: Four lives shaped by the same incident. Four people confronted by destiny. One man determined to redress the balance. "The most innovative serial killer since Hannibal Lector. Frightening and shocking, it does for reptiles what Jaws did for sharks. Brilliant." 1995: A schoolboy is horribly disfigured in a freak accident, but fate has not finished with Leo Starling. Years later his parents are killed in a motorway pile-up. During the house clearance, he stumbles across a letter and an old newspaper article. Following the clues furnished by the clipping, he is guided to a remote cottage where he makes a discovery that alters his life forever. 2013: DCI Lucas Jericho is a man with a troubled past. After the death of his partner in a botched shoot out, he finds himself teamed up with Ryder Winters, a female officer determined to prove she is the equal of any man. Sifting through the ashes of their first case, Lucas is hit by the unsettling feeling that this is not a one-off-kill. Instead, all the evidence suggests that he is looking at the handiwork of a serial killer, one with a unique calling card. His suspicions are confirmed when each victim, the target of uncontrolled rage, is dispatched in ever more imaginative ways. As the bodies pile up, Lucas is confronted with a series of baffling questions. Why is it that the killer appears to be making it personal? Why is he stage-managing the crime scenes for his benefit? And why has the gift of second sight suddenly deserted him? In an explosive conclusion, Lucas discovers the answers; answers that drive him almost to the brink of madness. Packed with action and adventure, mystery and suspense, this is yet another stunning novel from mystery writer James Stevens.