Review: Hunting the Five Point Killer

HUNTING THE FIVE POINT KILLER | C.M. Wendelboe
10.08.2017| Midnight Ink
Rating: 4/5 stars

 Former Denver homicide detective, Arn Anderson has been called back into duty. This time around he’s moonlighting as a consultant for a TV news program, hired to look into a cold murder case. TV reporter Ana Maria Villareal believes that the unsolved murder of a former cop is linked to the Five Point Killer cases that happened in Cheyenne ten years ago.

The middle-aged victim slumped dead in his Barcalounger, one trouser cuff riding over his snow white ankle, and his zipper open like he expected a happy ending. But there was nothing happy about the small bullet holes in his chest. Or the blood that had seeped down his shirt front, coagulated just short of his Cheyenne Police belt buckle, and pooled atop his polished wingtips.

Once the killer gets wind that the investigation is back open, he decides to come out of retirement as well and starts to hunt down any and everyone who might know anything about the previous cases. Each time Arn and Ana Maria think they are ahead of the curve and onto something, the killer is right there to try and stop them from learning any new information. Cheyenne just happens to be Arn’s hometown and he’ll have to deal with some past ghosts as he works to solve the case. The killer has Arn and Ana Maria in his crosshairs. Will they be able to solve the case before they become a victim?

It is said that a murderer never sleeps well after he kills; that his conscience prevents him from ever letting his mind rest. But years ago I came to grips with my crimes. I told myself that what I did, I did because they deserved their deaths. And I have slept quite well since.

Wendelboe delivers a unique take on a police procedural in HUNTING THE FIVE POINT KILLER by using a former detective turned consultant and the lead character. The reader is able to follow along with Anderson’s excellent detective work and gain a glimpse into the news side of an investigation at the same time through Ana Maria. I was confident that I had cracked the case early on, but with each new chapter I found myself second guessing my hunch. In the end I turned out to be correct, but the journey to the truth was a brilliant ride with twists, turns, and red herrings enough to earn almost every Cheyenne resident a seat on my suspects list. As the temperature outside begins to cool down, take a step into a Wyoming winter and join Arn and Ana Maria in the race to find the Five Point Killer!

I take off my shoes and wrap them in a plastic bag before hiding them above my loose ceiling tile. I’ve read some people have a favorite weapon they use. Some a ritual they go through before heading out to hunt. My superstition is my shoes – they’ve been good to me all these times, and will continue to be in the future. Because they have a future with me.

Thank you to C.M. Wendelboe, Midnight Ink, and NetGalley for providing me a free digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.