Nothing Human — Ronald Munson

Inspired by Raymond Chandler's telling phrase, Ronald Munson has depicted a criminal as shocking as "a tarantula on a piece of angel food cake." Drawing form actual profiles of serial killers, he has created a bone-chillingly accurate portrait of a psychopath's mind and methods. In the conviction that nothing human is truly alien to another human being, he offers a novel of three lives inextricably joined - cop, killer and potential victim - each dramatically different, yet linked by similarities they can't escape. A powerful story that introduces a refreshing maverick to the gallery of fictional police operatives, NOTHING HUMAN marks the impressive debut of a talented new suspense writer. HUNT IN PROGRESS: JILL BRENNER This attractive female is polite and friendly, although reserved. She seems self-possessed and competent, but she has an appealing air of vulnerability. She is of above average intelligence and education and so should offer a challenge worth undertaking. So writes John Haack-a.k.a. the Jaguar-a man whose diary reflects the mind of a violent and absolutely merciless sexual sadist. Haack is a man who has studied everything from autopsy reports to Mayan mythology. In the sheltered community of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Jill Brenner will be his next victim. Highly educated, charming and attractive to women, Haack keeps a part of his personality hidden - like a snake in a box. He's already killed twice and left no clues. In twenty days it will be time again to let out the snake.... Driven by a cold fury and his own meticulous plans, Haack fails to notice that he's up against a different kind of cop - Lieutenant Eric Firecaster, a brilliant detective who just can't leave this case alone. Harvard graduate, former Congressional aide, Firecaster has found his true calling in the grand principles and gritty details of police work. Now he's tracking a killer more devious and experienced than any he's ever known. The psychopath is at home in Cambridge's genteel world of jogging paths and leafy streets - and in the gore-stained labyrinth of an urban hospital's charnel hosue and dissection rooms. He's sent a shocking message to Jill, a young woman of striking vitality and intellectual keenness. Firecaster's job is to protect her, and she's starting to mean more to him with each passing day.... But Jill is proving too independent to guard effectively, and the Jaguar's working down his list toward the hunter's ancient, ultimate victory: 1. Locate prey 2.Study behavior 3.Flush 4.Chase 5.Kill