The 7th Victim - Softcover

Perseus

3.69

5,785 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1593155468 ISBN 13: 9781593155469

Publisher: Vanguard Press, 2009

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The Dead Eyes Killer lurks in the backyard of the famed FBI Profiling Unit. His brutal murders, unlike any others previously seen, confound the local task force, despite the gifted profiling skills of Special Agent Karen Vail. But along with Vail?s insight and expertise comes considerable personal and professional baggage.

On leave pending a review of her assault on her abusive ex-husband, Vail must battle forces determined to bring her down, as she fights to find Dead Eyes before he murders more young women. But the seventh victim is the key to all that stirs this killer...the key that will unlock secrets perhaps too painful for Vail to bear. These are secrets that threaten to destroy her, secrets that will bring down her storied and promising career. For Karen Vail, the truth rests at the heart of a lie. And uncovering it could get her killed...

With material meticulously researched during seven years of study with the Bureau’s vaunted profiling unit, Alan Jacobson brings refreshing realism and unprecedented accuracy to his pages, as he takes readers behind the scenes of the FBI Academy, where he worked with the actual profilers who have studied and interviewed twenty years’ worth of serial killers.

"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.

From the Author:

The 7th Victim was supposed to be Karen Vail's lone novel. I did several years of research with the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit, which included working closely with two senior FBI profilers; attending numerous FBI training conferences; editing four published FBI research papers on serial offender behavior; and making repeated trips during a 15 year span to the FBI Academy and BAU facilities. This unprecedented access provided me with the knowledge and experience necessary to create Karen Vail and her supporting cast of characters. It also gave me an understanding of what the profilers do and how they do it--and what the killers do, and how (and why) they do what they do.

My goal is always to tell a compelling story that draws you in and holds your attention for the duration of the novel--while keeping true to the subject matter. Eighteen years ago, one of the profilers told me to "make sure I got it right" to honor the victims, and to show respect for the tough job the profilers have. I told him I wouldn't have it any other way.

As a result, my Karen Vail novels are reviewed by my two friends, the profilers I've worked with for 18 years now, to make sure the information related, and the actions the killers and profilers take, are credible and "real." The way I look at it, the only fictional aspects of my novels are the characters I create and the stories I choose to tell.

As I wrote earlier, I thought Karen Vail would "star" in one novel, The 7th Victim--and that would be it. But my publisher sat me down in NYC one day and told me that the early buzz surrounding Vail was tremendous--and that they wanted me to make her a series character.

I did not give them an immediate answer. I went back to my office and sat and thought about how I could make Karen Vail a continuing character. I wanted her to remain special, and the stories to remain page-turners...I didn't want to get bored writing her, because that'd mean you'd be bored reading her.

Once I had determined how to keep Karen Vail fresh, I called my publisher and told them I was willing to test the waters and see how it went. I started writing Crush--and couldn't stop. I knew then that Karen Vail was a character who could thrive in a series. I was extremely pleased with Crush, and then went on to write Velocity (a novel that's received a number of honors), and now, Vail's latest adventure, Inmate 1577.

Karen Vail lives on and thrives--but it all began with The 7th Victim. It's a novel that one of the (real) founding fathers of the Behavioral Analysis Unit said, "sets a new standard for serial killer novels," and, "Like 'Silence of the Lambs' did 20 years ago, The 7th Victim redefines the genre."

I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Drop me a note and let me know what you think--check out the video interviews with one of the profilers on my alanjacobson.com website...then join the Fans of Alan Jacobson Facebook page.

Best, Alan

From the Back Cover:

"Karen Vail is as compelling a character as any created by Patricia Cornwell, or yours truly. The 7th Victim is packed with neat surprises."
-- James Patterson, New York Times bestselling author

"Alan Jacobson is a hell of a writer, and his lead character, Karen Vail, is a hell of a lady: tough, smart, funny, and very believable. The 7th Victim is an impressively researched novel about serial murder packed into a tightly twisting plot. Very scary, and very good. This reads like a Nelson DeMille book. And I should know."
-- Nelson DeMille, New York Times bestselling author

"The 7th Victim, is a quantum leap in terror and suspense. Tautly written and brilliantly executed, here is a masterpiece."
-- James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author

"Karen Vail is a knockout, tough and brilliant.... The twists and turns will astonish you."
-- Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author of The Bone Garden

"Surprising revelations provide a shocking finale. The author's seven years of study with the FBI's profiling unit have helped him craft a riveting, authentically detailed thriller that will ensnare readers. Strongly recommended for all popular fiction collections."
--Library Journal

"The 7th Victim is an entertaining, fast-paced read in the style of Patricia Cornwell's Scarpetta series, but adding a further grittiness and realism with the killings and the harsh everyday fights Vail must go through as an FBI profiler and mother. It is hopefully the first of more to come in the world of Karen Vail."
--Alex C. Telander, Borders Sales Manager

"This meticulously researched presentation of a profiling agent is realistic. The writing is smooth, and the mystery, presented from both the agent's and the killer's viewpoint, is thrilling."
--Romantic Times

"The 7th Victim is chilling. I loved it. Karen Vail is an extremely appealing heroine."
--KKGN-AM, San Francisco, Jim Foster Show

"Move over Silence of The Lambs! [The 7th Victim] is a fascinating book. It's taken the genre to a different level."
--KATU ABC-TV, AM Northwest, Helen Raptis & Dave Anderson

"One of the best...in this genre that I've read in quite some time. If you enjoy psychological suspense thrillers I can't recommend this book more highly. I dare any reader to figure out "whodunit" before the final reveal."
--Back-to-books blog