14: Taylor Jackson 2

14: Taylor Jackson 2 by J.T. Ellison

Age: Adult
Category: Mystery & Crime
Rating: 4 stars

Helen Thinks: Taylor Jackson is back in 14 by JT Ellison and in this novel we see her getting prepared to marry her FBI boyfriend, John Baldwin, but that's being clouded by the return of a serial killer known as Snow White to Nashville. In the 1980's, Snow White hunted down women with pale skin and long dark hair where he would slash their throats and smear their lips with the same shade of red lipstick. He claimed ten victims before sending the police a letter saying that his work was done. Now four more bodies have been found and Jackson is unsure whether this is the work of a copycat or has Snow White came out of retirement?

Ellison creates a perfect balance in this novel between Jackson's personal and professional life that allows the reader to feel more for her protagonist. We can see how much she loves Baldwin and wants to marry him but she also has a love for her work, her team and her job that makes her want to put all her focus on catching Snow White before she gets married. Thankfully, Baldwin understands this and also focuses on catching Snow White so they can get married without a hitch – or so you would think. Just as we’re about to get Jackson to the aisle, her limo is hijacked and she is kidnapped causing her to realise that this case lies a little more closer to home than she originally thought.

One of the great aspects of 14 is that Ellison gives the reader a glimpse at who Snow White is by showing us who he is in league with. Due to the audience knowing the characters already, this is a perfect hit of the wow factor that allows the reader to be on the edge of the seat as well as wanting to tell Jackson what’s coming.

Just like her first novel, Ellison writes a great plot that has the reader sucked in from the very first chapter but keeps us hooked with the twists and turns in the plot that she introduces as the plot unravels. 14 is a fast paced novel that had me hunting out book three in the Jackson series before I had even reached the final chapter...