Marla Adams is a police officer in her local town of Hildebrant, Texas. Her career and her life are thrown into turmoil when she is chosen to lead the investigation into recent murders. The townspeople of Hildebrant are overcome with fear when members of their community are found horribly slain, along with numbers cryptically carved into their skin. Following leads that take her half away around the world, Marla must fight to beat this killer before they put an end to her career, her life and her home.

The Creation of Marla Adams by Patrick Hanford is a riveting crime thriller. I was surprised at how much depth this mystery novel had. I expected a procedural whodunit, maybe a little darker than most, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a story that methodically both builds the mystery and then removes the layers. The details in both the world and the character development will show any reader that the author obviously cares about the world he’s building here.

The plot of the story is intriguing and it adds a surprising twist to the cop/killer story that longtime fans of the crime fiction genre will appreciate. It progresses at a nice pace and always gives the reader just enough to keep them engaged and intrigued; which makes it difficult to find a place to put the book down. I liked the characters because they had depth, but also because they were all vital to the story. There were no characters that made an appearance just to fill space. The titular character, Marla, is a fascinating protagonist with a complexity that makes her alluring. She was real and authentic and I found myself rooting for her to prevail.

I think where this story shows its strength is in its writing. It’s very clear, descriptive and concise, which makes it an easy but engaging read. The Creation of Marla Adams is a suspenseful murder mystery with an engrossing plot and a protagonist that readers will love to follow.

Pages: 302 | ASIN: B0B89BBWNW