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Reviewed by Petra Ayling for Readers' Favorite
Marred by Sue Coletta is a nail-biting serial killer thriller that, once started, was hard to put down. You immediately feel drawn to the protagonist, Sage Quintano, who writes books about crime for a living and has experienced a horrendous crime herself. A vicious assault has left her struggling with everyday life. Her marriage to Nico, a homicide detective, is suffering as a result of the experience and because of secrets she has been keeping from him. Moving to a rural area in order to heal and rebuild their lives, Nico takes on the position of sheriff and becomes involved in the search for a serial killer who leaves his female victims' bodies marred and displayed in a gruesome manner. Then Sage's twin sister disappears, and everything suggests that Sage's assailant has followed her from Boston to New Hampshire to finish what he started years ago.
Told from Sage's first person point of view and alternating with chapters in the third person from Nico's and Frankie's (the deputy sheriff) viewpoints, Marred is an intense and suspenseful thriller. The vivid descriptions of the settings and the information on the forensics were fascinating. Incredibly, Marred is Sue Coletta's debut novel. This author knows her stuff and has a very engaging style of writing and creating dialogue. I enjoyed the different points of view and particularly liked Frankie, Nico's deputy, whose viewpoint introduced a slightly lighter side to an otherwise very dark and scary story. I enjoy thrillers that surprise me and Sue Coletta has definitely managed that with the unpredictable turns and developments that I did not see coming. The ending left potential for a sequel, and I will certainly seek out future publications by this author.