This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Michael J. McCann was born and raised in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. He earned a B.A. (Hons.) in English from Trent University and an M.A. in English from Queen's University. He has worked as an editor and a project and training consultant and manager with the federal government. He is an author of crime fiction and supernatural thrillers. His Donaghue and Stainer Crime Novel series includes Blood Passage, Marcie's Murder, The Fregoli Delusion, and The Rainy Day Killer. He is also the author of the supernatural thriller The Ghost Man.
Reviewed by Julia Hopkinson for Readers' Favorite
The Rainy Day Killer is the fourth in Michael J. McCann’s Donaghue and Stainer Crime Novel series: dark American police procedurals featuring Homicide Lieutenant Hank Donaghue and Detective Karen Stainer of the fictional Glendale Police Department in Maryland. In this book they are pitted against a cunning and horrifying serial killer who is moving across the US, taunting the police and abducting, raping, mutilating, and murdering women, specifically on rainy days. When it realises the full extent of what - or who - it is dealing with, the Glendale PD calls in the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit, one member of which happens to be Detective Stainer’s fiancé. As the wedding day approaches, the Rainy Day Killer starts to take a worryingly keen interest in the bride-to-be.
Although I had not read any of Michael J. McCann’s earlier Donaghue and Stainer novels, that did not affect my understanding or enjoyment of this book. The central story is self-contained and well-written and the characters are clearly drawn, realistic, and believable. McCann’s writing is very strong and his plot is tight enough to keep you turning the pages; I cared about what happened to the characters. The Rainy Day Killer commits some particularly nasty and unpleasant crimes and you might be glad of a strong stomach at some points. At times, I was reminded of Patricia Cornwell’s early Kay Scarpetta novels. Although the story has a fairly swift conclusion, which left me with one or two questions, that does not take away from a very enjoyable and thrilling novel. I will definitely be reading the preceding books.
