Killrod: The Cross of Lorraine Murders

Bill Ison
Outskirts Press (2007)
ISBN 9781432713997
Reviewed by Cherie Fisher for Reader Views (8/08)


“Killrod: The Cross of Lorraine Murders” is the first novel written by author Bill Ison.  If this book is any indication of the quality of his work, then I am really looking forward to future novels.  This well-written page-turner had my complete attention from the beginning to the end. 

Sculptor and loner Hart St. James is given an opportunity to work for the mega movie star, Kelly Moran.  While working on his project, he and Kelly discover that they really enjoy each other’s company.  Hart has a compatibility with her that he has not had with any other woman and is surprised that she is taking such an interest in him.  With her, he has his first glimmer of hope to a happy future.  With a cruel twist of fate, after his first full night with her, he wakes up in the morning to discover he has a head injury and that she has been savagely murdered next to him.  Hart, a Vietnam veteran, with unique tracking skills, decides to find the murderer himself. 

As Hart and the hired assassin play a game of cat and mouse, they discover that their pasts are actually very similar.  This leads him into a plot that is far more sinister than just Kelly’s murder.  Finding the truth becomes important to his survival.  Surprisingly for Hart, as he unravels this mystery and deals with his sadness over Kelly’s death, his eyes are opened to the old life that he used to lead.  No longer happy living in a broken down store front and driving a beat-up old van, he begins making healthy changes in his life. 

Overall, “Killrod: The Cross of Lorraine Murders” by Bill Ison was a great read and I would highly recommend it to people who enjoy thrillers.  This is the type of story that would make a great movie or mini series.  I look forward to the author’s future works and hope that this is not the last Hart St. James’ story.

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