Book Review: The Girls He Adored

Reviewed By: Fiona Walker

The Girls He Adored     Amazon US PB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada PB Amazon Canada HC
Jonathan Nasaw
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Serial Killer
Series: E. L. Pender
Pocket Books; January 2001; 448 pp

FBI Agent Ed Pender is convinced there’s a serial killer on the loose with a penchant for women
with strawberry-blond hair. Over the past ten years there have been several similar
disappearances, yet no bodies are ever found, and no suspicions are raised.
When Officer Terry Jervis pulls over a car for running a red light, she is horrified to witness the
strawberry-blond passenger’s bowels spill out into her own lap. The driver makes a desperate bid
to escape, leaving terry with terrible injuries, but is eventually captured. Ed Pender hears of what
has happened, and the more he learns the more he is convinced that this man, who calls himself Max, is the deadly serial killer he has been searching for.

"Max" claims to have DID (disassociative identity disorder), and the court appoints Dr Irene Cogan to do a psychological evaluation of him. But, this is a job which will end up nearly costing her life, for Irene Cogan has strawberry-blond hair…

Jonathan Nasaw’s first foray into the world of the serial killer is a complete success, on every single level. THE GIRLS HE ADORED is a terrific novel; at times frightening, and at times very moving, when the horrifying abuse that created this killer is described. The many personalities within Max are all as developed as individual characters, and as they are so varied we are presented with a killer who can at times be incredibly chilling, and other very charming, even vulnerable. And Ed Pender and Irene Cogan are two of the most likeable and realistic protagonists you are likely to find. The writing itself is of a high standard, and serves the pace and plot well, right up to the exciting conclusion.

This is probably the best serial killer novel I’ve read recently, the characters, psychology and pace make it horrifyingly compelling. Aspects of the plot are completely original, with some great twists to the accepted formula, although it is clear sometimes that the book does owe a large debt to The Silence of the Lambs. Indeed, many serial killers are compared to the yardstick of that Harris book, but very few deserve the comparison. This is one of those that does. I would recommend it to anyone who likes serial killer novels, especially if they can get over the initial fact that it bears one or two similarities to TSOTL. Brilliant stuff.

Fiona Walker

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Fiona Walker