Beyond the Book: Comparisons

Which One Do You Like the Sound Of?

I don’t usually like to read about serial killers, police procedurals, or trials, but in spite of it I recently read two. The first was free from the Amazon Prime program, the other was one my cat accidentally bought for me. She stepped on my laptop, and first thing you know I have a new book. One was The Secret Witness, and the other was Rich Blood. Since I read them back to back I thought I’d compare them a little. So here goes.

Blurb:

From the bestselling author of A Killer’s Wife comes the thrilling first installment in the Shepard & Gray series, featuring a young sheriff who teams up with a former prosecutor to stop a copycat killer.

This is Reaper speaking.

So begins an anonymous letter published in a Utah newspaper after a young couple is viciously murdered. Tooele County sheriff Elizabeth Gray leads the investigation into the double homicide, which is eerily reminiscent of a string of brutal killings years ago. When the letter leads detectives to yet another body, Gray calls on an old friend for help.

Former prosecutor Solomon Shepard is still struggling to recover from the deadly courtroom attack that ended his career. He’s been keeping a safe distance from the action, teaching criminology seminars about serial murders and psychopathology—until Gray asks for his help on the Reaper case.

As the body count mounts, Shepard and Gray race to unravel the deranged design of a copycat killer—and find themselves in a face-off with an enemy they never saw coming.

Blurb:

From Wall Street Journal bestselling author Robert Bailey comes a compelling legal thriller about a lawyer who takes on his sister’s case—and confronts small-town secrets and family skeletons.

Attorney Jason Rich has made a fortune off other people’s bad luck. His billboard slogan—“In an accident? Get Rich!”—accosts motorists on highways from Alabama to Florida. As ambulance chasers go, he’s exceptional.

But after a recent divorce and a stint in rehab, Jason has hit a rough patch. And things only get worse when his sister, Jana, is accused of her husband’s murder. Even though Jason has no experience trying criminal cases, Jana begs him to represent her.

Jason has mixed feelings about returning to Lake Guntersville, Alabama—and even more reservations about diving back into his sister’s life. Between the drugs, the affairs, and a tendency to gaslight everyone in her inner circle, Jana has plenty of enemies in town.

But did Jana hire someone to kill her husband? Jason isn’t so sure. He heads back to his hometown to unravel the truth and face off against opponents old and new.

Here are some things the books have in common.

1.Both of them are well written. The skill level of the authors is obvious.

2.Both novels tell a compelling story that pulls you into the fictional world they’ve created.

3.They both deal with dark issues.

4.Both books are suspenseful.

5.Once I got started reading I didn’t want to stop. I wanted to know what was going to happen.

6.Both books had a huge surprise ending. 

So, which one did I like best? Rich Blood didn’t seem quite as formulaic as The Secret Witness. However, as I said, I haven’t read a lot of novels in this genre so I could be wrong. I thought the main characters in The Secret Witness (not counting the serial killer) were nicer than the Rich family of Rich Blood. I didn’t identify much with Jason Rich or his sister Jana even though they were very interesting. 

But the main reason I liked one more than the other is the atmosphere created by the author. In Rich Blood I never felt tense and anxious as I read it. There were some really bad people that Jason had to deal with, but it didn’t make me anxious. In The Secret Witness I felt very anxious. As I was reading it one night around twelve thirty I remembered that I hadn’t watered my plants on the deck. I was scared to go outside and do it. 

My favorite then is Rich Blood. It had a great plot, authentic characters, and a good surprise ending, but it didn’t scare me. If you enjoy a story that ramps up the tension and makes you look over your shoulder I’d recommend The Secret Witness. Either way if you like this genre you won’t be disappointed.

So, do you like the sound of one more than the other?