Nina returns in this book to work a serial killer case with the new special ops team. The book starts off promising and sets an exciting premise with a mysterious killer and an eerie murder.

However, the book took a downturn when things became too unrealistic. Nina’s personal attachment to the case felt very forced. Additionally, I thought the intended climax was disappointing. Similar to Maldonado’s previous book The Cipher, there was virtually no catharsis for the persecution of the villain. At the most exciting moment, a clean bullet shot occurs and the villain’s story ends. I would have liked to see him apprehended and have him interact with the team after.

The prose used sometimes felt cheesy, detached, and explanatory, justifying characters’ feelings like stating facts. It made Nina pretty unlikeable and difficult to empathise with, contradictory to what the author had clearly intended. Granted, I did feel like shedding a tear at the last page with the touching emphasis on the word ‘mija’.