Review: Confessions by Rich Kisielewski is intense, gripping, and fascinating. Best of all, it’s fiction. If it weren’t, I might not sleep as well tonight.
Title: Confessions
Author: Rich Kisielewski
Publisher: White Bird Publications
Genres: Suspense – Crime – Serial Killer – Thriller
Print Length: 329 pages
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Synopsis and edition information is from Goodreads and Amazon.
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Review: Confessions by Rich Kisielewski
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Synopsis:
The bodies of young women are being left in a triangle of multi-state locations. The killer, in search of The One that will fulfill his unrealistic needs and wants, has placed these bodies on display to be discovered by unsuspecting civilians. The victims all bear similar atrocities: cuts and markings on their bodies; eyes and mouths sewn shut; ears severed.
Police detective Maeve Brennan is chosen to lead a multi-agency task force to investigate these brutal murders. FBI Agent David Willinger is attached to the task force, but he and his team of profilers have been able to add little value. The team finds itself stymied, with no clear direction to pursue, when Jonathon Boyd, an investigative journalist, presents himself to the task force informing them he possesses important information related to the investigation. With critical holes now filled in, plus a vital find by Willinger’s team, they formulate a strategy to apprehend the killer, but the plan quickly goes south.
Will the team be able to regroup in time, or will the killing go on?
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My Review: Confessions by Rich Kisielewski
The story is intense, gripping, and fascinating. It’s not often a mystery opens by telling you who the murderer is. You would think the story would be over before it began. That’s certainly not the case with Confessions.
We follow the task force led by Detective Maeve Brennan as they scramble to capture the serial killer before he strikes again. Interspersed throughout the story are snippets with the psychopathic thoughts and skewed reasoning of a man who believes it’s his right to eliminate women who don’t measure up to his twisted ideals.
The author delves into several contemporary issues, including physical and emotional abuse and misogynistic views. But most of all, he shows how much the past can mess up a person’s future.
Confessions is one of those ”just one more page” stories that caused me to read far into the night. If you love a good psychological thriller, this is the book for you.
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Rich Kisielewski, a graduate of New York University, has spent thirty plus years in the insurance industry and currently works in a suburb of Philadelphia. An uprooted New Yorker – Queens, NY – he lives in Central Pennsylvania with his wife Liz, who also is an uprooted New Yorker – da Bronx, NY – and their collection of dogs and cats. Their two children – Tara and Brian – have left the roost and live in Dallas and Philadelphia, respectively.
How long have you been writing?
I started writing in 2000 at the age of 48 without any intention of doing so. I had prior thoughts that I could write a book for some time but never expected that I would take myself up on the proposition. But when I did, the bug bit me real hard. I was hooked.
What inspired you to write in this genre?
After writing five (5) Private Detective Mysteries, I decided it was time for a change and reviewed the mystery genre sub-categories and decided to write a Thriller. I was an avid reader of most mystery, suspense, and thriller writers and felt that the quality of some of the books had gone downhill. So, one day, I turned to my PC screen and just started typing…Eighteen years old are the first three words in all 5 of the Harry books
If another author fictionalized your life, in which genre would the book belong?
I guess it might be Fantasy: having the privilege of being an athlete right up through early college years playing a game I loved, a successful business career and excellent family life, and now publishing six novels when a multitude of struggling authors strive to break through – yes, it is somewhat of a fantasy when I think about it.
Do you have a set writing schedule?
No, none at all. I write in what I call spurts that can last for an extended time and then almost disappear as other “things” intervene. Then I get the urge, and I start again – I am lucky in that I can pick up right where I left off, no matter how long the break like it was yesterday — any time of the day or night.
Do you need silence to write, or can you work in any environment?
I can write anywhere, anytime, and also enjoy music while I create. Vinyl, if at all possible.
Were you an avid reader growing up?
No, not at all. You could say I read what was required in school and sometimes not even then. I was an athlete from a young age, and when not in school, the majority of my early years were taken up on baseball fields or basketball courts.
If you could form the ultimate writers’ group, which authors past or present would you invite to join you?
Parker, Patterson, Sanford, Stuart Woods, Harlen Coben, Deaver, JD Robb…you get the picture
Do you snack while writing?
Very rarely, if ever. A liquid beverage may be around though on occasion.
Who has influenced your writing the most?
Robert B. Parker –the Harry Mickey Shorts novels are patterned after his writing style.
Is there anything you would like my readers to know about you & your book?
All my books are character-driven. While writing Confessions, I worked very hard at showing the multiple sides of all my characters as professionals, humans with great strength and foibles, and one true crazy! It was a risk to stray from the typical thriller formula, but I felt it was a risk worth taking.
Me – I just love the ability to create, free form, and go where my characters and my mind takes me. After reading Confessions, you will see my mind can go in some interesting directions and places. But always remember – its FICTION!
Connect with Rich Kisielewski
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