Book #45 - The List

Definitely on a JA Konrath kick lately. In The List, which was the book that was recently published and got me to the author’s blog, we start with a murder. The victim was tortured and his head cut off by the murderer. The detective on the case notices one very interesting thing: the tattoo of a number on the left heel of the victim. It’s interesting because the detective has a similar tattoo as well, just a different number.

Apparently there are a number of people with number tattoos on their left heels. As the detective realizes that there was a murder recently in another state of someone that had a tattoo, he suspects something might be happening to him. He finds another victim in Chicago and goes to talk to him with his partner, finding out what’s going on.

Meanwhile we have a Hollywood producer that is attacked in her home, her dog stabbed with a stake and the attacker threatening to do the same to her. She escapes and goes to the police. When she returns to her house later, the attacker is back, and again she survives, breaking his nose, but having her boyfriend killed.

The book becomes a techno-thriller here. We find that all of the tattoo’d people were clones of famous historical figures. Thomas Jefferson, Albert Einstein, Joan of Arc, Robert E. Lee, and more. Seven in total, along with 3 “evil” clones like Attila the Hun. The clones are hunting the others, and the detectives try to figure out why.

It’s a mix of conspiracies, technology, action, and mystery. Totally unbelievable, but if you accept the premise, it becomes fun. The characters struggle, they get hurt, they don’t always succeed, but they get through the book. The end felt a little sudden and crazy, but we the final chapter revealing that there might be 9 more clones out there, I’m hoping for a sequel.