BookBitch Loves 14!

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Review by Becky Lejeune

Lieutenant Taylor Jackson is just days from walking down the aisle when she’s called to the scene of a gruesome murder. Strangely, the MO resembles that of a serial killer who struck Tennessee in the early 80’s. Dubbed the Snow White Killer thanks to his dark haired, pale skinned victims, and his penchant for smearing bright red lipstick across their faces, he left behind ten victims before apparently throwing in the towel; he was never caught. Has Snow White reemerged after such a long break or are they facing a copycat. Then new evidence is found to support the copycat theory and Jackson and her team are faced with uncovering both of the killers’ identities in order to solve the case. With just two titles released, J.T. Ellison has proven herself to be one of the best new thriller authors out there. Her characters are solid and her plots are refreshingly original - and what a great ending. The third title in the series, Judas Kiss, is due out next spring.
(Note: Judas Kiss will be available January 1, 2009)

An Interview with Cathy Clamp of The Big Thrill

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You'll double-lock your doors after reading 14

By Cathy Clamp

Ten victims, each with pale skin and long dark hair. All have been slashed across the throat, the same red lipstick smeared across their lips.

In the mid-1980s the Snow White Killer terrorized the streets of Nashville, Tennessee. Then suddenly the murders stopped. A letter from the killer to the police stated that his work was done.

Now four more bodies have been found, marked with his fatal signature. The residents of Nashville fear a madman has returned, decades later, to finish his sick fairy tale. Homicide Lieutenant Taylor Jackson believes the killings are the work of a copycat killer who's even more terrifying. For this monster is meticulously honing his craft as he mimics famous serial murders...proving that the past is not to be forgotten.

Big Thrill contributing editor Cathy Clamp recently sat down with J.T. Ellison, author of the upcoming thriller, 14, and chatted about this new episode in the life of her ongoing character Taylor Jackson.

Did your heroine work on the original files in the 80's that she never solved, or is this a case of having to dig up old files to figure out what originally happened?

Taylor was actually in junior high when the original Snow White murders took place. The case sparked her interest and she always vowed that if she had a chance, she'd try to solve the mystery. When she started with the Metro Nashville Police Department, she checked the files out of storage and memorized them. The case sat in the Cold Case files for thirteen years before bodies with the Snow White's signature began showing up in Nashville. Now, being the Homicide Lieutenant, she not only has the jurisdiction, but the team to solve the case. Hardly a dream come true, but a fulfillment of a desire she's had since she was a child.

Did you model the events or killings on any real cases that happened in Nashville? If so, were they ever solved?

Nashville has never had an egregious, famous serial killer, thank goodness. For the story to work, though, I needed to give us a killer on par with serial killers like the Boston Strangler, the Zodiac, the Son of Sam. A killer who has altered the culture of a city through their reign of terror. The Snow White killer became that man in Nashville's history.

You were a White House staffer in your "previous life" before beginning to write novels, which would be a really interesting job. What led you to Nashville, and what triggered the desire to write a thriller?

I went into politics after an English professor in college told me I'd never make it as a writer. I was out of the game, so to speak, for fifteen years, and just started writing again in 2004. My husband and I met, courted and married in D.C., but he wanted to come home to Nashville, and in 1998 I finally acquiesced. I had my doubts - but Nashville is an amazing city. I was intrigued by the contradictions - the class structure, the politics, the very southernness of the city. I was reading another great regional series - John Sandford's Prey books - and I thought it would be fascinating to have a Nashville version. We have the same kind of crime as the big cities, but we're perceived as a town overrun with musicians and songwriters. I wanted to give my readers a chance to see the Nashville I see, not necessarily the one they've become accustomed to.

You've mentioned you have a cat who runs roughshod over you. I've noticed that writers with pets who have "personalities" (myself included! LOL!) tend to also inflict similar animals on their protagonists. Does Taylor have a unique pet?

No, Taylor has been a loner for a long while. With her long hours and total dedication to the job, she would feel like she was abandoning any pet she left at home. But now she has Baldwin. He doesn't qualify as a furry friend in the truest sense of the word, but he is an addition to her life that makes her richer. I, on the other hand, have a very poorly trained cat who rules the roost in the Ellison household. She's got me wrapped around her little paws.

What surprised you when you were doing you research for the book?

I research heavily, spending time with law enforcement, talking to experts. But for this book, I needed a trip to New York. I hadn't been since high school, and I wanted a refresher course to see how it smelled, what it sounded like, where to place my scenes. The city quite literally blew my mind. I've been back five times now, and loved every trip. But that first visit as an adult will stay with me.

Did you originally intend any subplots or characters traits that didn't make it to the final edit?

Sure. There's always a trail that needs to be reigned in, or a character who isn't serving their purpose. My editor (Linda McFall) is fantastic, and she knows exactly what threads to pull. I'm lucky, I rarely have to cut much from the content. My stories are twisty, but still linear, and I tend to add as I revise. And add. And add...

Anything else you'd like readers to know about? Are you planning any contests or book tours to promote the book?

I'll be on tour starting September 3, and go for six weeks, wrapping up my out of town events in Baltimore, for my very first Bouchercon. I like the set up I've got for this book - for All The Pretty Girls, I covered thirteen states in six months. Fun, but exhausting. This is much more concentrated - in addition to my Tennessee stops, I'm going to Colorado, Arizona, Texas, Maryland and Nebraska, where I'm joining one of my favorite authors, Alex Kava, for a couple of stops on her tour. This schedule is more intense up front, but then it's over, and most of the rest of my dates are relatively local. I'm starting a new book as we speak that is due in March, which means I need more time at home on the computer. The tour dates are on my website, http://www.JTEllison.com.

Thanks so much for taking the time to give our readers some insight into your new book. It's due out September 1st from Mira. Right? It sounds like it's going to be a great read!

It is, and I hope everyone will love it. Thanks for having me!

Contributing editor Cathy Clamp is the co-author, with C.T. Adams, of two USA Today bestselling paranormal romantic thriller series from Tor Books. They were recently nominated for a Career Achievement Award in paranormal romance by RT BOOKreviews Magazine, which will be awarded in April, 2008. Their next thriller, TIMELESS MOON, hits the shelves in March, 2008.

Romance Reviews Today Reviews 14

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Nashville, Tennessee and Quantico, Virginia - Present Day

Once upon a time a queen wished for a child as white as snow, with lips as red as blood and hair as black as ebony. Her wish was granted in little Snow White.

Many years later, another wished to see that vision come to pass. His canvas was the city of Nashville, and his brush was a sharp knife. The Snow White killer terrorized the city during the mid-1980’s only to retire from the scene after committing ten murders, saying his work was finished.

But now the killing has started again, and the citizens of Nashville are wondering why the dark fairytale has come back to life. Homicide Lieutenant Taylor Jackson has a theory; this Snow White killer may really be just another copycat, though admittedly, a far superior version to the “normal” ones. It’s almost as if his hand is being guided by the original. A monster (or monsters) is loose in Nashville, and it’s Taylor’s job to catch him. With the help of her fiancé, John Baldwin (a forensic psychiatrist who works with the FBI), her crack investigative team, and some of the men involved in the original Snow White case, she just may do it. But, how many women will die until then?

14 features a woman who exhibits many traits today’s woman can appreciate (though the ability to handle all the blood and horror may not be a trait they’d all share). Taylor is brave, stubborn, and a dedicated cop. She’s also determined to catch Snow White, a task many women would shun. However, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing she fears. For instance, her big white wedding to John that’s supposed to happen in five short days. Taylor’s thinking maybe it should be put off. Her love for John (and his for her) seems real enough, but this cop just may not be ready. And, really, who can blame her for wanting to concentrate on Snow White? After all, fourteen are already dead, and more women are certain to die. Can Snow White be brought to justice, or is this fairy tale destined to have an unhappy ending?

The list of secondary characters who help bring 14 to life is long and varied. Taylor’s fiancé, John, is certainly important, and his expertise, as well as his contacts in the FBI, is certain to come in handy during the hunt. Dr. Charlotte Douglas, a profiler for the FBI, may also be a help; then again, as John’s former lover, she may be more of a hindrance than anything else. Frank Richardson is a reporter who covered the Snow White case extensively in the ‘80’s, and his help will be invaluable. Martin Kimball, retired homicide detective, was in charge of the original case; he too is eager to assist in any way he can. Lincoln Ross (computer guru), Peter “Fitz” Fitzgerald (Taylor’s second in command), and Marcus Wade complete Taylor’s team. Dr. Samantha Loughley is a medical examiner in Nashville as well as Taylor’s best friend. Together, all of these people, along with many I can’t mention here, will help Taylor bring Nashville to living, breathing, life.

Though this is the second Taylor Jackson novel (ALL THE PRETTY GIRLS came out in November 2007), the author has created a story that stands completely on its own. Thrills and chills, unexpected twists and turns, and enough scary bits to keep you awake long into the night make 14 a sure-fire winner. Don’t miss it.

Lori Ann

Romance Reviews Today

Bookpage Review of 14

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Who's the fairest killer of them all?

REVIEW BY JAMES NEAL WEBB

In 14, J. T. Ellison's nail-biting sequel to her debut novel, All the Pretty Girls, Nashville Police Lieutenant Taylor Jackson is once again trying to balance her personal and professional lives. She's planning a Christmastime wedding with her fiance, the FBI profiler-at-large John Baldwin, but it seems that a couple of killers, plus the biggest snowstorm Music City has seen in decades, are conspiring to keep that from happening.

Murder is the same all over, and for Nashville Homicide it's definitely deja vu, because a serial killer is on the loose and all indications point to the return of a maniac who terrorized the city two decades before. The Snow White Killer is back--or is he? The bodies are the same: young women, with long black hair, pale complexions and slashed throats. Still, there are enough differences between the past and present murders to make the case even more puzzling. If this isn't the Snow White Killer, how does he (or she) know so much about that killer's MO?

Working with Baldwin, Taylor must examine each gruesome clue in hopes of stopping the carnage before the killer strikes again. She's also coping with the recent loss at sea of her estranged father, whose disappearance will have surprising repercussions. At the same time, she's tracking a ruthless killer-for-hire in another case involving illegal immigrants, who doesn't seem to care who he murders in order to protect his secrets. Then there's something even deadlier: a beautiful FBI profiler with eyes on her husband-to-be. Though Taylor doesn't know it, all of these elements will come together in some unexpected ways.

All the Pretty Girls introduced us to Taylor, Baldwin and the cops of Music City; Ellison's second book fleshes out these characters and the city of Nashville even further. Be forewarned that murder isn't pretty, and Ellison doesn't pull any punches, but if you're a fan of the genre, you'll love 14.

James Neal Webb is a lifelong Nashville resident.