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Afinidad: A novel of a serial killer

 
 
Afinidad: A novel of a serial killer
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Afinidad: A novel of a serial killer

Petra is a young woman who has lost her way. She has a strong sense of justice, of honor and fair play, but the experiences of her life have shown her that many other people do not. Badly disillusioned, she abandons those values but has nothing to replace them with. Nature doesn't like a void and Petra looks around for another belief system, this time one that will better reflect the reality of life. The setting is contemporary Savannah, America, and everyone is talking about the serial killer operating in the area. Petra's curiosity is aroused by the subject. Feeling bitter and hostile herself, she wonders what drives a man to commit the ultimate hostile act, murder. What would he be like to know, what would he be thinking? She feels a thrill at the thought of the release of passion inherent in such violence. And then, she gets to find out. She becomes the killer's sixth victim. Before he has a chance to kill her, however, he sees the interest in him that she cannot hide and, intrigued, he spares her life. Petra quickly feels an affinity with him, an emotion that the Spanish call afinidad. David is a killer made, not born, driven to desperation by a tyrannical mother and sister, but the thought of a companion pleases him and he plans to make Petra his accomplice. This would bind her to him in a conspiracy of silence, and he further hopes that she will share in the thrill of killing that has come, for him, to be an end in itself. Frank Hayward is the detective who is trying to stop the murders. For two years, there was no one to suspect until the sixth victim, Petra, survives. Then Frank wonders about the handsome young man who claims to have found her the night of the abduction and who hasn't left her side since.

SKU: 

0-9780473125387.U1

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Product Details:
Author: Kerri Louise Thomas
Paperback: 276 pages
Publisher: Booksurge
Publication Date: October 18, 2007
Language: English
ISBN: 0473125382
Package Length: 8.0 inches
Package Width: 5.75 inches
Package Height: 0.69 inches
Package Weight: 0.92 pounds
Average Customer Rating: based on 3 reviews
 
 

Customer Reviews:
Average Customer Review:4.0 ( 3 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 found the following review helpful:

4Not your Everyday Serial Killer Novel  Oct 27, 2007
By Shorty
I read this book here in New Zealand not long after getting back from a holiday in Savannah,Georgia,(part of the reason I picked it up)and Kerri Thomas has done a great job with the setting.By the end of the second chapter you have gotten to know the two main characters reasonably well and through the course of the story I found myself feeling quite sorry for David the killer.It moves along at a good pace but also takes the time to give the reader a feel for the locations.No shortage of suspense throughout the novel. The ending is a real surprise but very beleivable, I'm sure it has been left open for a sequel.I hope so!!
Without giving any of the story away,I feel the reader will understand how a killer such as David can have an influence on Petra in assisting him in his killings such is the way Kerri Thomas builds her story to this point.A rewarding read.

2 of 2 found the following review helpful:

4a character-study approach  Dec 20, 2007
By Dennis Batchelder
Kerri Thomas's novel AFINIDAD begins and ends with Petra, the product of a loveless childhood and a rotten boss. She is the almost-victim of David, the Savannah serial killer who's feeding his dementia by killing, raping, and de-feminizing young ladies. We follow Petra through the violent beginning and ending of her abusive love relationship with David. The books is told mostly from the points of view of Petra, David, and Frank, the detective out to catch David.

AFINIDAD combines a 19th century character-study of David and Petra with a 21st century graphic rendering of David's killings. Both Petra and David are portrayed with good and evil sides. Thomas provides detailed descriptions about gardens, the publishing business, and she drops bits of trivia of Savannah and New Zealand, and tossed in some of her political views as well.

I enjoyed seeing how Thomas, a New Zealander, viewed American culture. The dialog has a distinct southern-hemisphere ring to it, and although this jars with my own experiences in the south, it was pleasing in its approach.


2 of 3 found the following review helpful:

4Beautiful Writing  Apr 05, 2009
By C. S. Keppler
Kerri Louise Thomas's novel about a serial killer operating in and around Savannah, Georgia, is really beautifully written. The prose flows like honey and her descriptions of place make you feel like you're there. The main female character, Petra, is a very disillusioned young woman who no longer believes in justice or fair play in life. They say you get what you are looking for and what she finds is David, a serial killer who also doesn't believe in those things. There's some pretty violent scenes in this book but they are not gratuitous; they're there because they have to be in order to tell the story, and the story, in my opinion, is about the effect that Petra and David have on each other. That's why the book title refers to the bond between these two.
There are some real nail biting scenes that will keep you on the edge of your seat. My favorite is in chapter four when the two come together the first time, but the final scene that features David comes a close second. Then there's the one where David and Petra are poised to kill together for the first time. Will she or won't she? Good stuff.
Like another reviewer of this book, I enjoyed the references to the author's own country and the character, Petra's friend, Terri (Kerri with a T?) is from there. The author having a bit of fun there? She also clearly loves literature because there are a lot of references to classic works when Petra, who works in the publishing industry, exchanges quotes with a colleague from their favorite books.
I really recommend this book. It's a great read.


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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