Charlotte Rowe had intended to live her life in solitude. She’d been kidnapped as a child and raised by serial killers who murdered her mom, only to be exploited for profit by her dad after her rescue. Charlotte unwittingly is drawn into the development of a new drug to help individuals cope with trauma and avoid the freezing response that led to victims like Charlotte’s mom. Charlotte now cooperates with the drug development, and is the hunter rather than the hunted, as she hunts serial killers in their tests of the drug. However, a new threat has moved in and affects her personally as domestic terrorism is fomenting in her own hometown.

BLOOD ECHO is the second book in the Burning Girl series and is best appreciated in the context of the series as a whole. The foundation of the series’ concept, as well as the initial development of the various relationships of all the characters, was introduced and developed in the first book, BONE MUSIC. Christopher Rice further develops the story line and the characters in BLOOD ECHO but understanding where things started will greatly help new readers comprehend and enjoy the events in BLOOD ECHO. A brief summary of events is provided at the beginning of BLOOD ECHO, but the intricacy of the relationships makes reading both books the preferable option.

What an intriguing concept! Many books tackle the revenge theme or even the idea of only killing the bad guys, but Christopher Rice takes BLOOD ECHO in a unique direction. The development of Zypraxon could revolutionize safety across the world- if only they can get it to work without tearing folks apart! Charlotte is the only one who can take it and harm only those who attack her, as the prior individuals in the trials tore themselves to pieces. Unfortunately, it’s still a work in progress for a variety of reasons, not least that, once triggered, Charlotte’s strength on Zypraxon is similar to the Incredible Hulk.

BLOOD ECHO is a dark thriller that dares to confront the twisted souls that exist in the world. One may not agree with Charlotte and Cole’s choices or methodology, but it’s hard to argue against their motivation to stop the victimization of others. I suspect fans of shows like Dexter will love BLOOD ECHO as it’s a dark foray into human lives and emotions that is sure to stimulate questions about ethics versus safety and justice. I look forward to the next book in the series!