Hello Again by Brenda Novak (The Evelyn Talbot Chronicles #2)
Hello Again is part of the Brenda Novak books in order. It is the second book by Brenda Novak in her Evelyn Talbot Chronicles taking place in Alaska at the Hanover House prison.
We’ve already met Evelyn in the first book in the series where she went through several deadly adventures in the Alaskan wilderness.
Now, we’re back once again at her beloved Hanover House, a maximum-security prison that holds and studies some of the most dangerous criminals known to man. Evelyn is one of the chief psychologists who study these depraved and soulless killers, and her work is not without its dangers.
Evelyn’s past is as dark as they come. She narrowly missed being killed by her at-the-time boyfriend, Jasper Moore, a psychopath who only showed his true colors when he killed three of Evelyn’s friends and left her dead as well, after which Jasper disappeared from the face of the earth.
Until now. Because it seems that Jasper found out where Evelyn is currently living and working and decided to go pay her a visit. This time, a deadly one, if possible.
If that’s not enough, Evelyn also has to receive one of the most twisted serial killers, Dr. Lyman Bishop, AKA the Zombie Maker, who loves to lobotomize his victims with an ice pick. And this is the guy she must work with to find out what makes him tick.
And, of course, we have Amarok, Evelyn’s sexy policeman boyfriend, who is trying to keep her safe, although, given the many criminals Hanover House retains, it might be more and more difficult to do so.
For a romantic suspense novel, this is as dark and gritty as it gets. It’s really more a romantic thriller than suspense. Many of the crimes are described in their gory details, so it’s not for the squeamish.
As usual in Brenda Novak’s writing, the plot is well crafted and the characters, including the bad and evil ones, are well fleshed out. The writing itself is flawless. I couldn’t find one grammatical or spelling mistake in the whole book. The story flows with ease, and the suspense follows you every step of the way. In fact, I was at the edge of my seat more often than not. And talk about some kind of phobia while reading the book. I was feeling cold and paranoid all the time.
If you haven’t read the series yes, I suggest you start with the first book, Her Darkest Nightmare, because it sets the stage for what is to come and introduces many of the main characters in the book. Plus, it’s an awesome read as well.