A woman on the run from the FBI is carrying a canister of VX nerve agent and is intercepted by a serial killer, who then absconds with it and plans to use it on an unsuspecting Los Angeles. This is the best concept in recent fiction since Jan Burke's BONES (2001).

Not all the book's flaws can be blamed on editing, however- as one reviewer rightly posits, Mobius suffers from the talking villain syndrome, whereas the pieces could've come together in a more organic way, through skillful exposition or having Special Agent Tess McCallum, the book's heroine, tell the reader in her POV. Also, in the ATSAC HQ, Tess is actually relieved when it turns out that Mobius has VX in his possession, instead of the ebola that Tess had feared. I don't know of a single human who would ever be relieved to be dealing with VX, surely the deadliest substance ever engineered by Man.

But NEXT VICTIM'S virtues far outweigh its flaws and the characterization of the principals is good enough to garner sympathy for both antagonist and protagonist. and, while it's obligatory for the heroine to engage the villain in the Endgame in which the heroine (of course) wins, Prescott thankfully was able to break away from his usual DIE HARD-esque ending that involves a tall, abandoned/unfinished building to give the reader a more novel denouement.

As usual, I'll be on the lookout for the talented Prescott's next outing, hoping for both a hardcover deal for him and less editorial interference.

Another winner from Michael Prescott   January 28, 2003
 6 out of 8 found this review helpful

Next Victim is the latest work from Michael Prescott. He deserves to be a top seller like Koontz and Connelly, but unfortuantely, he is not. He is a better writer than either of them and he plots rocket along with a crisp determination. Tess McCallum is on the trail of Mobius, a serial killer who worked out of Denver before disappearing and resurfacing in Los Angeles. Tess has a score to settle with Mobius because he murdered her partner and significant other when he had the unfortunate lock to be home instead of her. Mobius sent her postcards on occasion to push her buttons and keep himself interested and in control. Her career stalled out after her partner's death and she gets a shot at redemption when Mobius resurfaces in the City of Angels. She is called in to help with the investigation, much to the chagrin of the LA agents. They feel that she is still affected by the death and that she will be of no help in the investigation. Things surface to make things more intriguing when it seems like Mobius has gotten a hold of some very deadly nerve agent and everyone is afraid that he will use it to devastating effect in Los Angeles. There are many plot twists and all is resolved neatly and satisfyingly. Michael Prescott is also author of the Brian Harper novels like the "Prey" series and the "Sh" series (Shudder, Shatter and Shiver). All of his books are superb and memorable. More people should discover his books. They are very enjoyable and he deserves a much larger audience. Michael Prescott is a pseudonym for Douglas Borton. He may have written more books under other names besides Prescott and Harper. If he has, I would like to know about them. I cannot recommend him highly enough.


enjoyable and suspencefull thriller   November 24, 2002
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

Tess McCallum is an FBI agent who is determined to find and destroy the psychopath (Mobius) who murdered her lover and former partner. Mobius has been dormant for several years when Tess gets a summons from her former boss, Assistant Director Gerald Andrus, bringing her to L.A. to investigate a suspect who seems frighteningly similar to Mobius. At the same time a suspect in another FBI investigation turns up dead and the nerve gas she is carrying disappears. Again the M.O. of the murder is reminiscent of Mobius. Are these cases related and do they have anything to do with Mobius? Can a sociopath evolve into a terrorist who will unleash the nerve gas onto the unsuspecting L.A.populace? More important will Tess find Mobius before he puts his plans into effect? The story twists and turns until the satisfying conclusion. Although it lacks some of the charachter development and emotional impact of his previous works I enjoyed 'Next Victim' as I do all of Prescott's books.


Not up to other books   December 11, 2002
 3 out of 3 found this review helpful

I have read and really, really liked all of Michael Prescott's past books. I have gotten tension headaches from the suspense and action he puts into them. This one, however, just didn't grab like his others did. And the ending really didn't surprise me - I already had an idea of who it was. (Maybe I've been reading too many of these type of books.) I would still recommend Next Victim, but if you had to choose between reading The Shadow Hunter or Next Victim, opt for The Shadow Hunter.


exciting suspense thriller   December 20, 2002
 3 out of 7 found this review helpful

A little over three years ago, a serial killer nicknamed Mobius killed four women in the Denver area. FBI agent Tess McCallum, assigned to the Denver bureau, was working the case when Mobius decided to take her out. He got into her apartment but instead of killing Tess who wasn't there, he killed her lover and partner.

Two years have passed and Mobius has resurfaced in Las Angeles by killing three women using the same modus operandi that he did in Denver. Tess is brought into the case but this time the stakes are even higher. The fourth victim was carrying a chemical nerve weapon and Mobius not only knows what it is, he plans to use it. By bypassing rules, regulations and the chain of command, Tess intends to stop him any way she can.

NEXT VICTIM is a chilling thriller about a weapon of mass destruction in the hands of a psychopathic madman with a score to settle. The story itself focuses on that maniacs do not have to be heads of state to obtain deadly arms. The heroine, far from destroyed by her first engagement with Mobius, is ready to do whatever needs to be done to take him down and out. She is a human being to be admired because she puts the needs of others first. Michael Prescott scores again with this exciting suspense thriller.

Harriet Klausner