The Lizard Kind is on the Prowl

A long distance truck driver, the Lizard King, sates his lust by killing lot lizards, young prostitutes who frequent truck stops. Cassie Dewell, a young police officer, is been forced to take pictures of her partner, Cody Hoyt, planting evidence in a murder investigation. Cody is already on the edge. His drinking got him fired from other law enforcement jobs. This is the end of the road for him. Danielle and Gracie, teenage sisters, are supposed to visit their father in Omaha for Thanksgiving, but Danielle can't resist the temptation to visit her boyfriend in Montana.

The lives of these characters converge when the Lizard King snatches the sisters. Cassie and Cody are pulled into the hunt. She's feeling miserable for betraying him. He needs to redeem himself. The tension mounts as the Lizard King approaches his destination. When the searchers finally locate the girls, they find a more bizarre situation than they could have imagined.

I enjoyed this book. The author skillfully weaves the plot threads together. Moving from one group of characters to another heightens the suspense.

The characters are generally well done. The author does a reasonable job of exploring the mind of a serial killer. The older sister, Danielle, is too much the stereotypical self-centered teenager and not really believable. The character I enjoyed the most was Gracie, the younger sister, a true heroine.

The descriptions of the highway and the surrounding area, particularly when the road leads through Yellowstone, give the novel an eerie atmosphere which adds to the tension.

I recommend this book if you like a good mystery, but it's not a book for the squeamish. Some of the material is very dark.

I reviewed this book for Net Galley.