The Final Second by Jim De La Vega
Executing a serial killer ought to close the case for good. But that was before Sheriff Parker Chord receives a package containing a human eye.
The delivery arrives just after Eddie Ray Calhoone is put to death for seven murders committed by the Blood Smile Killer, known as Grin. Accompanying the grisly delivery is a message claiming the authorities have executed an innocent man. Then the wife of the judge who presided over Calhoone’s trial is murdered, her mouth encircled by the killer’s familiar signature: a smile drawn in blood. So much for closure.
In The Final Second, the second installment of Jim De La Vega’s Mind Hunter series, forensic psychologist Dr. Cassidy Chord returns to Georgia at her brother Parker’s request. They haven’t spoken in more than four years, but a possible wrongful execution and a killer threatening another round of murders provide a powerful incentive to pick up the phone.
A Psychopath Who Sets the Agenda
Readers who met Cassidy in Gone in Three Seconds will recognize her stubborn independence and willingness to put herself in danger. A former Army helicopter pilot who lost her right leg and fiancé in an explosion, she brings both hard-earned resilience and considerable physical discomfort to her work.
This time, Cassidy has barely begun studying the files before Grin announces a deadline for the next killing. The investigators must protect potential targets while trying to determine whether they face a copycat, an accomplice or the original murderer. Georgia’s attorney general, who prosecuted Calhoone, has a career riding on the answer. His preferred explanation does not necessarily make it the right one.
Cassidy must question conclusions from the investigation that helped secure a death sentence, knowing that some of her colleagues have more to lose by admitting a mistake than by defending it. Meanwhile, Grin’s threats leave the good guys worrying about their own families’ safety at a time when they most need to concentrate.
Answers That Change the Questions
A master of his craft, De La Vega is particularly adept at placing twists and reversals. The opening establishes how thoroughly he can upset an apparent certainty: the authorities have caught their killer, proved their case and carried out the sentence. Now they must investigate their own failure while the person claiming responsibility sets the agenda.
That pattern develops throughout the novel. Grin supplies clues, but understanding a message and responding to it can be two very different challenges. Cassidy must consider what the killer wants investigators to do with the information — and whether their response will play directly into Grin’s plans. It’s a chess match of wits between two highly intelligent adversaries.
Short chapters set a brisk pace as we move among the viewpoints of Cassidy, Parker, television reporter Jessica Diaz and the killer. Sometimes we see danger approaching before the characters do; sometimes we’re caught off guard alongside them. Elsewhere, we follow Cassidy as she tries to decide which clues matter and which have been planted to mislead the investigation.
One thing is for certain: Grin knows how to get everyone’s attention. A human eye turning inside a ballerina music box is an image you may wish you could unsee, but such moments of gore carry a creative flourish and dark sense of humor.
As with the previous entry in the series, The Final Second would lend itself beautifully to an episodic screen treatment, such as a streaming series, with its intersecting investigations and revelations arriving just as an episode might end. It’s easy to see how “one more chapter” could translate to “one more episode.”
Family Business, With Gunfire
Cassidy talks through problems and makes jokes under pressure, even when pain or exhaustion makes doing her job harder. Her willingness to act as bait can be alarming. It also makes her brother’s protective streak understandable, even if she doesn’t appreciate it.
Their relationship is especially enjoyable to watch unfold. Their childhood on a Georgia dairy farm gives them strategies they can still use, along with affectionate insults and a shorthand that survives their estrangement. They may disagree about keeping Cassidy safe, but they remember how to work together.
Southern sayings and newsroom squabbles provide welcome breathing room between the grisly discoveries. Even Jessica’s tiny Pomeranian, Earl, earns a useful role in the investigation. De La Vega understands the value of letting us enjoy these people’s company before putting them through something awful.
The Final Second is a brisk serial-killer thriller with a wisecracking heroine, macabre set pieces and a strong Southern family voice. Cassidy’s resourcefulness and the interplay between grotesque danger and irreverent humor make it a highly entertaining read. Just be cautious about declaring the case entirely solved.
About Jim De La Vega
Jim De La Vega is a critically acclaimed author and award-winning television anchor and crime reporter who has worked with NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox and CNN.
During his career, De La Vega has covered serial killers, murders and some of the country’s most notorious criminals — and has been shot at twice while doing it.
Writing previously under the name Jim Brown, his novels 24/7 and Black Valley have been published in 26 countries and translated into Russian, Japanese, Korean, Dutch and Bulgarian. Both novels have also been optioned for film.
Drawing on decades of experience covering real crime, De La Vega brings an insider’s eye to his fiction.
Gone in Three Seconds is the first novel in The Mind Hunter Series, which features forensic psychologist and FBI consultant Dr. Cassidy Chord. The Final Second is the second book in this series.
