So,we have a cat and mouse game between a detective named Paul and the serial killer, Daniel. And don't worry, we are told right away who the killer is and what he is doing all this for. Personally, I don't like it when authors do that,it takes away the suspense factor for me.
What this book does really well is that it messes with your head. You find yourself sympathizing with the killer. And so,on one hand you know that the victims deserved everything they got,but on the other hand you know that they did not. Quite a dilemma, right? It asks the question of morality, of humans playing God and judge and jury. The only thing is,I am not sure I liked the answer I received.
The characters were okay, I don't think you will find anything new. The detective is brooding, does drugs and orders escorts from time to time. The basic noir crime thriller protagonist.
2 things really didn't not work for me:the amount of gruesome violence and the writing style. The violence was just over the top in this one. And as for the writing, closer to the end it did improve, but at the beginning there were occasional cheesy lines and weird tangents that I didn't care for.
I decided on giving Rain Will Come 3 stars. The story itself and the moral dilemma of it I enjoyed very much, what I didn't enjoy as much was the execution.
Thank you to netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. I don't even know where to begin....

This novel had me hooked from the absolute beginning! The story was unique and original. It was one of the most horrifyingly descriptive novels I've read since Chris Carter and I loved every minute of it.

The characters felt real and well developed. They are relatable and didn't feel fake and forced like some other novels.

I am dying for another installment from Holgate. He will definitely be a best selling author in no time.

Cat & mouse story with twists. Police procedures vs. serial killer. Lots of action, must read, thriller. Very interesting story. Love is figured into storyline too.

Rain Will. One is about a crazy killer and a cop with a dark past.
It starts off with a double slaying and then all hell breaks loose
It is a tremendous cat and mouse game between these damaged individuals
The bodies start piling up and the suspense is incredible
A thrilling book that you can’t put down

Thank you to the publisher and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review "Rain Will Come".

Somehow, I seem to gravitate to books with flawed cops who just want to catch the bad guys. Paul Czarich (pronounced Tsar-chick) is one of those - he drinks, he takes drugs, he hires escorts (but not for what you think!), and he's at the end of a career, so he does what he wants.

When Czarich is called to a particularly gruesome murder scene, he is catapulted into a chase for a unique serial killer, and the race is on; for this particular killer has an agenda and a timetable, and he cannot be late.

The action bounces around the entire United States as Paul tries to catch up to, and foil, the perpetrator of a series of murders - even though the 'victims' certainly deserved their gory fates.

Action from beginning to end, and twists and turns galore. Recommended.

When evil disposes of evil does it make it ok? “Rain Will Come” is a fast paced highly graphic thriller. A quick easy read, it drew me in from the beginning. Great first novel and I look forward to many more.

This is a great, fast paced crime thriller, and I sailed through it!
It reminded me of the film se7en.... troubled cop searching for creepy vengeful serial killer who is always one step ahead.... yes this book managed to maintain its originality also.
A great story, very well written, and perfect for film adaptation.
Easily worthy of 4.5 stars.

The title for this very good debut novel comes from a movie... and describes exactly what is happening in this story. Or should be happening.
Main character Paul Czarcik reminded me a little of Harry Hole, one of my favorites in the genre 'unhappy persons'. Paul is so deeply unhappy you want to keep reading to find out why this is. In the mean time, you also want to keep reading because from the beginning, the killer is known to us and that Paul is going to catch him is obvious. But how and when?
Thomas Holgate will tell you how and when and he does it with flourish. I hope this is the start of an interesting series.

Many thanks to Netgally for this digital review copy.

Very graphic novel.
Characters and settings are very well written-you can visualize the settings and the scenery.
Fast paced novel-interesting and gripping.

Thanks Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the ARC of the book.

This was such a wonderful debut. It had the perfect amount of suspense and kept me guessing the entire time.

Rain Will Come – Thomas Holgate

I was fortunate to receive this book as an Advance Reader Copy from Netgalley, in exchange for an objective review. This review will also publish to my blog, tropicaldelusions.blog on March 7th, 2020.

Detective Paul Czarcik is a member of the Illinois Bureau of Judicial Enforcement and pretty much does what he wants. A gruff, at times difficult individual, lacking many social graces, he dislikes most people, enjoys his alcohol and a line of cocaine every now and then, and he prefers to work alone. He frequently assists the Chicago PD with difficult cases and receives such a call at the start of this novel.

Upon arriving to the scene, he finds a deceased young woman who shows evidence of being beaten by a variety of different items, all which we left at the scene. Strangely enough, there is a dead chicken tied to her neck. Her husband is found dead in the next room, covered in cigarette burns and with his head missing. As Paul studies the scene, he’s certain the scene is staged, but something just doesn’t feel right. A quick input of data into the national crime database yields a link to another gruesome crime scene in Texas, the link being the knot that was used in both cases. In attempts to draw attention to the current case, the Chicago PD disguise one of their own and claim to have a suspect in custody.

Meanwhile, Daniel Langdon is sitting in a hotel room trying to determine the best way to dispose of the head that he has sitting behind him on the bed. Recently diagnosed with a glioblastoma – a brain tumor – he is trying to ward off a blinding headache and is ruminating about the changes that the tumor has wrought on his body, along with the to-be-expected behavioral changes. He has decided that he is not going to give in to his disease easily, and instead, he has some work to do while he still is able – seemingly avenging those who have suffered at the hands of others. As he’s watching the news, he learns of the lead Detective’s identity – and feels compelled to pay him a visit…thus beginning a game of hunter and hunted, good versus evil, etc. But is it really as simple as that???

This book was a great read! It’s not often that I find a book where I don’t particularly care for the ‘good guy’, but the dive into the psyches of the protagonist and antagonist made for a fast -paced story as Paul tries to get his man. Increasing the complexity even more was the unlikely character that randomly (or was it?) enters the picture with just the perfect evidence to assist Paul in his hunt. A fabulous mystery/police procedural full of gritty crime scenes, a nerve-wracking chase, and an ending that’ll have you scratching your head, and wondering what exactly the next scene would have been had the book not ended there…

I look forward to more – much more – from Mr. Holgate!!

Detective Paul Czarcik is with the Illinois Bureau of Judicial Enforcement. He’s a rouge cop, with plenty of demons and he is trying to stop a vigilante serial killer.

For the most part, Rain Will Come by Thomas Holgate, was well written. One of the things that I loved about the book was that it was set in Illinois, and I recognized or had been, to several of the places talked about in the beginning chapters. The characters were well developed and the form of punishments for the “evil” were quite inventive. It was also interesting to note, the detective and his serial killer were not that different from each other.

Having said all that, I grew weary of the repeated type of violence and excuses for one man to be Judge, Jury, and Executioner. It somehow rang false, even though the premise for the story could happen easily in real life. I wasn’t impressed with the “rush” that happened in Detective Czarcik brain whenever an idea would come at him. It came across gimmicky.

Even though I only gave it 3 stars, I do feel confident in recommending it if you enjoy detective novels.

Thank you to NetGalley for a chance to read an advanced copy of this novel.

Edgy, graphic, and raw. This narrative has the typical underpinning of a police-procedural but Holgate offers his own gritty writing style that is certain to stake a claim in this genre. The main character, Detective Paul Czarcik, is an absolute train wreck that the reader cannot pull their eyes away from. Watching him try to pull it together enough to try to outwit a serial killer is wildly entertaining. Love. This. Book. 5 stars

Thank you to #NetGalley for this ARC of #RainWillCome, which I voluntarily read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Serial killers are not usually depicted as doers of good deeds. This novel does just that. That requires a lot of suspension of disbelief. I could not accept that as a reason for mass murder. The detective who solves the murders is not a likable character. Strung out on coke, inhaling packs of cigarettes and bottles of bourbon, he is quite an unsavory character. There is not much to praise in this jumble of mayhem and maiming. A rather dark noir thriller that was best left unread.

Thanks to net gallery for the early read.
Hooked from the beginning!! Slow beginning, but picks up to be fast paced. Read in a single sitting. Holgate’s debut novel is a rather good one. In fact it’s one of the better novels I’ve read this year. I can't wait to read more by this author in the future.

I enjoyed this book! I would go between a 3 and a 3.5 rating.
It is an interesting and engaging cat and mouse game between Detective Paul Czarcik and a serial killer.
The author doesn't hesitate to give us insight into the serial killer's mind and motives which I liked. So to know both the main characters makes you think and question your own moral compass.
I liked the paciness of the book. I was, however, hoping for a slightly more thrilling end. So I was a tad disappointed that there wasn't a better twist to the story.
But still, it's worth a read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a digital ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

A thrilling debut from Thomas Holgate. The mind games played by the serial killer with the flawed detective is interesting and keeps you hooked till the end with their cat and mouse chase. Every killing in this book is made to question the readers' moral compass. Can we justify something as monstrous as this? Is this a game of evil against evil or is it justice well-served in a twisted way? The book makes ourselves ask these questions and leaves us with understanding the human need for fair-play. This was equally gripping in its writing and the plot was very interesting to work through. I definitely recommend it to all the Thriller Junkies out there. Don't miss this book. A satisfying gruesome thriller.

Rain Will Come Thomas Holgate

Sometimes a character is so well written, and is that “off-the-wall”, I can associate them with a real person or a character I’ve seen on TV. This is one of those books

Detective Paul Czarick reminded me of Rigs from the Lethal Weapon TV series. He is a man who breaks rules, does what he likes, and is fuelled by nicotine, caffeine, and Columbian marching powder, turning to bourbon when he wants to relax.

Czarick works for the unpopular Illinois Bureau of Justice, and thanks to the fact that he solved a very high profile case, he is benefitting from a certain amount of immunity within the Bureau, and in this case he uses it to its full advantage.

Daniel is a killer, he’s a revenge killer, and he has a plan. Czarick picks up one of his murders and starts to connect the dots and links his case to another murder.

As Czarick becomes aware of the killer, Daniel becomes aware of the cop, and so the game begins.

A game of cat-and-mouse that stretches the length of the states. Every time Czarick gets close Daniel surprises him.

For some, there are lucky escapes, for others there is a terrible death that is somehow linked to something they have done in the past.

This is a simple plot, but a cracking story. It is as much a psychological thriller as it is a police story.

A great read

I really enjoy crime/police novels but this didn’t draw me in. I found I couldn’t get attached to Czarcikat all. I like flawed characters but he just didn’t come across as real. The premise of the book is wonderful and I liked the back and forth with each chapter. I just found that the story was quickly revealed and it lacked the suspense that most books offer. I found myself skimming several paragraphs to find something exciting or interesting to read.

This was a well written novel with a straight forward timeline and clearly delineated good guys and bad guys. The pacing was excellent and the characters stayed true to their established personas.

Personally I had a hard time with the less-than-legal (and downright illegal) habits of our hero. To me that was a real detriment in the enjoyment of the story. It posed a juxtaposition in the morality of his personification.

All in all it was a most enjoyable read. I’ll look forward to more novels by Holgate.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher, Thomas and Mercer, in exchange for an honest review.