The Camino Killer by Dean Carson
Eliot Locke Thrillers #2

Another refreshingly delightful “thriller” that had me smiling even though the situation was at times dire. This is not a spoof but at times had me thinking of how it danced on the line between serious and not quite so very much so. I loved it!

What I liked:
* Eliot Locke: a bounty hunter that brings his target in dead or alive and this time the request is alive, and he is up for the challenge. This man intrigues me with his intelligence, lethal capabilities, ability to get along with others, and his humanness. I can’t wait to hear more about him, his family, and his next job.
* The way the murders are referred to let me know they were cruel and painful for the person dying but details were not graphic.
* The way characters were presented and fleshed out.
* Cardinal Fermin Benoluchi: the man who hired Eliot at the behest of the Catholic church was a good man, a good friend, and very human while also being a man of faith.
* Magda Lynn: outspoken, secure within herself, chameleon, friendly, professional, and a famous porn star that didn’t know her real purpose on the hike of the Camino pilgrimage.
* Bill: Eliot’s CIA friend and sometimes employer who made an appearance in this and the first book.
* Getting a glimpse of Spain and the pilgrimage.
* The mention of Eliot’s siblings and how they relate to him…so very real.
* The way the story was crafted – drew me in, made me care, had enough to make me smile…really enjoyed it.
* That the bad guy(s) were determined and dealt with.
* Knowing there is another book in the series ready to be enjoyed.

What I didn’t like:
* Exactly what I was meant to not like – so glad the bad guys were caught!
* Realizing that the bad guys described in this book are all too real and lurk about in the world.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Definitely

Thank you to NetGalley and Sapere Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

The Camino Killer by Dean Carson is an entertaining story of Eliot Locke, a bounty hunter or paid assassin, depending on the requirement of the job he accepts. His most recent assignment has him in Spain walking the Camino as a pilgrim. Things do not go well when he is mugged as he walks along a short-cut. He comes out of this detour with a few scratches and bruises, and the knowledge that if he is to walk the way of pilgrims, he must not carry his suitcase and wear city clothing. LOL There are several scenes that will cause a smile, but the story is action-packed.
The Vatican is concerned because there have been three brutal murders on the pilgrimage path in the past three years. They think the motive for the murders seem to have been directed toward people who exhibited weakness and indulged in a forbidden sin. A plan is hatched, and it is decided to plant someone the killer will be drawn to for his next victim. The local Cardinal has hired Eliot to hunt this killer using a prominent porn star as the bait. The character of Magda is a bit over-the-top, but she was funny.
This is the first book I have read by this author, and I enjoyed the story. I am always interested in books that are based on the Camino pilgrimage and this was a nice diversion over the quarantine holidays.
Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Another book I just couldn't seem to get into, it dragged and the entire time it had me reaching for another book to pass the time. It just didn't pack enough punch for me. I want to thank NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book to read.

The Camino Killer is the second instalment in the Eliot Locke Thrillers series, set in northern Spain. International mercenary and bounty hunter Locke has been assigned the task of identifying and locating a ruthless serial killer who has been targeting those walking the route leading to the cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain. The mission had been advertised in the normal fashion: a website, Magic Bistro, an online shop seemingly selling magic tricks, which is actually a front for a forum of hitmen run by a forensic accountant employed by the CIA. Happy to escape the brisk Edinburgh weather, Locke, travelling under the name Paul Vandy, follows the path on his way to meet Cardinal Fermin Benoluchi at the monastery of Roncesvalles but is attacked with a metal cosh by a man who jumps out of the bushes at him on the way there. Eliot manages to overcome him slashing him with his knife and the guy stumbles away and disappears on the back of a motorbike before Eliot can do anything else. The Cardinal explains he wants the man to be hunted down and brought back alive to face justice, despite Locke being a hitman for hire, explaining that five years ago a German woman, who was an ardent atheist, went missing on the second stage of the pilgrimage. 4 months later her body was found in a river drained of blood and she had been wired to the central arch of the Puente de la Rabia, in Zubiri, like she had been crucified upside down.

A year later an investment banker had been painted head to toe in gold paint laced with poison and his body left on the altar at the Cathedral of Astorga. Then it was the turn of a female barrister who had argued for the release of a paedophile priest. She lied in court, and her punishment was to have her mouth sewn shut. She had starved to death, in a cellar full of food. And last year's murder was of Herman Dahl, whose clinic in Bonn had been part of an organ donor scandal. The first part of Dhal’s body was found when a hand fell on a group of people eating their dinner in Burgos. Over the next three days, body parts began appearing all over the region, each one on the Camino. Can Eliot track down this brutal serial killer who appears to be into vigilantism, slaying those who have apparently ”sinned”, and who has a flair for the dramatic? This is a compulsive and tension-filled religion-based thriller that held my interest right from the gruesome prologue and never once did it waver throughout. It's a refreshingly original story, which is always welcome in a sea of similar books, and I was not expecting quite how gritty and brutal the crimes would be. The killer sees himself as ridding the world of those who have done wrong but he must be dealt with because his annual murder is putting a lot of pilgrims off travelling the route. A brilliantly twisty and nerve-shredding tale, The Camino Killer will keep you reading long into the night. Highly recommended.

Despite containing a lot of nonsense, this is a very entertaining book. The attempts at humor aren't always very good, but they keep the tone light. The characters are great, and the plot is good and different, so the overall impression is OK.

Eliot Locke is a bounty hunter, tracking down people who don't necessarily want to be found and killing them for a price.

Accepting a job in Spain, he's asked to track down a serial killer who has been abducting tourists while they walk the Camino, a Christian pilgrimage route. All the previous abductions and killings have all been seen as sinners. All were murdered in grisly, horrifying ways.

Working with the Church .. who has said there will be no killing ...and the police ... who don't believe for a moment there will be no killing ... they devise a plan to catch the killer .. now all they need is a sinner they can use as bait.

Although second in the series, this is easily read as a stand alone. I highly recommend reading the stories in order. This one gave me a different perception of the hard boiled bounty hunter I had when I read the first book, DEAD OR ALIVE. Eliot Locke is a rather unique character who finds himself in strange situations. The non-stop action starts at the very first and holds steady until the unexpected conclusion.

Many thanks to the author /Sapere Books / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Eliot Locke is a contract hitman who is mysteriously summoned to Spain and told to walk the first part of the Camino de Santiago where his contact awaits. Along the way, he is attacked as he strays from the path by a man who disappears before Eliot can catch up with him.

His mission is to protect an adult film actress who is filming a documentary, unaware that she is being pursued by a relentless killer who seems to strike on the Camino once a year, and hunting season is right around the corner...

Apparently this is the second Eliot Locke book - I wasn't even aware of this! You don't need any prior knowledge to enjoy it, it's very much a standalone story. The characters are all quite well-fleshed out, although I will say I was able to guess the identity of the killer within about the first third of the book.

Book two was just as great as the first one! Bounty hunter Eliot Takes a job that's listed in Spain. Who hired him is a mystery. When Eliot arrives he quickly learns he is tracking down a serial killer. A killer who is taking the tourist who come to visit the Camino.
This was such a fast paced book! With lots of twist and turns.
Really enjoyed this book by Carson!

An assassin is hired to protect a porn star from a serial killer, in the course of this novel. It makes for an interesting .read.