I had a few download issues with the book and by the time it was sorted, the file had unfortunately been achieved.

Fantastic novel as always. Was great to get more of an insight into Ackerman and watch his story develop through this one.

Enjoyed this one. I felt like there was something missing though, something I needed to love it. Well thought out plot and easy to read.

I Am Wrath by Ethan Cross
The Ackerman Thrillers #4

It is so refreshing to find a lethal bad guy that I should hate but really do empathize with and feel I am beginning to love. Not that I would want to be his prey, but I do like this anti-hero, his brother and this series! Each book draws me in a bit more and I wonder as I read just where the series is going and how it will finally end.

What I like:
* Francis Ackerman Jr. – lethal serial killer that is trying to go straight…sort of. I admire his skills, intelligence and cunning but also realize he is not truly a good guy.
* Marcus Williams – special operative on the side of right…the light to Ackerman’s dark BUT both do have a bit or more of the dark lurking within.
* Maggie Carlisle: Marcus’s love-interest and another operative that we did not see much of, at least in the “love light” in this book. She seems to have her own demons to deal with
* Dylan: Marcus’s son – again, not much seen of him but he could have an interesting part in future books
* Andrew – a good friend and fellow operative
* That I could empathize with some of the really evil people that were in this book
* The plot and how the details were slowly released about the game in play, who was involved, the ultimate plot and how it all came together seamlessly
* Hating the bad guy…and though there were more than one there was one that I really REALLY hated
* Wanting to know more about Demon and hoping to find out in book five who Gladiator might be.
* All of it really…even the gruesome bits including the fight scenes

What I didn’t like:
* The loss of innocent lives…but then…is anyone truly innocent?
* Having to wait for book five

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

Thank you to NetGalley and Head of Zeus-Aries for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

I would like to thank Netgalley and Aria & Aries for an advance copy of I Am Wrath, the fourth novel to feature Agent Marcus Williams of the shadowy DOJ enforcement group, The Shepherd Organisation, and his half brother, serial killer Francis Ackerman.

A guard opens fire on inmates at an experimental prison in Arizona and of the designer of the experiment is stabbed to death. Marcus and his team must work out why. It doesn’t take them long to realise that they are looking for a master manipulator on the outside of the prison and not sure what they are dealing with on the inside send in Ackerman undercover.

I thoroughly enjoyed I Am Wrath which is an exciting page turner with some good twists. I first read this novel years ago as a stand-alone and thought it quite boring, but this is my only memory of it so it was like reading a new book this time round. I think that because this time I knew all the characters and their backstories it made it more interesting and me more invested. It makes it obvious that this a series where reading it from the start gives each novel more relevance.

As ever with this series the plot offers the characters impossible choices and uses violence and threats to coerce certain behaviours. The psychology of it is fascinating and the situations the author dreams up incredibly manipulative, although some of them are variations on a tried and true method. Still, it is imaginative and gripping. I must admit that I found it difficult to anticipate what was coming or how it would unfold. What more could the reader want from a novel with twists and unexpected turns in every chapter?

I appreciate that what I’m about to say next is ridiculous given the violence and high body count in the novel but I found the experimental theory and practice of control in the prison extremely abusive, coercive and degrading, probably because it’s not beyond the realms of possibility in some of the more right wing corners of the world. The sad thing is that it’s intended to rehabilitate, as if.

Marcus and Ackerman are changing as the series progresses. Marcus is no dummy but he’s pedestrian when compared to his big brother. There are shades of Hannibal Lecter in his personality, cold, sharply analytical and calculating, but he’s now allegedly found God and given up killing. His struggle with this provides light relief in the mayhem.

I Am Wrath is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

The fourth book in this action packed thriller. A correctional officer opens fire in a high tech prison, Special agent Marcus Williams and his serial killer brother set to work together to find the person behind the incident. While this book can be read as a stand alone it is definitely better to have a back ground into the brothers history.
The plot is full of twist and action packed, I can see this series being made into a show. The characters are full of life and well written making this book a great read

I Am Wrath is the fourth instalment in The Ackerman Thrillers series and is every bit as nerve-shredding as the previous books. When a correctional officer climbs to the top of his watchtower and opens fire on the inmates and guards creating a horrifying, and seemingly random, bloodbath, Department of Justice Special Agent Marcus Williams and his sibling serial killer, one of the most prolific in United States history, Francis Ackerman Jr. must join forces again to unearth the truth behind the incident. They must investigate what precipitated Ray Navarro’s decision to begin ascending Tower 3 at Foxbury Correctional Treatment Facility in Arizona. Standing in the ten by ten room at the top of the tower, Navarro surveys the ground below before unlocking the case holding the 30-06 rifle housed on the wall and taking it in his grip. An expert who excelled at using high-powered, long-range weaponry he lifts the rifle and scans the prison yard below with its formidable scope. The line of sight flicking effortlessly over the men’s faces. Before he knew it there was blood everywhere. As Williams and team are called in what they find is a serial killer using the prison as his hunting grounds. But the Judas Killer's ambitions don't end with a few murders. He is silent about his motive. He wants to go down in history and has no reason left to live.

Marcus quickly establishes that the guard was blackmailed by a psychopathic killer who calls himself Judas. With Ackerman undercover among the inmates and Marcus tracking down the mastermind on the outside, the team must learn the identity of the Judas Killer and stop a full-scale uprising that he's orchestrated. But the more they learn about what's happening at the prison and why, the more enemies they must face. From inside the overrun facility, Marcus and Ackerman must save the hostages and stop an elaborate escape attempt while trying to determine how a rival corporation, the leader of one of the world's most dangerous criminal organizations, and an inmate with no identity, known only as Demon, fit into the Judas Killer's plans. This is a riveting, compulsive and high-octane series unlike any I've come across before due to its non-stop excitement, tension and drama and the characters who, whether morally sound, bankrupt or grey are thought-provoking, fascinating and intriguing to read about. This is a bold, searing addition to Ethan Cross’s canon and his finest crime fiction to date. There is action, taut plotting, twisty surprises and plenty of misdirection to catch you off guard, and I found it a fun, easy page-turner and a book that kept me thoroughly entertained and barely gave me a moment to breathe throughout. Highly recommended

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

i got lost a couple of times with all the characters but once they were established in my mind i soon got on board with the action

plenty of blood and guts with the action centring around a prison, a new state of the art prison.. where prisoners have the ankle bracelets and can move around freely, but these new ankle bracelets have a design about them that once introduced could revolutionise the prison system....

with people being kidnapped and murder abound our heroes have a lot of catching up to do and also to investigate the new prison...

I absolutely love this series. Again two serial killers for the price of one.. Full of tension and suspense, gory and plenty of crinching moments. This book definitely ticked all my boxes. Personally I think Ackerman is the best serial killer in fiction.
Thanks to Aria and Aries and Netgalley for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

I am not sure who I found most disturbing Ackerman or the “villain” of the piece, it’s a fast paced read that didn’t really leave me rooting for any particular character which was a shame, good read though