Conceptus by Brian Herskowitz is an electrifying start to A Laura Drummond Mystery series. A recurring nightmare, a hellish ordeal from her past, keeps Laura awake at night and makes her terrible at relationships. Even though her work as a homicide detective is a distraction most of the days, her present case has triggered something inside of her. The stab wounds and a slash across the belly, resembling a C section, found on the victims’ bodies hit too close to home. Her intuition screams at her that these attacks are personal, somehow. The brutality of the assaults, coupled with her sixth sense, made it crucial that she catch the killer sooner than later. However, the psychopath was not leaving any breadcrumbs for them to follow. Meanwhile, the number of dead bodies is increasing with every passing day.

Laura, fourteen years old, lay on the cold ground. She could hear her heart pumping the blood flowing from a half dozen gaping wounds. She could hear the sound of the knife pulled from her chest. She felt the sensation of being lifted and then dropped back to the hard, cold ground. She gasped for breath… her throat filled with blood; Salty, hot.

– An excerpt from Conceptus by Brian Herskowitz

Although Conceptus is a thriller, Brian Herskowitz has shown his emotional sensibility throughout the story. The author has explored the usual ‘blame the victim’ mentality and its devastating impact on the victim to an awe-inspiring emotional depth. The manner in which a tragedy and lack of familial support during this phase can create psychological issues in a person could not have been expressed any better. Despite exploring such deep emotions, Brian Herskowitz hasn’t let the plot get depressing or dark. The engaging conversations with strange expressions, like ‘You should never scratch a tiger’s ball with a wire brush,’ kept the overall tone of the book light and refreshing. Laura’s baby steps in her new relationship offer relief from the gruesome murders and the ongoing investigation.

At one point, he’d been close enough to smell her. No one noticed, and that was good. He was crystal; he was glass. He was the man with a plan, and he was unstoppable.

– An excerpt from Conceptus by Brian Herskowitz

The exhilarating investigation has everything a thriller lover will appreciate and enjoy. The suspense builds fast and turns into an obsession for the audience to the point where they can’t turn their heads away even to blink. Conceptus by Brian Herskowitz is truly an unputdownable book that will keep the fans eagerly waiting for the next installment in the series. I highly recommend Conceptus to the readers who find murder mysteries with an emotional background worth their time.

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