Before He Kills (Mackenzie White, #1) by Blake Pierce

Before He Kills (Mackenzie White, #1) Reviews

• 
  TXGAL1

  A good story about a young female police investigator that is forthright and determined. I’m interested enough to put the second book in the series, BEFORE HE SEES, on my TBR list.
• 
  Petra

  Got this when it was free on Amazon and I fell for the pretty cover. Unfortunately, the story was a little disappointing. It's a very formulaic tale with cookie-cutter characters: young, female detective fighting for respect in a male-dominated environment while chasing a fanatic serial killer and simultaneously having the typical relationship and family issues. The female lead was over the top intuitive and made the rest of the police force look like total idiots, which made a lot of the story too unbelievable. Quick, easy read without any depth to it.
• 
  Janete on semi-hiatus due health issues

  DNF. Page 231. Since April 2020(because of the pandemic), I've been in a reading slump, but this book was the last straw for me! Too many cliche situations and characters; not much action and too much speaking, and not thrilling at all.
• 
  Alyssa Jones

  Mackenzie White is a detective in a small town in Nebraska. A young and inexperienced officer, her older, male colleagues treat her with disrespect and undermine her authority. That is, until a serial killer starts targeting women in and around their town. When Mackenzie is the first to uncover a valuable lead, she is promoted to head the investigation. Local opinion quickly changes as she narrows down the killer.
  
  Obviously the 1 star rating means that I did not like the book. However, let me preface by saying that this book was a free download. If you are stuck in an airport, out of books to read, or just want a quick and mindless page turner, this isn't the worst option - if it is still free.
  
  Here are my top 4 issues with Before He Kills.
  1. A realistic mystery/thriller needs to be REALISTIC. Mackenzie is the most stereotypical female character I have ever read about. She is pretty, extremely fit, can eat anything and stay thin, successful, the object of every man's eye, stuck with a dead beat boyfriend and underestimated because of her gender. Of course she pushes for equality and immediately gets it after uncovering one basic lead. A character must have flaws for the reader to relate to him/her. Blake Pierce over characterized Mackenzie to the point of being almost laughable. Furthermore, when a character is facing a challenge, it is important that he or she realistically resolves it and suffers from it to be a sympathetic problem.
  2. A good mystery/thriller presents the predator discreetly to cause suspense and anticipation. Pierce almost immediately wrote from the serial killer's perspective and the took away the "whodunnit." From the beginning the reader knew who the serial killer was and why he was killing the women. Then it was just waiting for Detective Mackenzie White to catch up and figure it out. Very boring.
  3. Good writing shows the reader, it doesn't tell the reader. Analogies and similes are to creatively describe what is happening; entertain and engross the reader. Explaining each simile and analogy defeats the purpose. If a writer needs to explain an analogy and why it relates to the story, he/she probably selected the wrong one.
  4. Blake Pierce needs a new editor. This may have help with number 3 as well. However, the sheer number of grammatical errors was incredibly distracting. Pierce even got situational facts mixed up.
  
  Overall, Before He Kills was a large disappointment.
• 
  Mandy

  So glad I downloaded this one. Great mystery and plot and loved the characters. Twisted story that sucked me right in! Go read this!
• 
  Emmyreads444

  OH MY FUCK. 5 STARS. I need every book in this series immediately
• 
  Jennifer

  I won’t give a lower rating because of the audible book being narrated by a woman with a British accent when the setting is Nebraska, but I will tell you to read the physical book if you’re so inclined. It’s very jolting to have to keep reminding one’s self that we are in Nebraska not some town in England. However, I was somewhat unimpressed with the stereotypical small town cops and the very young woman who seemed a bit over the top in her role as a young detective. The cops’ complete disinterest in what the FBI agent had to say was ludicrous. I know there are turf wars and resentments but it was just a little overdone all the time. The story wasn’t awful overall which is why I gave it 3 stars. It did entertain me when I wasn’t rolling my eyes at some of the actions taken by the characters.
  
  ****POSSIBLE SPOILER BELOW ****
  
  And why didn’t the author do a bit more wrap up? What happened to the last victim? Did White get into any kind of trouble for her final actions with the perp? I know she got into some trouble for acting after suspension but??? If you have nothing else to read, this isn’t a bad source of entertainment. But if you have a huge TBR list like most of us do....pass this one up.
• 
  Ana Lelis

  I don't think the author knows what a strong female lead is. The character was a whining annoying woman who was so full of herself. Everything is and was all about her. She was the ''perfect young beautiful woman'' who had to remind us about that in every single chapter.
• 
  MadameD

  Before He Kills , is a good Thriller !
  Blake Pierce developed the characters well.
  Mackenzie is a brilliant detective , with a talent for profiling . She must fight to prove what she’s capable of , to her boss and her sexist colleagues.
  I like the fact that the author didn’t used all the clichés to describe a great badass female detective. In others similars stories, written by others authors , the female detective is most of the time rude , to prove that she is tough . For me it’s a nonsense.
  In this book the MC has personal issues, that makes her vulnerable and realistic, and she’s very smart .
  This book is well written with a good plot. Now I can’t wait to read the next Mackenzie’s adventures !
• 
  Mackey

  I'm new to Blake Pierce and his books so I'm trying out the first books in each of the series he writes. Before He Kills is the first in the Mackenzie White series and is quite good, well written and White's character is relatable. It's pretty standard fare for crime fiction but appears to be the start of a good series.
• 
  Apoorva

  I, unknowingly, got introduced to this book one day when scrolling through GOOGLEPLAYBOOKS. It's my first audiobook and gosh I loved it; I was always very hesitant to try audiobooks; I felt that I would never get that feeling or image one gets when actually reading a book, and I was totally wrong about it. The audiobook gives you as much insight as to reading a book, plus the tonal usage gives an entirely different experience. For those who haven't yet given audiobooks a shot, please go do it, like right now!
  
  This is my first book from Blake Pierce; it is a typical crime thriller, but how the story unfolds is incredible. As the story progresses, you think you can predict the next course of action, but that's when the author takes you by surprise with phenomenal characters and twisted plots. The book cover is eye-catchy, making you get the book to read instantly, especially for those who judge a book by its cover.
  
  The book is addictive, brilliant, and character-driven, and a fast-read. I would recommend this book to all the psycho-thriller and crime thriller genre enthusiasts. Like me, they wouldn't wait to take up the next book in the series. The audiobook takes roughly 7 hours to complete, so I suppose reading the book should take a day at the max.
• 
  Rissa

  I love that she doesnt change her main character throughout the book. Most authors decide that they want to character to change and be something more something different but she made her character strong and resilient from the start. The case Detective White is working on is intriguing as all mystery novels should be but i was never really trying to figure out who killed the women. I needed more from the characters, i needed to believe that one of the main people were in on the kills, not just believing it was some random person.
  I understand that in real life the killer doesn't usually work on the police force or is your partner or anythig crazy but this is fiction and i want crazy, suspense, and misleading trust.
  
  For a mystery novel i want to be on the edge of my seat and questioning every character whoes good and whoes bad. I want there to be suspense and well mystery and i didnt get that from this book.
  
• 
  Strega

  First off - Blake Pierce needs a new editor. Some of the goofs were laughable, like, internet illiterate laughable. Each one jerked me out of the story, and I had to find my way back.
  
  Which was a shame.
  
  This is a good story. A bit formulatic - woman detective has to 'prove' herself, gets pushed off big case that reminds her of her past, solves it anyway while getting hurt/beaten/almost killed. But overall, it was a decent read.
• 
  Debby *BabyDee*

  I've never read anything by Blake Pierce but this story did not appeal to my senses. Although the cover looks good and the description reads well, I just got tired of the MC continuous repeating how she needs to get the respect of her colleagues. After awhile it become boring.
  
  I totally respect the MC as a woman detective and taking on a serial killer while trying to earn respect as an officer. I started reading this story but put it away as I got a little bored and disinterested. The story can use some development in places. I've had some hit or misses with new authors this year and this one was miss. I'm willing to entertain other stories from this author that could pan out a little better than this one and will welcome any recommendations.
  
  2-Stars😒
• 
  Ele0n0ra

  ⭐⭐⭐ porque entretiene
  
  Una historia bastante trillada de la mujer policía que tiene una belleza bastante llamativa, que no se siente feliz con su vida, y que lucha por empoderarse en un medio machista mientras sigue las pistas para atrapar a un asesino serial que le puede llevar a perder su carrera o ascender en el escalafón dentro de las Fuerzas de Seguridad.
  No encontré nada original y es una historia muy predecible pero entretiene y como todo inicio de serie deja varios temas colgados sin resolver y seguramente tratará de hacerlo en los siguientes libros que no leeré.
  👍 Recomendada para alguien que recién se inicia en el género policial.
  👎 No recomendado para quienes se exasperan con el exceso de clichés y amantes de Stieg Larsson.
• 
  Ana Maria

  Me gusta la descripción de los casos, y el ambiente que el autor genera alrededor de ello, pero, tengo un gran problema con la protagonista y con la superioridad con la que demarcan su personalidad.
• 
  Eve

  This was a decent read for the most part. It was nice to follow the mystery, take my guesses at the motivations and what would come next. Mackenzie was a strong protagonist who I enjoyed following (even when some of the things she did frustrated me). I enjoyed learning about her past and her present, the relationships she had with others and how they were effected by her trauma. The end was definitely dumb (in respects to Mackenzie’s actions) but not entirely unexpected, I’d just hoped for better.
  
  It’s unlikely that I’ll carry on with this series but I enjoyed it as a standalone nonetheless.
• 
  Jool

  This is one of the best series with a female detective that I have ever read! Blake Pierce is one of my favorite authors and has several different series out, all of which I love. This is a solid five star book. The main character, Mackenzie White, is absolutely real to me. She is working on her ability to get into the killer's mind, which helps her work on cases. But I like that she also has her times of self-doubt, makes mistakes, and breaks rules. In other words, she is a real person, not a superhero-type character. You'll find that the author creates some of the most amazing plots and each books makes the reader wonder how in the world the case can ever be solved.
  I highly recommend this series, and anything by Blake Pierce.
• 
  Francisco Rangel

  Lectura recomendada
  
  Me gusto el desarrollo de la trama y el personaje principal femenino. Me mantuvo enganchado todo el tiempo. Lectura recomendada.
• 
  Jerry B

  “Before He Kills” was our first sampling of author Blake Pierce, who must write constantly given something like his ten series with multiple books each he juggles onto his booklist. Quantity does not necessarily equal quality, though, as this first police detective Mackenzie White tale is just too stereotypical to excite. She’s of course the comely and clever female in an otherwise apparently all-male cop shop; throughout this serial killer mystery White is seemingly the only detective who can find a clue. After three or four instances of moving the case along, now they all accept and adore her, etc., etc.
  
  There’s little suspense either, as a few chapters first person by the villain spoils any aspect of the whodunit. Later, White is taken off the case for the shabbiest of reasons – but of course plows on regardless to a brilliant and “scary” conclusion. Hate to say, on balance, very skippable.
• 
  Kimba Tichenor

  I have read some of the later books in this series and they are much better. In fact, that is why I chose to go back and read this first book in the series (a mistake on my part). But this one relies too much on a formulaic recipe: a young female detective in a small town fighting for the respect of her male colleagues, while she takes on a serial killer and earns the admiration of an FBI agent. By itself, this would not be a problem except there is little subtlety in the author's presentation of this struggle, as a result her adversaries on the force appear dumb one-dimensional cavemen about which one wonders how they ever managed to solve a crime prior to MacKenzie's arrival on the force. This one-dimensionality makes much of the story difficult to believe.
  
  Equally problematic is the author's sense of place. The events take place in a small town in Nebraska. Yet, it could have been any small town anywhere in the world, as beyond the initial reference to Nebraska, there is nothing in the book, unless you count a few references to cornfields, that suggests the author did any research on the setting or had ever even been to Nebraska. This fact becomes blatantly clear when you listen to the audiobook. For some strange reason, the narrator chosen for this book set in small town Nebraska was British. Who would have ever thought that every single person living in this town would be a transplant from over the pond and thus would be read with a British accent! While listening (assuming the discrepancy does not drive you nuts before you reach the end of the book), one can easily forget that this book is not set in England, because there is nothing to remind you it took place in Nebraska, or that matter in the United States.
  
• 
  Gaby Franz

  Empezó muy bien pero me encontré con problemas en la lectura. Odio que no usen la raya de diálogo utilizando el encomillado y reglas del idioma original.
  Aparte de eso la historia se lee rápido y entretiene.
  Como inicio de saga me agradó pero no me enloqueció.
  La protagonista tiene demasiados rollos en la cabeza para mí gusto.
• 
  Lauren-Eva

  Seemed generic and very formulaic. The tension between the lead character and her coworkers seemed forced and unnecessary and detached from the story. It also made her coworkers and boss look like they were greatly incompetent.
• 
  Linda Lpp

  Before who...kills?
  
  Seemingly fast case, told at a pace that doesn't allow you much time to sit back in your seat. This new series has started off with a novice female detective not backing down against the negativity stacked against her. I look forward to reading subsequent books as we follow her in her career.