Boston is finally realizing that a serial killer is within their midst again. Instead of strangled female victims, professional women are being killed, but with a true twist…there are no remains, merely empty bathtubs filled with their blood; sufficient amounts of blood for the coroner to say that they could not now be alive.

There is never a sign of forced entry or evidence of anything stolen; and all scenes had been reported by an anonymous telephone caller. Pressure mounts on the police to solve the crime and regrettably they have neither leads nor persons of interest to interview.

The DA’s office is populated with the usual different types of attorneys. Conrad Darget is committed, dedicated and successful in obtaining guilty verdicts. Nick to date has been very unsuccessful, Mitch is bright but emotionally fragile, and Brendan is hardworking and principled. Law student Andi has been sitting as second chair to Connie and is flushed with success as well as stricken by his charm and attention.

In the police department Sgt. Mooney and his fairly green partner Angel Alves have been assigned to this case. Angel is stunned when a friend of his becomes another victim and so he begins to personalize the hunt.  Mooney rebuffs the offer of assistance from the FBI, so they struggle alone. Except for Connie, the ADA’s are held in contempt by the police, and most of the police are seen in the unfavorable light of trying to build their resumes as well.

It is feared that the killer who has named himself Richter has suddenly deviated from the professional woman victim mode when ADA Nick disappears without a trace. Police investigation finally finds a tenuous connection among the victims, and thereafter the story rushes to a very unexpected conclusion.

Each of these many characters is developed from a single perspective only. That perspective varies, but the end result is the same…many characters who are one dimensional. The frequent and rapid changes of scene from the DA’s office to the police station and the inner dialogue of the killer eventually become wearing and disconcerting.

However, the strength of Eight in the Box in addition its unusual plot is the glimpse into the mundane lives of assistant district attorneys and cops. The interaction among characters is well handled and the dialog is crisp and well done. Eight in the Box is a powerful debut for author Raffi Yessayan.

--Thea Davis