I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own. 

A brutal new serial killer seeks notoriety and a way to elevate his game, leaving the FBI investigator hunting him in a race against time in author M.J. Preston’s novel “Highwayman”. 

The Synopsis 

The most terrifying monsters are real and walk among us every day.

Meet Lance Belanger, he has only one ambition, to be the most infamous killer of all time. After murdering a single mom and her toddler child, Lance indoctrinates himself into the world of serial murder. Before long, the bodies start turning up all over the country. Each victim is incapacitated by a puncture wound to the spine, then, while still alive, they are dismembered, their arms, legs, and head are severed from the torso.

FBI investigators call their killer “Highwayman.” But beyond the multi-state dumping of staged victims, the killer has left them little else to go on. With no DNA or forensic evidence, veteran FBI agent Lewis Ash is in a race against retirement as he tracks the elusive murderer.

Meanwhile, Lance has other plans that will up his game and increase his body count. In a web of murder that reaches from the United States to Bucharest, Romania, a diabolical plan is set into motion to attract the most dangerous predators the world has to offer.

Can the FBI stop this killer before he sets his plan into motion?

The Review

One of the more unique serial killer thrillers I’ve personally read in years, the author completely twists the common narrative by focusing on the killer himself, the Highwayman, as the protagonist. While the story focuses on both the killer and the investigators hounding him as his career rises, the focus remains on Lance, a young man who dreams of becoming more infamous than the likes of Ted Bundy or John Wayne Gacy. 

The author does a great job of upping the ante throughout the narrative, bringing readers along a chaotic and heart-pounding journey of a killer born and a killer on the rise. From the shocking opening pages of the killer’s first horrifying kills to the shocking accidental circumstances that gave him power and resources and beyond, the story truly delves into the fascination and abject horror that the mind of a serial killer often brings. 

The case gets complex as time goes on when the killer not only gains the attention of law enforcement everywhere but the attention of his own following as well, and soon the body count begins to rise more than he could have ever hoped for. It’s a chilling read as the story takes the reader on a spine-chilling and nail-bitter of an adventure. 

The Verdict

A brilliant, haunting and lengthy read, author M.J. Preston has created a gripping thriller that few readers will be able to put down. Not for the faint of heart, the story plays out like a cinematic tale that is waiting to be told and creates a modern-day killer that is sure to haunt the dreams of many a reader. Be sure to grab your copy of “Highwayman”, the first of the Highwayman series today! 

Rating: 10/10

About the Author

M.J. Preston’s debut novel: THE EQUINOX, published in 2012, was a quarter-finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Awards and rated a solid straight horror novel by a reviewer at Publisher’s Weekly. His second novel: ACADIA EVENT, published in 2015, was inspired by his time running the world longest ice road, as an ice road trucker, in Canada’s Northwest Territories. His third novel: Highwayman, the first of a two-part thriller, is forecast to be published in 2018. He resides in Alberta, Canada with his wife, Stormy and pet beagles Milo and Jake. Visit him online: His website: http: //mjpreston.net