The Tunnels (Kelly Jones Novels)

The crime scenes are both grim and otherworldly. The bodies of two female students are found mutilated and oddly positioned in the dark labyrinth beneath the school—haunting symbols painted on the walls above them.

In her decade tracking serial killers, FBI special agent Kelly Jones has seen some of the worst humanity can inflict. Yet the tragedy unfolding at her alma mater chills her to the bone. Evidence suggests that the connection between the victims—daughters of powerful men—and the cryptic message behind the killings is rooted in a dark, ancient ritual. As the body count rises, so do the stakes. The killer is taunting Kelly, daring her to follow him down a dangerous path from which only one can emerge.

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All Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review:
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

could have been better . . ., 2008-10-14
If I could give this a 3 1/2 I would. It had a promising storyline, but it just seemed to me that it failed somewhat in its delivery. It started out great, and rose to a certain pitch only to lose it all about half way through the book.
If was entertaining, but it could have been so much more. However, I may read more of the author's books in the future because she does have talent.


4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

Uninspired and Derivative, 2008-09-16
I'm amazed at the stellar reviews for this rather unremarkable mystery. While the plot about a serial killer who murders the daughters of wealthy and powerful men in the tunnels underneath their school is intriguing, this book is not.

The murders are exceptionally gruesome and the pace of the story moves along at a good clip, but otherwise the book is too unoriginal to be entertaining. Mysteries are often formulaic, that's not the issue. Fact is, there's nothing new here. No new plot, no new characters, not even a new spin. We've read it all before and watched it in a hundred B-Movies.

I like my characters real, and Agent Kelly Jones, is a stereotype--the tough woman FBI agent, with the tragic past that motivates her to find killers. Since much of the book is written from her point of view, I found I didn't care much. Her partner was the most interesting of the characters, at least he was human. Former FBI agent, and Kelly's potential love interest, Jake Riley, was so boring he was practically a non-entity.

I can't recommend this book unless you have a particular fondness for grisly murders and serial killer fare. In fact I was so suspicious of all the positive reviews here that I felt motivated to balance the scales with a little reality. What were these people reading? Ms. Gagnon must have many friends.


0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

The Tunnels, 2008-04-23
At a small New England college, two coeds go missing and are later discovered in the system of tunnels below the school as part of ritualistic sacrifices. FBI Special Agent Kelly Jones (an alumna of the college) and her partner, Morrow, are called in to investigate the crimes and find the killer before he kills again. The father of one of the girls has also hired his own investigator, Jake Riley. Together the three are racing against time to try to put together the puzzle pieces and figure out the significance behind the rituals in an effort to keep any other coeds from suffering the same fate.
Michelle Gagnon has written a wonderfully fast paced debut novel that will keep you guessing until the last page is turned.


0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

An eclectic mix, 2008-04-10
This debut novel is an eclectic mix of serial murder and ancient rituals that brings a refreshing wind to this genre of writing. We are introduced to FBI Special Agent Kelly Jones, a ten year veteran of tracking serial killers, who has returned to her alma mater to solve two bizarre killings. Playing on our primal fears of being alone in the dark, Michelle Gagnon explores the tunnels of our imagination and makes each twist and turn of the plot come to life. Fast- paced and original, this book is just the beginning for this talented new author.


9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

Great race against the clock thriller, 2008-04-01
First in a planned series featuring FBI Special Agent Kelly Stone and her partner Roger Morrow. "Tunnels" finds Stone & Morrow investigating the serial killings of students at a prestigious New England college, their bodies found in the tunnels under the campus with strange symbols painted around them. The need to find the killer takes on a new urgency after another student is taken shortly after the agents' arrival.

Though not the most original or complicated plot, the characters are smart, the author avoids most of the cliches that can hamper female lead characters in this genre, and there's a nice mentor / father type relationship between Stone and Morrow. Fans of the show Criminal Minds will like this one as it has the same race-against-the-clock tension / feel to the investigation.

Sequel is "Boneyard" (ISBN 0778325393)

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