Blood Moon (The HUNTRESS /FBI Thrillers 2) by Alexandra Sokoloff.

Twenty-five years have passed since a savage killer terrorized California, massacring three ordinary families before disappearing without a trace.

The haunted child who was the only surviving victim of his rampage is now wanted by the FBI for brutal crimes of her own, and Special Agent Matthew Roarke is on an interstate manhunt for her, despite his conflicted sympathies for her history and motives.

But when his search for her unearths evidence of new family slayings, the dangerous woman Roarke seeks – and wants – may be his only hope of preventing another bloodbath.

I hadn’t read the first book, but that didn’t affect my impression of the second in this series.
As I was reading this, I couldn’t help but wonder why it is that I like very bloody books about serial killers, but have decided that’s too much introspection into my psyche to be entirely comfortable.
I know nothing about Alexandra Sokoloff, so was intrigued to read this novel. At first, I found it quite slow going, and reminiscent of the Archie Sheridan/Gretchen Lowell relationship in Chelea Cain’s books.

Cara is the only surviving victim of a serial killer; a crazed killer who seeks out families and kills them at the full moon. Matt Roarke is the cop who rescued her.  Cara is wanted by the FBI for the vigilante style murders of pimps, traffickers and abusers.

There is a connection and a strong sexual tension between Roarke and Cara, creating conflict between Roarke and other agents in his team, and creating the picture of a slightly rogue cop who knows that while Cara will never hurt him, nevertheless she is a dangerous killer.

Blood Moon begins when Roarke and his team liberate a number of underage girls from a brothel; a site that Cara has helped lead them to. As the team focuses its energy on hunting Cara down, in an attempt to draw Cara out  in the hope that they can capture her,   they look for and find another family slaying that has all the echoes of the previous killings by the notorious ‘Reaper’.

But when Roarke stumbles upon a new clue to the old killings, everything changes, and the pace of the book really picks up. Once again Roarke finds that he needs Cara’s help and the tension builds as their connection once more intensifies.

I wasn’t sure about Bold Moon at first, but as the book got into its stride it held my attention well and I would read the next one which is due out later this year.