Memphis Reads Archive

FICTION/ Genre: Suspense

Sharon Evrard reviews JUST KILLING TIME by Derek Van Arman (Dutton, 1992):

Zak Dorani is a very bad man. He has been a successful serial killer for thirty years. Jack Scott is a very a good man. Through his dedication and hard work, he has brought many serial killers to justice. Scott works for ViCAT, or Violent Criminal Apprehension Team, a program of the FBI. In this story we see how Scott and his team stop Dorani's reign of terror and help save the lives of Dorani's next targets. This story brings you into the mind of a serial killer and into the mind of his pursuer. It also gives you insight into the FBI's program of VICAP (named ViCAT in this book).

Derek Van Arman (pseudonym for Derek V. Goodwin) depicted the VICAP program so well that, after the book's publication, the author was under investigation by the FBI to find out his sources. Mr. Van Arman has worked for several government agencies. For instance, he was editor for the National Board. As editor, he worked closely with intelligence and law enforcement agencies investigating the psychology of violent criminals.


Sharon Evrard, Cordova Branch Library

Labels: Suspense