A clown killer suspense novel is pretty much guaranteed to have the drama on eleven the whole time. This story is full of creepy messages, with numbered jigsaw puzzle pieces forming a clown face, appearing in Careen's personal spaces, where no one else should be able to enter. There are just so many suspects in this story, with so many motives. Some of the messages were so horror-movie chic that I had to agree with one character's theory that this was a copycat messing with Careen for business (or personal, or muckraking) reasons. The suspense builds because so many people around Careen have dark secrets.

In addition, some of the good people around her are accidentally untrustworthy, too, by letting slip details that might help the villain harm Careen. This sets up a real contrast in Careen's life, with obvious danger coming from a shadowy stalker and additional trouble from, say, a friendly security guard who's only too happy to reassure an anxious resident about exactly where all the building's cameras are located, and how the building's security works.

Also, you might not expect it from the creepy clown cover, but this is 100% gore free! The suspense comes from wondering who is behind the creepy messages invading Careen's personal space, not from descriptions of guts and gore. ( )