When we started this blog, I was somewhere around book four or five of Chris Carter’s Robert Hunter series. And honestly, I was getting tired of it—the formulaic structure and predictable elements were wearing thin. Then An Evil Mind came along, introducing a villain so unimaginably evil that it changed everything. It reinvigorated the series, giving new life to the detective duo who dive headfirst into the most horrific murders imaginable. But by the time we get to Written in Blood, that energy seems to be fading again.
Crime Series, Written in Blood
Robert Hunter and Carlos Garcia, the seasoned two-man team from LAPD’s Ultra Violent Crimes Unit, have an uncanny knack for running into California’s most deranged criminals. About 99% of them just so happen to be serial killers.
And these aren’t your run-of-the-mill, discreet murderers. No, these guys leave crime scenes so drenched in blood it’s practically dripping from the ceiling. And Chris Carter? He revels in the grotesque details, delivering long, painstakingly detailed descriptions of crime scenes.
That’s really the essence of Chris Carter’s books: sheer, almost unimaginable horror. The kind that makes readers shake their heads in disbelief, thinking, “Dear God, this is awful! I could never do something like this!”
But Written in Blood does something different. Those drawn-out, gore-filled descriptions? They’re almost entirely missing.
The serial killer in this installment—hiding behind a werewolf mask—isn’t slacking off, that’s for sure. But when the murders start feeling like they’re happening on an assembly line, something crucial is lost: the sense that the reader is right there, face-to-face with the horror.
Robert Hunter, the Lone Wolf
It would be a stretch to call Chris Carter’s books masterpieces of the thriller genre. His writing style is pretty bare-bones—he’s not exactly playing linguistic gymnastics. But what he does excel at is keeping readers hooked.
After a few of Robert Hunter’s blood-soaked cases, you start to feel a connection to the tragic detective. And the emphasis is definitely on “tragic.”
Hunter endures an almost absurd level of suffering in these books. And as it turns out, he suffered even more before the books even started. You can’t help but root for him—especially when it comes to finding a girlfriend who isn’t immediately offed by a serial killer (or, worse, a serial killer herself).
Chris Carter achieves this remarkable feat by minimally shading Hunter’s character; beyond the basic information—smart, strong, brave—we learn very little more about him.
You Will Be on Edge
As mentioned earlier, Written in Blood surprisingly dials back on the gore. But Carter finds another way to grip his audience. Enter Angela Wood, a young, down-on-her-luck pickpocket who makes the mistake of stealing a serial killer’s diary. A particularly sadistic serial killer. A particularly dangerous serial killer. From this point on, prepare to fear for her life.
This killer is more prepared than any of Hunter’s previous adversaries. He’s always a step ahead of the police. And there’s no hiding from him. The latest installment of the Robert Hunter series keeps readers glued to the pages with suffocating tension. The werewolf-masked murderer seems unstoppable.
While Written in Blood delivers the expected thrills, it lacks the brutal impact of Carter’s more visceral books. It wants to be just as ruthless—but it’s not quite there. The same trick, repeated over and over, eventually grows tiresome.
Murder on Autopilot
Chris Carter stumbles in several places with Written in Blood. First, the werewolf-masked killer is almost too powerful. He has near-superhuman abilities—he’s basically the Chuck Norris of serial killers. He takes on the entire LAPD and wins. Even the SWAT team can’t handle him.
Instead of feeling intimidated, you just start thinking, “Okay, this is getting ridiculous.“
But the bigger issue? When a character is so frustratingly stupid that they practically dig their own grave. Angela Wood is the biggest offender here. And it’s not entirely her fault—the blame falls squarely on Carter. He dumbs her down, purely to make things easier for the killer. And for himself.
The Same Old Showdown
And then we get to the grand finale. If you hadn’t noticed it before, Written in Blood makes one thing painfully clear: the weakest part of every Hunter book is the ending.
The bloodthirsty killer, after some obligatory phone calls taunting the detective, eventually kidnaps someone. Sometimes it’s Hunter. Sometimes it’s his girlfriend. Or Garcia. Or Garcia’s girlfriend. Or Captain Blake.
Why?
Because it requires zero creative effort and conveniently places both sides in the same location for the final confrontation. Hunter is usually handcuffed to a chair, completely at the killer’s mercy—just like he is this time.
And that’s when it hits you: about 99% of Hunter’s cases could be solved instantly if the LAPD just implanted GPS trackers in the butts of Hunter, Garcia, their respective partners, or Captain Blake’s finely sculpted backside.. The moment one of them disappeared, they could simply follow the blinking red dot—problem solved.
But since we’re not quite there yet, Hunter must once again defeat the serial killer supervillain while tied to a chair. So how does their final showdown play out? Does Hunter talk his way out of it? Or does he take the killer down physically?
And while reading, are you laughing at the absurdity or clawing at your face in disbelief? Or maybe both at the same time?
Final Score: 7.6/10
Written in Blood (Robert Hunter #11) by Chris Carter
496 pages, Hardcover
Published in 2020 by Simon & Schuster UK
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Review(s) of the Robert Hunter series:
10. Hunting Evil by Chris Carter