Note: I received a free copy of Riker's Calling from its author in exchange for an honest - overdue - review. 
 Riker's Calling by Rico Lamoureux is fast-paced thrilling crime-mystery novella with a mastermind of a villain. Brilliantly wicked! 
 Bullied in his teens, 21-year-old Jeremy Riker looks to become a police officer to do some good and stop bullies. But an injury renders him slightly deformed and obliterates his dreams of joining law enforcement. Despite extensive training, he is denied the opportunity to join law enforcement several times. So he becomes a kind of vigilante and considers opening his own private investigations (P.I.) firm with his friend and mentor Max. 
 Highly trained in martial arts, spotting bad guys, and a host of other skills, Riker is seen as the perfect person for law enforcement despite his injury. 
 "I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the past several hours had been anything but random. Someone out there knew my history." 
 Unknown to Riker, a killer, named The Spyderco Killer because of the Spyderco (a kind of knife) he leaves in his victims' backs, has set his eyes on him but continuously eludes him, until he - the killer - decides to go on a killing spree, hitting close to home for Riker. 
 Although the novella is called Riker's Calling, there are only two instances where the narration is from Riker's perspective. We get the killer's views, movement, and action, but in the third person. 
 One of the things I liked about Riker's Calling is Lamoureux's way of giving the reader information through a variety of sources such as a news anchor, tweets, and people talking about events. We even get bits of Riker's history from the killer's perspective. 
 I thought the novel was a bit gritty at times, especially since the killer slashed his victims' throats but there was a little more than just throat slashing. 
 "Fifteen cigars - nine with red bands, to represent the past nine years of silence and therefore the nine victims to come, and six with yellow bands, for any collateral damage that might occur." 
 The novel spans almost two decades but starts in the present time with bits of flashbacks and Riker and the killer playing cat and mouse. 
 I liked Riker's narration, especially how relatable he was, using examples from crime series like Law & Order, and mentioning notes on crimes and criminals. The irony in the novella was mind-blowing at times! 
 Overall, Riker's Calling is meticulously connected; it's brilliant! Lamoureux is lauded for his twists and for creating a genius killer. It is definitely a five-star action-packed must-read. 
 "Truth is rarely blossoming with flowers. More often than not it's cold, it's hard, and if you're not in alignment with it, it'll smash you to pieces."