Cuckoo
An Alec Theron Thriller
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent
Copyright / Publication Date: May 31, 2012 (originally published around 2012)
ISBN-10: 1477574913
ISBN-13 / EAN: 9781477574911
Generally ranges between $10 to $15 USD for standard paperback editions, depending on the retailer.
Copies can typically be found online through major book platforms like Amazon, as well as independent bookseller networks and online marketplaces (such as Biblio or eBay).
Book Review by Christina Francine
What elevates Kerins’s storytelling is his background as a retired policeman from the very Western New York region—the Niagara Falls and Buffalo area—that forms the backdrop of his books. Having met Kerins in person, encountering him as a polite and deep thinker makes his intimate knowledge of human nature and law enforcement all the more palpable on the page. He knows how to construct a mystery, build suffocating tension, and pace a thriller masterfully.
Cuckoo is a truly dark thriller that pulls no punches. At the center is Detective Alec Theron, a compelling protagonist who continues to pursue his work with unwavering passion, even as his personal life is weighed down by painful, deeply terrible events. In this outing, Theron faces a chilling and unsettling new puzzle: married women are disappearing, only to return weeks later with absolutely no memory of where they have been. Theron has seen every kind of predator imaginable over the course of his career, but this case defies every standard profile. The victims aren't beaten or terrorized in conventional ways; instead, they are quietly drugged, held, and released weeks later, carrying an impossible, haunting mystery—pregnant with a child that isn't their husband's.
Kerins avoids cheap shocks, choosing instead to lean into psychological dread, complex character depth, and procedural authenticity. Cuckoo is a tense, thought-provoking crime thriller that lingers in your mind long after you close the cover. Highly recommended for fans of gritty, intelligent suspense.
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