Love Is Red    by Sophie Jaff Order:  USA  Can Harper, 2015 (2015) Hardcover, CD, e-Book      Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth Love Is Red, a debut novel by Sophie Jaff, is making a big splash as it hits the bookstores. It has been called 'intelligent, poetic, captivating, and chilling, a book that begs to be read aloud'. It is all that. And more. Hard to put down. A monstrous serial killer – the Sickle Man – tails young, single women through the dark streets of night. They are later found dead in their apartments, throats slashed and mysterious symbols cut into their skin. The city – New York City – trembles with fear and suspicion. Katherine Emerson, a newcomer to the city, is looking for love. Not fear. Unaware she is being stalked, she meets David. But then, she has a sexual encounter with David's best friend Sael. She likes them both. But indecision about both of them keeps her awake at night. What she doesn't expect is that she is to have unsettling visions about incidents and she cannot distinguish between reality and fantasy. The occult raises its head in this suspenseful novel as does a brief look back in time. Author Jaffe has used her writer's skills to describe things by the color they invoke. 'Terror is the color of under the bed, it is the color of bone marrow, it wails like sirens ... Petulance is maroon, it crumbles like stale graham crackers, it smells of carpets stained with apple juice ...' And, as Love Is Red is the first of a trilogy, we can look forward to two more of this exciting new work. This is an unusual read by a talented new writer. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews