Book Review: The Cosmic Killings

The Cosmic Killings. Thomas J. Thorson, Self-Published, November 19, 2021, Paperback, 298 pages.

Reviewed by David Steven Rappaport.

In his compelling new thriller, The Cosmic Killings, Thomas J. Thorson tells a complex tale of the Amish, an alien creature cult, and oddball amateur sleuths. In Thorson’s menacing universe, E.T. cannot phone home. Thorson devotes half the book to discovering the murderer and half to uncovering the motive for the murders—which leads to a second murderer and an explanation for seemingly inexplicable gruesome crimes. Chicagoland locales are prominent—as is the city’s merciless winter weather.

The protagonist Malcolm Winters, a creative writing professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago, is a likable, if bloodless, former criminal with a mysterious past. With his equally cerebral scientist girlfriend, Vinn, also a UIC professor, he often finds himself drawn into informal murder investigations.  

In The Cosmic Killings, the police have dropped the case—though, off the record, they suspect there’s more to uncover. There are two victims: a young Amish woman sowing her wild oats and a nerdy Chicago teenage boy. Or is that three victims?

The victims have no apparent connection to each other—until they do. The connection is unexpected and improbable but also satisfyingly creepy. Thorson does a masterful job building high-stakes suspense with a menacing perpetrator.

The book is light on startling plot twists, and the heat between Malcolm and Vinn never gets warmer than room temperature. But these are minor complaints. Thorson is already an accomplished writer with a gift for tight narrative, amusing characters, and crisp dialogue. What he’s picked over his last two books is an elevated technique. 

The Cosmic Killings is the work of a pro who has learned to satisfy a reader’s craving for nouveau noir with a modern twist.