Sacrifice

Artifex, the serial killer who drives this bleak series launch from Winter (The Children’s Trail), has already mutilated 12 women in Berlin when lead detective Volker Drescher calls in newly minted criminal profiler Lena Peters. Soon sidelined from the investigation due to resentment from other team members, Lena finds common interest in pursuing the case with former cop Wulf Belling; they are later aided in their efforts by computer ace Lukas Richter. While the sadistic Artifex continues to harvest body parts from his victims, Lena and Wulf each have serious family complications. Lena’s identical twin, Tamara, with whom she’s been out of touch for years, unexpectedly shows up at her door with a baby boy, and Belling has problems with rebellious teenage daughter Marietta. The stakes rise after Artifex phones Lena and appears to have inside information about her parents’ death in a car accident years before. Winter’s dark tale may be too pat in places, but it offers some interesting, peculiar twists. (Apr.)