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This page may be triggering; it contains mentions of serial killers.


Pure Instinct is a novel written by Robert W. Walker. Released in 1996, it is the fourth novel featuring recurring protagonist Jessica Coran and tells of her hunting a serial killer while being hunted by an escaped killer.

Characters[]

  • Jessica Coran
  • Dominique Ravenaux (or Michael Emanuel Dominique and the Queen of Hearts Killer) - a serial killer stalking the streets of New Orleans killing LGBTQ+ people and removing their hearts
  • Dr. Kim Desinor - a psychic detective working for the FBI.
  • Matthew "The Vampire Killer" Matisak
  • Paul Zanek
  • Alex Sincebaugh - a New Orleans homicide detective investigating the Queen of Hearts Killer. a veteran of the Vietnam War with PTSD
  • Ben deYampert - Alex's partner
  • Dr. Franklin "Frank" Wardlaw - a New Orleans coroner
  • Carl Landry - Alex's captain
  • Richard Stephens - New Orleans' police commissioner
  • Lew Meade - the FBI Bureau Chief in Louisiana
  • Leon Stedman - an FBI body-double for the Deputy Mayor of New Orleans
  • Thommie Whiley (or Marie Dumond) - Vic Surette's former lover, killed by the Queen of Hearts Killer
  • Davey Gilreath - a somewhat frequent informant and lover of Vic Surette's
  • Senator George Maurice Ravaneaux - a prominent senator in New Orleans
  • Dr. James Aubrey Longette - a psychotherapist and hypnotist
  • Susie Socks - Davey Gilreath's sister
  • Victor (or Vicki and Vic) Ravenaux Surette - the first victim of the Queen of Hearts Killer

Publisher's summary[]

A new horror is stalking New Orleans. He is the "Queen of Hearts" killer, removing the hearts of his young male victims. He is savage. He is unstoppable. And the New Orleans Police Commissioner has requested - by name - the aid of Dr. Jessica Coran.

But another killer is stalking Jessica. The man known as "The Vampire Killer" has escaped from prison, leaving a trail of blood-drained bodies in his wake. No one knows where he is - but they do know he's coming for Jessica, the woman who put him behind bars.

Now Jessica faces double jeopardy. And not even a new - and unlikely - partner from the FBI's experimental "psychic" program can protect her from two killers...

Plot summary[]

After the escape of Matthew Matisak from prison, Dr. Jessica Coran has been sequestered in Oklahoma for her own safety. Though Matisak is hunting her, Coran wishes to go back into the field. Along with this, she is being haunted by strange spectres in her dreams. Coran's lab partner has tipped her off to a serial killer in New Orleans. While the murder rate in New Orleans has climbed to record highs, a serial killer known as the "Have a Heart" (or "Queen of Hearts") killer is stalking the streets killing "gay and cross-dressing men" throughout the city. As such, New Orleans' police commissioner visits Quantico and picks out Dr. Coran to investigate the murder - brushing off a "psychic detective" named Kim Desinor.

After giving her help on a kidnapping case (revealing that the victim was kidnapped and killed by someone working with his illegitimate daughter), Kim is contacted by her higher-up (and Dr. Coran's higher-up) Paul Zanek. Meanwhile, two detectives named Alex Sincebaugh and Ben deYampert examine the body of the Queen of Hearts Killer's most recent body. Like all the rest, his genitals have been mutilated and his heart has been carved out of his chest and replaced with a specially-crafted queen-of-hearts card.

After trying to convince Zanek's higher-up to get her on the Queen of Hearts Killer case, Dr. Coran visits into Zanek's office. Zanek is still unconvinced that Jessica should go back onto the field and tries to get her to convince New Orelans' police commissioner to send Dr. Desinor out into the field instead of her. Coran asks to speak in private with Zanek and briefly speaks about what Matisak might be doing in Oklahoma before Coran is able to convince Zanek to send her to New Orleans alongside Dr. Desinor.

While having a nightmare about an earlier murder of a crossdresser named Vic Surette that he believes is linked to the Queen of Hearts murders, Alex Sincebaugh is awakened by his Captain - who informs him that the body of another one of the Queen of Hearts Killer's victims has been found. Back in Quantico, Zanek and Stephens begin testing out Desinor's abilities using various objects taken from the victims. Though Stephens is doubtful of Desinor's psychic abilities at first, he is somewhat convinced after she grabs a string of black pearls (taken from the scene of Alex's earlier murder) and sees through the eyes of the killer (and acts out the murder) before fainting. While Stephens is happy to have Dr. Desinor and Dr. Coran on the Queen of Hearts murders, Kim is somewhat hesitant due to her rather unhappy childhood years being spent in Louisiana. Despite this, she agrees to take on the case. After setting up a cover story for Desinor in Louisiana, Coran and Zanek are left alone. Coran reveals that she plans to lure Matisak to New Orleans and take him out. Though Zanek believes this is a stupid idea, he still allows Coran to travel to New Orleans.

While Coran prepares to leave for New Orleans, Matt Matisak visits a Native reservation where some of his distant relatives live. Having boarded with them for a month, Matt brutally kills them (draining their blood and leaving them with a little blood poem for Jessica) after stealing some coins his grandfather hid on their property. Shortly after doing the murders, two cops arrive and are presumably murdered by Matisak.

While on the plane to New Orleans, Kim briefly looks over the files before she is interrupted by Dr. Coran - who had briefly been flying the plane. Though the two are initially somewhat abrasive towards each other, Jessica is able to convince Kim to be friendly with her and help her find Matisak. As such, Kim holds a "psychometric seance" using the scars Jessica got from her first encounter with the Vampire Killer. This seance reveals little, though it does reveal that Matisak will appear when "the sky falls".

Soon, the plane lands in New Orleans. Kim and Jessica discover, to their bemusement and frustration, that a phalanx of cops has descended upon the runway to greet them. The two learn that one of the Queen of Hearts Killer's victims has been found. Jessica lets Alex Sincebaugh and his partner drive her to the crime scene. While riding to the scene, she learns that the previous coroner (one Dr. Wardlaw) was fired due to alcoholism and that she will effectively be the coroner for the Queen of Hearts case. While examining the body on the scene, Jessica discovers that the head has not been removed (a discrepcancy from the other killings) and that the damage to the body seems even more violent than usual. She also learns about Alex and his partner's somewhat acerbic and bitter sense of humour.

Kim and Jessica are then brought to the site of another recently-discovered body, which was pulled from the Toulouse Street Wharf. While trying to get a reading from the body, Kim discovers little but notices that something is squirming inside the body. This is revealed to be a small eel which wriggles back into the Mississippi after escaping from the body.

The next day, Jessica asks to see the decapitated body. She finds that Dr. Wardlaw is still in the coroner's office (having launched a court case against the city of New Orleans for being effectively dragged out of the coroner's office) and forms something of a rapport with Wardlaw while examining the body. They discover that the victim was likely not killed by the Queen of Hearts Killer and that the decapitation. Shortly after this, Kim psychometrically examines the body. She also discovers that it was the work of a copycat but learns much more about this victim - such as that he was killed by a girlfriend with barbituates. Kim attempts to voice these findings to Alex's captain but is blown off.

While trying to avoid sleep by driving around, Alex stops at a business owned by a friend. While there, he notices two youths that he thinks are planning to stick up the store. Right before they can do so, Alex stops their planned stick-up and chases one of them through the streets before arresting him. Though the two youths were planning to stick up the store, Alex is worried that he could be found in the wrong as they technically weren't commiting a crime while he stopped them. Around the same time, the former lover of Vic Surette is visited by a mysterious man named Emanuel who claims to be Vic's brother. Emanuel is able to convince Vic's lover to sleep with him and then attacks him with a knife - revealing that he was the Queen of Hearts Killer all along. Before dying, Vic's lover realizes that Emanuel was actually a woman.

The next morning, though he is under the watchful eye of CID, Alex visits the morgue to learn about a recently-discovered Queen of Hearts body. While there, he finds Kim standing over the body trying to read it and is found by Captain Landry. The two of them argue over Kim's position in the case and Alex's CID investigation before the two leave. Meanwhile, Kim thinks over the mysterious and extremely vibrant psychic presence that Alex has. After thinking this over, Kim resumes her examination of the body but is unable to sense much about the body. Due to this, the major players in the investigation (PC Stephens, Captain Landry, Bureau Chief Lew Meade, Deputy Mayor Leroy Fouintenac, and Dr. Coran) discuss exhuming the Queen of Hearts Killer's first body. This leads to an argument over who exactly is the first victim but soon ends with the decision to exhume Vic Surette's body.

With this finished, Kim drags Lew Meade away and questions him about why the FBI is even involved in this and why the investigation is seemingly trying to cut people like Sincebaugh and Wardlaw out. Meade reveals that someone within the investigation is leaking information to the press but is unsure who exactly it is. While this discussion is ending, Jessica walks in and begins talking with Kim about Matisak's murders. She reveals that Zanek kept Matisak's farmhouse massacre hidden from her and that she has already begun plans to lure Matisak to New Orleans by leaking her involvement in the case to the press.

As all this is going on, Alex Sincebaugh visits a bar frequented by cops and nearly gets involved in a fight with a heckler before realizing that CID agents are shadowing the heckler and becomes paranoid over the whole encounter (assuming that CID wants him to get involved in a fight so he can get thrown off the Queen of Hearts case, if not the police force). Shortly after Alex takes a call from his father, Alex notices that Kim Desinor has entered into the bar. The two argue about the efficacy of psychic policing, which is followed by Kim discussing her backstory. After Kim leaves, Alex notices that Jessica Coran has been shadowing the two of them and briefly discusses the case with her before leaving with Ben due to another Queen of Hearts body being found.

While examining the crime scene of the most recent murder, Alex and Ben find the words "Queer of heart" scrawled on the wall in blood. Though Alex thinks that the Queen of Hearts Killer's style has evolved, Dr. Coran believes that the murder could have been committed by Matisak as a message to her. Jessica's arrival on the crime scene is closely followed by Kim arriving and putting her hands on the body and psychometrically peering into the last moments of the victim. While acting out these last moments, Kim accidentally knocks herself out and is taken to the hospital by Alex. Once she regains consciousness, Kim reveals that she cannot remember her psychic vision as her brain refused to accept it. To get around this, Kim plans to use the services of a hypnotist. She also reveals that Alex might have the same gift as she does.

After leaving the hospital, Kim agrees to go to dinner with Alex. Over dinner, the two discuss the use of psychic powers in this case and in policing in general. This leads Kim to try to peer past Alex's gruff persona - which causes the detective to abruptly leave the dinner in a somewhat enraged state. While in this state, Alex drives through the streets of New Orleans and is accosted by a male streetwalker. Alex points his gun at the streetwalker and effectively forces him to give him information on the Queen of Hearts murders - finding out that a crossdresser by the name of Phyllis knows something about the murders.

While Alex looks for Phyllis, Kim returns to her room and takes a shower. Shortly after this shower, she finds an extremely drunk and despondent Jessica outside her door. Jessica has been extremely shaken by the possible presence of Matisak at the recent crime scene and asks Kim to performe a seance to find Matisak. Unfortunately, this reveals very little and is interrupted when both of them hear something at the door. This is revealed to be the pilot (and undercover FBI agent sent by Zanek to keep an eye on Jessica) Ed Sand's severed head, which had been left to dangle outside the door by Matisak with a note in its mouth asking Jessica to meet with him completely alone. Jessica has Kim hide this note, as she intends on meeting Matisak alone and taking him out.

While Surette's body is being exhumed, Alex thinks over his pursuit of Phyllis and a missing informant who vaguely knew Surette (who was apparently living with a cousin) before the body is removed. While examining the body, Kim senses that something is wrong with it and Jessica is able to find out that someone replaced Surette's body with the body of a John Doe (and removed said John Doe's heart to throw off the investigators). While the graveskeeper is being interrogated, Sincebaugh theorizes that Surette's wealthy family did not want his salacious life to come into the public eye and spirited his body away to hide it.

The next morning, Alex and Ben are called away from looking through the graveyard's files (right before the gravekeeper's lawyer can take them away) to attend Kim's hypnotic regression. During the regression, Kim reveals that the most recent victim was named Thommie Wiley and that he was killed by a crossdresser with the initial E. who also went by Easy.

That night, Matthew Matisak wanders the streets of New Orleans before arriving at the hotel that Jessica is staying at. Instead of taking Jessica from her room to fufill his sick desires, Matisak simply murders one of her guards by beheading him and sending his headless corpse careening down the streets in his car. Meanwhile, Jessica sneaks out of her apartment to make her midnight meeting with Matisak. Once there, Jessica is met by a cloaked figure and nearly shoots it (assuming that it is Matisak) before the figure reveals itself to be a hobo hired by Matisak to give Jessica the true meeting place.

Meanwhile, Alex and Ben track down the sister of the missing informant and begin interrogating her about where her brother went. While the sister initially refuses to reveal anything, she eventually reveals that her brother is hiding on a farm upstate. She also reveals that she believes that the Queen of Hearts killer has ties to the upper-class country clubs that members of New Orleans' government somewhat frequently visit. Shortly after Alex has left the informant's sister, Kim calls him and (somewhat begrudingly) reveals that Jessica has gone after Matisak. As such, the two drive to the graveyard meeting-spot and find a note left behind by Matisak taunting whoever would try to find Jessica. The two then begin looking around the nearby warehouses to find Jessica.

As a hurricane rages overhead, Jessica breaks into the storage facility Matisak sent her to and finds that it is filled with various Mardi Gras decorations hung from the ceiling from a complicated mechanical system that allows them to rotate. While looking at these decorations, she finds a human figure lurking within them and (assuming that it is Matisak) fires at it. It is then revealed that the figure is actually the beheaded body of the Deputy Mayor of New Orleans. Matisak then begins rapidly rotating the decorations and jumps down at Jessica from the ceiling - managing to briefly stun her and get her gun away from her. Meanwhile, Alex and Kim are able to find out which warehouse Jessica went to after finding a phonebook in a convenience store.

Matisak brings Jessica to a sideroom of the facility and ties her to a table so that he can pump the blood out of her body with a dialysis machine and pump all of the blood from her body into his so they can die together and be permanently united in the afterlife. Before Matisak can do this, Jessica is able to break free of the restraints and finds a tank of propane. Using this tank, Jessica is able to push Matisak back with a wall of flame and intends on cooking him alive before his skull is impaled by one of the pullies and he is dragged into the air - where he bleeds to death. Jessica is then able to escape the facility as the storm rages on overhead. Once the storm has cleared, New Orleans' police examine the scene - with it being revealed that "Deputy Mayor Fouintenac" was actually a body double sent by the FBI to monitor Jessica.

Shortly after Matisak's death, Alex and Ben visit Surette's old apartment in the hopes of finding something they missed when they first looked at the apartment. They find that another crossdresser (or at least, someone who looks like a crossdresser) by the name of Michael Emanuel Dominique is living in the apartment. The two detectives think little of this until they find one of the Queen of Hearts Killer's distinctive playing cards on the floor. Dominique then attacks the cops - actually managing to kill Ben and remove his heart and restrain Alex before two other cops arrive. Dominique flees onto the nearby rooftops and Alex follows closely behind but feels the effects of his injuries and collapses while doing so.

While recovering from his injuries in a hospital bed, Alex dreams about hunting down the Queen of Hearts Killer. Once he awakens from these dreams, it is revealed that they were actually a hypnotic episode used to figure out every detail of what happened when the Queen of Hearts Killer attacked. This reveals that Emanuel has ties to the estate of one Senator George Maurice Ravenaux. This leads Carl Landry to get a warrant for Raveneaux's estate. While driving to the estate with Jessica, Kim, and Alex, Landry reveals that both Ben and Wardlaw were being paid off by Lew Meade and Richard Stephens to bury Surette's murder, most likely on orders from Senator Ravenaux. It is also revealed that both Emanuel and Victor Surette are related to the Senator.

Upon arriving at the estate with a phalanx of deputies, Jessica and Alex find the Senator conferring with his wife and his conspirators. Though Meade and Stephens try to stop the search (even trying to have Landry and Sincebaugh fired and arrested), they are unable to do anything due to the federal warrant that Jessica had filed. As such, the detectives are able to question the Senator and his wife and learn that Victor was indeed his son. They also learn that the Ravenauxes have an unstable daughter named Dominique who is (allegedly) touring the country. While approaching Dominique's room, Alex hears the dumbwaiter in the room being used. Meanwhile, Carl Landry finds out that Dominique has taken over the Ravenauxes' kitchen and travels to it. While in a large freezer, he is attacked by Dominique and finds out where the hearts were kept after Dominique traps him in the freezer with herself.

Before Dominique can kill Landry, she is found by Alex (who she attacks with a knife but is stopped by Alex's kevlar vest) and shot dead by Jessica. While Senator Ravenaux sobs over his dead daughter (and reveals that she was extremely envious of Victor, which is most likely the reason that she murdered him), Jessica realizes that Dominique has been using the hearts in a special bisque and feeding them to her family. Though this very notion disgusts the Senator, there is little he can do to disprove it. While Jessica leaves for Hawaii, further investigations reveal that the Ravenauxes locked their daughter in the basement after she tried to kill Victor and (after several visits from therapists) sent her to various therapists in Europe. Unbeknownst to them, Dominique killed several people during these visits. Once Dominique returned, she was all too eager to begin cooking for the family.

See also[]

Title Author Release date Significance
Cruising Gerald Walker 1970 A novel in which a serial killer stalks the LGBTQ+ community
The City of the Dead Lloyd Rose 2001 A novel with a similar setting
Cajun Nights D.J. Donaldson 1988 A novel which inspired parts of this novel
The French Quarter Killers John Dillman 1988 A nonfiction book which inspired parts of this novel
The Blue Sense Arthur Lyons and Marcello Truzzi 1991 A nonfiction book which inspired parts of this novel
A Stained White Radiance James Lee Burke 1992 A novel which inspired parts of this novel
A Free Man of Color Barbara Hambly 1997 A novel with a similar setting

Sources[]

  • Goodreads