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In this FBI Thriller Special Agent Dillon Savich teams up with new agent Lacey Sherlock in a case that leads them back to the murder of Sherlock's sister seven years ago—and puts both their lives on the line.

As the head of the FBI’s Criminal Apprehension Unit, Dillon Savich has developed predictive analogue programs to aid in the capture of serial killers. Enter Lacey Sherlock, a very well-qualified new agent who seems bright and eager and on the up-and-up. But is she really?

When there’s a vicious murder in Boston, she’s off like a shot, lying to Savich. When Savich finds out what’s going on, he realizes they’ll all be in deep trouble, maybe even victims themselves, if he and Sherlock don’t find out who murdered her sister seven years before....

338 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 30, 1997

About the author

Catherine Coulter

305 books7,159 followers

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5 stars
7,835 (41%)
4 stars
6,975 (37%)
3 stars
3,191 (16%)
2 stars
579 (3%)
1 star
198 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 715 reviews
Profile Image for Kat.
Author 14 books604 followers
January 9, 2023
I was SO EXCITED to finally read the book where Sherlock and Savich meet! Yay! And Sherlock taking Savich down in a training exercise? Too funny! This one is all lions and tigers and serial killers, oh my. Sherlock gets assigned to Savich’s criminal apprehension unit (and because this is an awesome backlist title from several decades ago, which makes this extra fun, computers are just now a thing and brand new in looking for criminals) where Dylan is basically the only one in the FBI using computer patterns to look for bad guys. They chemistry here is hot, constant banter and Sherlock defying her boss.

This one is one of Coulter’s best, but as a warning, it’s a bit gruesome… all serial killer tracking and one grisly murder after the next. Sherlock’s sister was killed years ago, and she’s determined to figure out who did it, and catch them. But do they have the right perp? And will tracking them down put Sherlock in further danger?

Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
Profile Image for Jayne Hitchcock.
Author 14 books3 followers
June 19, 2012
Dear Catherine Coulter,

I don't know why I punish myself. After your horrid first book in this series, The Cove, the only reason I decided to give this one a shot is because I love the woman who reads the audio version, Susan Ericksen (she does a fantastic job on the Eve Dallas series by J.D. Robb).

Either this was her first audiobook or yes, your writing is still horrendous. No FBI agency has solved more serial murders as fast as the ones in this book. I still can't believe it. Cliches abound, the characters are colorless and the plot was just plain stupid. Along with that, just like your previous book, the FBI agent and victim/FBI agent fall in love and get married.

Either write a thriller/mystery or write a romance. Make a decision.

I refuse to read any more of your awful books.

Sincerely,

Not a fan. Period.
Profile Image for Paula Legate.
Author 17 books25 followers
October 29, 2020
This is one of my favorite books. I can't tell you how many times I have read this book. Each time I read it, it’s still as good as the first time I opened that very first page. I love the author of this FBI series. Each book in this series is a stand-alone, so you can read them out of order. The character’s in each of the books drew me right into the plot.

Lacey Sherlock met Dillon Savich when she was still in her FBI training. After she graduated she was assigned to his special unit. Lace’s sister Belinda was murdered by a serial killer when Lacey was only 19. That changed Lacey’s life forever. Her goals in life changed. She threw herself into her studies. Her only goal was joining the FBI, so she could find the man that took her sister’s life. Being a part of Savich’s unit gave her access to databases she needed in order to search and take down the string killer.

I loved the action, suspense, and romance in this book. If you like thriller /Action books with a touch of romance, I think you will enjoy this one!
December 15, 2025
It's official this woman is batshit crazy

Unlike the first book, at least this one sort of made sense. Everything was still insane and there were way too many plot points but there was a stronger effort to connect them (though not all of them successfully).

For me, though, the difference was how



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🕮⋆˚࿔✎𓂃 𝐣𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰
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Profile Image for Mike French.
430 reviews110 followers
February 6, 2015
Very enjoyable read! Savich and Sherlock are introduced in this book and their actions keep you turning pages to the end
Profile Image for Carolyn.
2,233 reviews
September 8, 2022
Re-read. After reading "The Reckoning," the 26th book in the series published in August 2022, I just had to go back and re-read the entire series. I purposely left "The Maze" for the last book to re-read. It's number 2 in the series, but it's the book where FBI Special Agent Dillon Savich meets Lacey Sherlock while she is training at Quantico to become an FBI Agent. It's the beginning of the pairing (in more ways than one) of a special couple with a unique FBI Special Unit that investigate serial killers which carries on throughout the entire series. This is my favorite murder/mystery series and has been for years and years. Every year, I eagerly await the next book. I especially enjoy this book because it takes it back to the beginning of a very special relationship that continues throughout the entire series. Savich and Sherlock are the heart and soul of the series. I just love them. If I am still around in a couple of years, I will certainly re-read it again. ;)
Profile Image for Kevin.
74 reviews2 followers
January 11, 2015
This is the third book I have read by Catherine Coulter and the second in the series. I started out with the third novel "The Target" which sold me into reading more of her books, it was an excellent read which I couldn't put down! I can say "The Maze" has a fair story and story line as did "The Cove" her first book, not top notch, but sufficient. Not many twists and turns although it did have me guessing some! The problem I have had with Ms. Coulter's first two books is she tries to get too cute with her writing by injecting comments that in normal life wouldn't happen. The comments try to be cute, quirt, and just odd, they in my belief completely takes away from telling the story! I believe it actually slows down the flow of the book, as I had to stop and re-read, then think did they really say that?? At any rate I do enjoy the main characters Dillion Savich who helps solve the crime via his computer inputs, and Lacey Sherlock a new agent, whom are both taken with each other and team up to solve a string of vicious murders involving a serial killer who torments his victims in a Maze. I would suggest if you are a first time reader with this author, start with the third in the series as I did. Then decide if you want to go read the first two books in the series or move to the 4th. I am hoping the fourth picks up with the pace that the third book had!!!!
Profile Image for SB*needs low angst books*.
348 reviews203 followers
January 7, 2020
This was a surprisingly good book to me. I was browsing the audiobooks available at my library online service. I loved a good romantIc suspense. I came across it and thought why not. I loved the story. It is about Lacey Sherlock who goes on to be an FBI agent. While going thru the last part of her classes she meets Agent Dillon Savich by defeating him in a practical run training test. Her reasons for becoming an agent are revealed when she becomes assigned to work under Savich. This begins a friendship turned romance between the two. But there are a few people who don't want to see this happen and they set other problems in motion. All the while Sherlock and Savich become closer and find out Lacey' s secret connections to the main criminal they are after. Their is not a lot of romance or sex written between the two but it is a brief couple of sex scenes. What you do get is an interesting story to unravel.
Profile Image for Jonetta.
2,595 reviews1,328 followers
October 16, 2016
Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock meet for the first time in this book. She's just completed her training and begins working for him.

I found the story to be interesting and fast paced, the romance to be tension-filled and compelling, and the mystery to be suspenseful. I highly recommend the book and am on to the next in the series.
Profile Image for Karen R.
897 reviews536 followers
January 1, 2023
Decided to shake things up in the new year and read some oldies from my bookshelf. This my first for 2023 and is a compelling read.
Profile Image for Lauren.
2,516 reviews159 followers
June 28, 2017
The Maze
2 Stars

After reading and disliking the first book in this series, I decided not continue. However, I recently discovered a later installment in a box of second hand books and The Maze fit into my Bookshelf Bingo challenge, so I thought I'd give it another chance - big mistake!

The plot starts out well enough with an FBI recruit in search of the serial killer responsible for her sister's death but goes straight downhill from there. The story development is ridiculous and contrived, the writing and dialogue are atrocious and the characterization is just plain weird.

The heroine, Lacey Sherlock, is supposed to be a well-trained, intelligent FBI agent but her TSTL moments abound and the jokes about her name are tedious. The hero, Dillon Savich, is sexy and the romance and sexual tension are tantalizing but not enough to save the book from being a dud.

The secondary cast is moronic from the smarmy brother-in-law and his rabid new wife to the jealous ex-girlfriend and the pitifully clichéd villain - all are painfully one dimensional and add nothing to the story aside from a number of absurd and perhaps even comic situations that I doubt the author was striving for.

All in all, an unrealistic and poorly written attempt to cash in on the success of Thomas Harris's The Silence of the Lambs. If you want a riveting FBI focused book, read that one instead.
Profile Image for Janet.
3,341 reviews24 followers
August 7, 2022
I can't wait to read the rest of this series!
Profile Image for Steve Pifer.
78 reviews
November 16, 2013
I dont read alot of this type of novel. Sadistic serial killer stories are really not my preference, but I found myself reading this book, and for a while, I seem to be enjoying the story, even if I was hoping that the killing didnt become too graphic, etc. But around the 2/3 point of the book, it seemed like the author became tired of writing the book and took short cuts, gave in to the lower nature of adolescent sensationalism, for lack of a better way to say it. Some of the significant points in the story were unrealistic (lacey is taken prisoner AGAIN, but allowed to go to the bathroom PRIVATELY before she is taken away to be butchered). Odd, to say the least. But even with this odd turn of events, she still is unable to take advantage of the hidden gun she has in her lower leg holster, but instead, allows herself to be tied up and put in a car to be driven to the warehouse where she will be murdered.
This is just one fine example of 8th grade, hurry and get this book done so I can watch TV, type of writing that characterizes this story. Arent I now amazed to see that Ms. Coulter has several other similar looking and sounding books for me to now choose from. So maybe I can learn something, huh?
Ms. Coulter seems to be pumping out lousy novels routinely. Even so, she is pumping, prospering, and probably laughing all the way to the beach. So, I suppose kudos are in order for her ability to convince the public to buy her poor stories. But I think I will not be one who supports her living any further. Life is too short to be amazed at how poorly a good story is executed.
Profile Image for Dwayne Wojtowicz.
225 reviews5 followers
November 18, 2017
When Lacey Sherlock (yes, that's her real name) joins the FBI and tosses aside her love of music, she doesn't realize that her background will land her with the FBI's Criminal Apprehension Unit (CAU). She becomes a rising star in the CAU and causes some feathers to be ruffled.

Lacey has an underlying reason for joining the FBI, to help track down the killer of her sister, Belinda. She enlists the help of her supervisor, Dillon Savich, to catch the fiend.

Catherine Coulter has done it again with "The Maze." As in her other novels, she wows the readers with her twists and turns; ups and downs; along with the art of "pointing the finger" at other characters in her work.

However, she loses that little push that she has had in her other books. I felt that there wasn't enough "umph" towards the end to finish it off succinctly. There was a pause towards the end in which she should of put a twist or a turn into the story.

I still recommend Catherine Coulter's "The Maze" as a good book to read.
Profile Image for Gina.
447 reviews132 followers
March 15, 2008
This one's just as awesome and UNPUTDOWNABLE as the first! Coulter drags you right in at the beginning and holds you until the end! Twists that I didn't see coming, especially in finding out who killed Lacey's sister. Just when I thought I for sure had the murderer pegged... and I was soooo wrong! The entire story was action-packed, the suspense enough to make you cringe... the characters each had a personality very much their own, the whole story believable that it could've happened / could happen in real life is enough to be scary on so many levels. Wonder if Book #, The Target, is just as good.
Profile Image for Patrick .
457 reviews50 followers
November 30, 2017
The FBI dream team has done it again. However, this one focuses on their initial meet & greet and how things rapidly progressed from there. Lacy S and her deranged family are the primary focus throughout this brain teaser. I'll finish the review shortly....gotta run.
Profile Image for Anastasia.
2,258 reviews102 followers
July 9, 2023
The Maze by Catherine Coulter is the 2nd book in the FBI Thriller series. Lacey Sherlock joins the FBI trying to make sense of her sisters unsolved murder at the hands of a serial killer 7 years earlier and involves her team in the investigation when the killer strikes again. This is the book where Dillion Savage pairs up with Lacey Sherlock and I enjoyed seeing their relationship develop. Dillion is a wonderful character, physically strong and capable as well as smart, having developed computer programmes to help in his work. An interesting mystery and a nice introduction to the relationship.
978 reviews4 followers
August 19, 2025
Have only read a half dozen of Coulter’s books so decided to go back to the beginning of this series. Not disappointed, this was an excellent book!
Profile Image for Kacy❁.
398 reviews48 followers
April 19, 2022
Just your typical murder mystery read, however the ending was very annoying and anti climactic.
Profile Image for Debbie👑.
10 reviews
December 18, 2024
This is one of my favorite books in the FBI thriller series of Catherine Coulter and the second book in the series. I have grown to love this series very much. Each book in the series is a stand-alone with just a little bit reference to the former books so you can read it out of order.

Lacey Sherlock meets Dillon Savich when she is in the later part of her training in Quantico. Impressed with her, Dillon recruits her into his special unit- The Criminal Apprehension Unit(CAU).
The CAU is a unit that utilizes computers and a program named Predictive Analogue Program created by Dillon to apprehend criminals. The reason Lacey became an agent is because when she was wanted to get the serial killer(The String Killer) who killed her sister, Belinda when she was 19 years old therefore tossing aside her love of music for this. Being a part of the CAU gave her access to databases to help her achieve her goal. As the book goes on, there is a lot of twist and turns until they finally find out the whole truth regarding her sister's murder.

In relation to the romance part of the book, most of it is actually cliche when you think about it but it's manageable.Sherlock and Dillon first begin with friendship and later romance comes in but there are people who do not want their relationship to come on and they cause havoc but in the end...love prevails.

I recommend this book to lovers of crime and mystery, romance, and those who are comfortable reading writing styles similar to those of Agatha Christie.
Profile Image for Katherine.
Author 2 books80 followers
July 3, 2012
I think this book was good. Had some up and down moments. I liked the suspense aspect of it, but I didnt like how the romance just popped from god only knows where. I think the author did a good job, although it was just too long and some parts could have been cut so the suspense would be thighter and no t so all over the place.

Lacey Sherlock has had her life turned upside down when she was only 19, when her sister was brutally murdered by a serial killer. She lived in fear for a time, and one day she decided to change and get justice for her sister. Dillon Savich is the chief of CAU - Criminal Apprehension Unit - They use technology to hunt for serial killers. Dillon is also Lacey's new boss.

I think Coulter leaned heavily on the suspense and policial aspect until 60% of the book, and then went with drama and romance. I just couldn't understand some characters, and I felt that a few could have been excluded. It was too much happening at the same time. I'm not sure if it was just my file, but the were various typos and there were non ***** to change the POV, and that pissed me off and threw me for a loop. I'm rating The Maze 3 Stars and will for sure read other in the series. I'm just not sure when.
Profile Image for Jenny.
1,957 reviews47 followers
January 21, 2010
Lacey Sherlock is a woman with a mission. It's been seven years since a serial killer murdered her half-sister and threw her life into turmoil. And in those seven years, Lacey has managed to get a B.S. in Forensic Science, a master's in Criminal Psychology, and a job at the FBI. So when the "String Killer" strikes again, she's on the first plane to Boston to investigate, regardless of what her boss might have to say about things.

Her boss, who happens to be brilliant, good-looking, and deadly (of course), is furious about her lies, but decides to let her stay on the case. And then things get messy.

Entertaining and fast-moving, complete with overly-perfect heros (he's musical too, doncha know, on top of being a gorgeous computer genuis with muscles) and basket-case heroines with repressed memories (how the heck did she make it into the FBI??). Still, I find myself irritated that the library doesn't have the third book in the series. =) Definitely a guilty pleasure book.
Profile Image for Debbie .
548 reviews43 followers
September 19, 2009
Lacey Sherlock may have just finished training to be part of the FBI but she has been on this case every since her sister was murdered 7 years ago. Unknowingly, Dillon Savich played right in to her plans to track down this killer. After seeing her performance at a training excercise, he gave her a option to join his newly created Criminal Apprehension Unit. He's the boss but she seems to have all the answers.

The love story involved in this one is not as hot as it could have been but the mystery is good. The 'maze' of details that has to be sifted through in order to make certain that they have the correct person for this crime is, at times difficult to follow but in the end, good. Gotta love how Jimmy Maitland , the big boss, closes the case and leaves everyone including me laughing out loud.
115 reviews
August 7, 2015
Perhaps the worst book I've read this year. I love thrillers and I love crime and mysteries, who dun its, etc. This book has aspects of all of those but it should really be listed as a fantasy because the plot is so unrealistic. Yes, it is fiction, however most FBI based fictional stories have some basis in reality but this one is wholly unbelievable. Without giving too much away, I'll just say that the timeline is so compressed and events are happening so quickly that it seems the author had in mind optioning this for a movie with as little change needed as possible.

Very disappointing as this author was recommended to me by my librarian. I usually read 3-4 books by the same author before I get tired of their formula but I just can't give Ms. Coulter another chance.
Profile Image for Meghan.
3,375 reviews7 followers
May 30, 2022
Second book in the series, but Savich and Sherlock are one of my favorite literary couples. They are funny, smart and have an interesting job. Good mix of new cases and old history/new cases. The unit sounds fascinating with the computer and profiling. Great dialogue and world building. Loved the cases and family/group dynamics. Fast paced and entertaining! Several new characters that I hope we see more of and the return of Ms.Lilly, Sally, Quinlan and Marvin.
Profile Image for Linda Munro.
1,934 reviews26 followers
May 20, 2021
We are about to see the relationship bud between Sherlock and Savich. Well, at least it seems that way until Sherlock admits she joined the FBI to get the serial killer who killed her sister seven years prior.
This, of course, does not occur until Sherlock heads to Boston where the killer reemerges.

After all of the years that have passed, Sherlock becomes more and more uncertain with her facts.

In the end, she will learn the truth, but will the truth be in time?
Profile Image for Janine.
2,569 reviews77 followers
May 4, 2018
I thought this was going to be better than the first in the series but some of the dialogue was really bad and the story was a bit cheesy. I don’t think this series is for me but the titles seem to fit in with challenges.
Profile Image for Miss Kim.
535 reviews141 followers
February 20, 2008
I love Sherlock and Savich. I beleive this is the best book in the detectives' series. Your learn about Sherlock's background and how she comes to meet Savich.
Profile Image for Nilda McLaughlin.
354 reviews20 followers
February 10, 2011
I'm more than willing to suspend belief for the good of a fun thriller. However the amount of unbelievable events that happen in this book sent me over the edge. Not worth picking-up.
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