About the Book
The monster was caught. But monsters don't always stay locked away.
Chris Mullin is behind bars, serving five consecutive life sentences for a series of brutal murders. The case is closed. Justice was served. And yet — from inside the prison walls — Mullin is still working. Still manipulating guards, staff, and the visitors he charms. Still influencing people on the outside. Still plotting the revenge he has been planning since the day the cell door closed behind him.
Detective Kyle Hunter put Mullin away. Now he has to face a harder truth: a conviction is not the same thing as a stop. As new violence surfaces beyond the prison gates — staged with the same cold precision as the original murders — Hunter realizes the game has changed. He is no longer hunting a killer. He is playing chess with one.
The Monster In Him is Book 2 in the Kyle Hunter Files series — a dark, relentless psychological thriller about manipulation, revenge, and the terrifying truth that evil doesn't always end with a conviction. Blending authentic criminal psychology, forensic detail, and gritty law-enforcement realism, it is perfect for readers of intense psychological crime fiction and realistic police procedurals.
Why Readers Love It
Most serial-killer thrillers end when the killer is caught. This one begins there — and it's far more unsettling for it. Mullin is not a villain who escapes in a hail of gunfire; he is a predator who never leaves his cell. The tension comes from watching him work through other people, pull strings from a maximum-security block, and turn the system itself into a weapon. Readers of Thomas Harris, Karin Slaughter, and Michael Connelly will recognize the craft here. And the ending — which we will not spoil — has already become the most-discussed moment in the series.
Book Specifications
| Genre | Crime Thriller · Psychological Thriller · Serial Killer Fiction · Police Procedural |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Pioneer Publishing Press |
| Format | Paperback (also available in Kindle) |
| ISBN-10 | 1735884286 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1-7358842-8-3 |
| Page Count | 328 pages |
| Publication Date | March 10, 2026 |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Kyle Hunter Files, Book 2 |
| Dimensions | 5.5 x 0.85 x 8.5 inches |
Key Characters
Detective Kyle Hunter — The veteran homicide detective and former Marine returns, but he's not the same man who closed the Redhead Killer case. This book puts him on unfamiliar ground: he's no longer the hunter. He's the hunted — and the target is a man he already put away.
Chris Mullin — Five life sentences, no remorse, no fear, no limits. Mullin is a new kind of antagonist for the series: patient, brilliant, and utterly indifferent to the bodies he leaves behind. He doesn't want to escape. He wants to win. And in his mind, the game has only just begun.
The Prison — Almost a character in its own right. The book's most memorable scenes unfold inside a maximum-security facility where the rules are unwritten, the guards are compromised, and the walls are thinner than anyone wants to admit.
Excerpt — From the Opening Pages
"The day Chris Mullin was sentenced, he smiled at the judge. Not the tight, defeated smile of a man going away for life — a real smile. The kind you give someone when you know something they don't. Kyle Hunter saw it from the back of the courtroom, and he's been seeing it in his sleep ever since."
Download the free sample here.
Verified Reader Reviews
★★★★★ Derek M. — "Darker and tighter than the first book. Mullin is one of the most chilling antagonists I've read in years."
★★★★★ Priya N. — "The prison scenes are extraordinary — controlled, tense, and impossible to look away from. Pinon just keeps getting better."
★★★★☆ Andrew P. — "Read it in one weekend. Start with Book 1 if you haven't — but this one is the stronger novel."
New to the Series?
While The Monster In Him can be read as a standalone, most readers find it richer after the first book, The Kyle Hunter Files: Hunter On The Hunt For The Redhead Killer, which introduces Detective Hunter and the case that made his career. Start there, then come back — or dive in here and read Book 1 as a prequel.
Order the Paperback Edition
The trade paperback edition is printed on archival cream stock with a matte-laminated cover — designed to sit next to Book 1 on the shelf and hold up to a second reading. Ships free with Prime. Available now for $14.95.