Echoes by Joshua Fialkov and Rahsan Ekedal

It is bad enough that Brian Cohn is being medicated for schizophrenia but he also struggles with his father suffering from Alzheimer's.  On his deathbed, Brian's father confesses that he was a serial killer.  He gives Brian instructions on how to find the evidence.  Brian finds the victims' remains in his childhood home.  Now the murders begin again.  Is Brian's schizophrenia causing him to follow in his father's footsteps?
I met Joshua Fialkov at the Baltimore Comicon.  Listening to him talk, you could tell he was passionate about his writing.  I did not plan on buying any of his books when I walked up to the booth but ended up getting "Echoes" and "Elk's Run".  It turned out to be perfect books to read for the R.I.P. Challenge.  

Fialkov proves to be a master of suspense.  His pacing is perfect.  I planned on reading the first (of five) chapter before going to bed.  This was a big mistake.  Once you begin it, you cannot put the book down.  Fialkov crafts each chapter to end at a point that makes it impossible to put down.  Another credit to Fialkov is the amount of research he put into "Echoes".  The research of schizophrenia and Alzheimer's pays off.  The author avoids doing info dumps to show off his research but it is in the background and helps drive the story.  This is a sign of a very good writer.

Rahsan Ekedal's black and white art was a good match for the story.  Ekedal captures the mood and atmosphere perfectly.  His realistic art helps ground the story even when Brian is not sure if his schizophrenia is causing delusions.  I would like to see this team work together again.

If you are looking for a great graphic novel to read, this is the one for you.