THE STALKER

by Theodore Taylor ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1987

Crude revenge-melodrama--featuring an oddly unsympathetic hero, insubstantial villains, and a thin plot, raggedly paced. Ellen Hickel, a beautiful UCLA undergraduate, is kidnapped by kinky psycho Klaus Hermann (heavily into dress-up S&M), a minor diplomat from West Germany; and she turns up a few days later, raped and murdered (a broken neck). Despite lots of evidence, however, the police are powerless to bring Klaus to justice--because he has already flown home to Hamburg, where his shipyard-owning mother is powerful enough to prevent extradition. So it's up to Ellen's father, a Marine colonel and Vietnam vet, to get ""that Kraut son of a bitch"" himself--even if it means giving up his military career, upsetting his wife and children, and risking his life. Eventually, then, after a bit of soul-searching, Col. Hickel is off to Germany, in top physical shape, with phony passport and Hamburg contacts (thanks to an old C.I.A. pal). Some rudimentary sleuthing--and the death of a prostitute-informer--leads to the discovery of Klaus' whereabouts: he's in Denmark, with a cool super-killer-bodyguard (""perfect casting for one of those German guys who shoots at Roger Moore""). And there'll be a so-so showdown with all three evil Germans--mother, psycho-son, and henchman--even though Hickel has been informed (in a poorly handled, undeveloped twist) that Klaus kidnapped Ellen. . .but didn't kill her. ""This sounds like that Charles Bronson movie,"" says Hickel's adoring wife Katta. It sure does--but, though serviceably written, it's weak imitation Death Wish at best, and not even in the same world with a first-class revenge thriller like Robert Littell's The Amateur.

Pub Date: May 1, 1987

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Donald Fine

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1987

Categories: FICTION