A gripping psychological thriller that, despite leaving a few important questions unanswered, keeps committed until its...
A well-written thriller of murder, mayhem and love.
Carlo Jardina, an Arizona police detective, meets the beautiful Jezebel in a Vegas casino. After Carlo helps Jezzie double down to a higher payout, she jokes that, as a cop, Carlo would be the perfect guy to kill her constantly cheating, incredibly rich husband, Roger. Settling for an incredible night of lovemaking, Carlo finds himself falling hard for the petite vixen, and, surprisingly, he considers assisting Jezebel in her crazy conspiracy for spousal elimination. Upon his return to the small town of Prescott, Ariz., Carlo finds himself thrown headfirst into the murder of exotic dancer Mary “Tanya” Bergstrom—the first of many for the sadistic serial killer who isn’t shy about leaving DNA, fingerprints and clues at the scene. With no leads, it’s not long before the killings turn bizarre when the killer, calling himself Stephen, becomes pen pals with Carlo, sending him macabre souvenirs, providing obscure clues and urging him to solve the case. As Jezebel heats things up in the bedroom, Carlo searches for just the right method for taking care of her husband. Once the wheels are in motion, Carlo realizes that the problems of the past and present are easier solved than originally anticipated. Werner’s thriller debut is highly commendable. He puts a new spin on the old “help murder my husband” ruse. But in his effort to be mysteriously subtle, the author neglects to fully resolve a few issues of various size and importance, making it unclear whether those issues are red herrings, abstract offerings or simple oversights. Though he has a firm command of his style, there are momentary lapses in dialogue and rhythm. However, Werner’s proficiency at character development and keeping multiple storylines flowing is worthy of applause.
A gripping psychological thriller that, despite leaving a few important questions unanswered, keeps committed until its cunning conclusion.Pub Date: June 10, 2013
ISBN: 978-1482338676
Page Count: 298
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Nov. 1, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.
Sisters work together to solve a child-abandonment case.
Ellie and Julia Cates have never been close. Julia is shy and brainy; Ellie gets by on charm and looks. Their differences must be tossed aside when a traumatized young girl wanders in from the forest into their hometown in Washington. The sisters’ professional skills are put to the test. Julia is a world-renowned child psychologist who has lost her edge. She is reeling from a case that went publicly sour. Though she was cleared of all wrongdoing, Julia’s name was tarnished, forcing her to shutter her Beverly Hills practice. Ellie Barton is the local police chief in Rain Valley, who’s never faced a tougher case. This is her chance to prove she is more than just a fading homecoming queen, but a scarcity of clues and a reluctant victim make locating the girl’s parents nearly impossible. Ellie places an SOS call to her sister; she needs an expert to rehabilitate this wild-child who has been living outside of civilization for years. Confronted with her professional demons, Julia once again has the opportunity to display her talents and salvage her reputation. Hannah (The Things We Do for Love, 2004, etc.) is at her best when writing from the girl’s perspective. The feral wolf-child keeps the reader interested long after the other, transparent characters have grown tiresome. Hannah’s torturously over-written romance passages are stale, but there are surprises in store as the sisters set about unearthing Alice’s past and creating a home for her.
Wacky plot keeps the pages turning and enduring schmaltzy romantic sequences.Pub Date: March 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-345-46752-3
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2005
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.
A violent surfacing of adolescence (which has little in common with Tarkington's earlier, broadly comic, Seventeen) has a compulsive impact.
"Nobody big except me" is the dream world of Holden Caulfield and his first person story is down to the basic, drab English of the pre-collegiate. For Holden is now being bounced from fancy prep, and, after a vicious evening with hall- and roommates, heads for New York to try to keep his latest failure from his parents. He tries to have a wild evening (all he does is pay the check), is terrorized by the hotel elevator man and his on-call whore, has a date with a girl he likes—and hates, sees his 10 year old sister, Phoebe. He also visits a sympathetic English teacher after trying on a drunken session, and when he keeps his date with Phoebe, who turns up with her suitcase to join him on his flight, he heads home to a hospital siege. This is tender and true, and impossible, in its picture of the old hells of young boys, the lonesomeness and tentative attempts to be mature and secure, the awful block between youth and being grown-up, the fright and sickness that humans and their behavior cause the challenging, the dramatization of the big bang. It is a sorry little worm's view of the off-beat of adult pressure, of contemporary strictures and conformity, of sentiment….
A strict report, worthy of sympathy.Pub Date: June 15, 1951
ISBN: 0316769177
Page Count: -
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1951
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