1 post tagged “fbi”
I haven't read a Christopher Pike book in years, not since his Starlight Crystal era (ten years ago? More?). When I was browsing the new book section at the library, I was surprised to see this on the shelf - I don't know why, he seems to be incredibly prolific - so I picked it up and took it home with me.
As I said, I haven't read anything of his since the Starlight Crystal books, which I never enjoyed, but the description of this book sounded like it was more of a return to his Blood-Guts-Gore-Sex-Revenge roots. It is.
Amazon has this synopsis:
Bestseller Pike's gripping thriller pays homage to Thomas Harris's Hannibal Lecter novels, particularly in the character of FBI agent Kelly Feinman, who fills the Clarice Starling role. An unlikely law-enforcement agent, Kelly was an academic drafted by the bureau as a consultant based on her graduate thesis on mythology. Kelly puts her expertise to use on a particularly savage case, that of a man dubbed "the Acid Killer," who has sent the Feds DVDs of his sadistic murders of women he believes have been unfaithful. Her research leads her to a promising suspect, but her desire to solve the case on her own places her life in jeopardy. Pike (The Cold One) deftly interweaves this plot with the elaborate, Edmund Dantes–like revenge scheme of Matt Connor, a California man who was himself betrayed by the woman he loved. While some of the action sequences involving Kelly strain credibility, the intricate, thoughtful plot offers enough fresh variations on the serial-killer theme to keep readers turning the pages.
If you've read any Pike books before, you will recognize this plot as nothing particularly new on his part, but I have to say that he is damn good at what he does. The Amazon reviewer is correct: some of the Kelly action sequences do defy the suspension of disbelief, but they are entertaining. Pike never writes anything that isn't intrinsic to his plot, and every twist of the story takes the reader on an even wilder ride. I admire the way he can bring in several completely unrelated plots only to tie them together at the end, and as always, his use of mythology and folklore (well-placed in this book) adds a lot of interest to the story.
I thoroughly enjoyed it. My only (very minor) issue with it is in the last two pages, but to say why would spoil the book. Otherwise - a really well-done thriller that kept me entertained the entire way through.
