Serial Killers Books

As a former police officer this was not always easy to read. That is because better police work might have prevented this tragedy. Even serial killers can be lucky at times, as this story points out. The story also points out that victims can play a role in bringing about some measure of justice, and that not giving up can be rewarded.

The author, an attorney, doesn't spare us from the failings of the criminal justice system, and there are many in this story. He also doesn't spare us from the grief and fear a family goes through when the killer and motive for the crime aren't known for a long time.

Justice for Marlys is a fast paced, easy read, but one you will long remember. And what this story brings home for me is a message police officers at all levels need to be reminded of, that police work is not just another job, anymore then brain surgery is just another job. It is very important that it be done well.

With great candor and heart Munday tells the story of his family's long search for justice after his step-daughter's murder in the 1970s. Munday uses transcripts, interviews, research, and personal recollections to recreate the events that surrounded this terrible tragedy. The writing is engaging and the facts are well researched, but the author also spends ample time discussing the personal impact of the murder on those who knew and still love Marlys. I highly recommend this book for anyone with an interest in true crime stories, the criminal justice system, bereavement, Minnesota history, and stories about personal strength during the most turbulent times.

This site dosen't have a picture of the book so first let me say that it's a large hard-cover book with half the face of Jeffrey Dahmer and the words 'Serial Killers- The Stories of History's Most Evil Murderers' on the front.

As far as the content.. it dosen't disapoint. This book lists almost every single serial killer that are more well known as well as some you most likely have never heard of...Prominent killers from Australia, England, South Africa, Russia and New Zealand as well as almost all the American ones.

It's a very well put together book that gives it an edge on many other serial killer books because of all the pictures which are close ups and shots you most likely have not scene. Most other serial killer books usually just have the stories and a couple pictures but this has close up pictures of them all in black and white.

It pretty much covers it all.. why they do it, who they are and what they gain from it.. I could only think of one serial killer that was missing but he's not that well known amongst the general population though I consider him to be one of the worst but that's the only one not in here.

Overall, it's a very well put together book with the facts and profiles as well as full stories about the killers and victims. I pretty much know many of these cases by heart and did notice some small inconsistencies that were off that were somewhat annoying but for the most part it's pretty factual. Other than that I consider this worth the money and it's a unique addition to the true crime genre.

This book is more like an encyclopedia of 50 of the notorious serial killers around. Fortunately, it does not forget the names of the many victims whose lives are taken. The book provides an introduction and an explanation on what identifies a serial killer as well.
The list of contents include the following profiles:
Jack the Ripper of London, England
Herman Webster Mudgett a.k.a. Dr. H.H. Holmes of USA
Bela Kiss of Hungary,
Henri Landru of France
Fritz Haarmann of Hannover, Germany
Carl Panzram of USA
Peter Kurten of Germany
Leonard Earle Nelson of USA
Marcel Petiot of France
John George Haigh of England
William Heirens of USA
John Reginald Christie of London, England
Edward Theodore Gein of Plainfield, Wisconsin, USA
Harvey Glatman of Los Angeles, California
Albert DeSalvo of Massachusetts
Ian Brady and Myra Hindley of Manchester, England
Lucian Staniak of Poland
Jerome Brudos of USa
Zodiac Killer of California
Henry Lee Lucas of USA
Edmund Kemper of USA
Arthur Shawcross of USA
John Wayne Gacy of Illinois, USA
Ted Bundy of USA
David Berkowitz of New York, USA
Peter Sutcliffe of Yorkshire, England
Dean Corll & Wayne Henley of USA
Donald Henry Gaskins of USA
Dennis Nilsen of London, England
Fred & Rosemary West of Gloucester, England
Ken Bianchi & Angela Buono of Los ANgeles, California USA
Ricahrd Trenton Chase of Sacramento, California USA
Donald Harvey of USA
Wayne Williams of Atlanta, Georgia USA
John Francis Duffy of USA
Clifford Raymond Olson of Canada
Gary Leon Ridgway of Seattle, Washington USA
Genene JOnes of USA
Andrei Chikatilo of Russia
Leonard Lake and Charles Ng of California, USA
Richard Ramirez of Los Angeles, California USA
David & CAtherine Birnie of Australia
Aileen Wuornos of Florida, USA
Paul Bernardo & Karla Homolka of Canada
Dr. Harold Shipman of Englnad
Jeffrey Dahmer of Milwaukee, Wisconsin USA
Colin Ireland of England
Moses Sithole of South Africa
Ivan Milat of Australia
John Muhammad and Lee Boyd Malvo of USA

SERIAL KILLLERS CAN BE ANYONE.YOUR FRIENDS NIEGHBORS,AND EVEN FAMILY MEMBERS.THIS IS A SAD FACT OF LIFE.PEOPLE ARE MURDERD EVERY DAY.THIS BOOK GOES TROUGH THE LIVES OF 7 SERIAL KILLERS. H.H.HOLMES A SAVAGE SERIAL KILLER WHO IS CONSIDERED BY SOME TO BE THE FIRST MODERN AMERICAN SERIAL KILLER.THIS BOOK EXPOSSES THE MOST HORRIFIC CRIMES THAT ENYONE HAS EVER SEEN.
ED GEIN,ONLY KILLED TWO WOMEN BUT THIS BOOK TAKE YOU TO GEIN'S CULT LEGEN STATUS.
SIMPLY BY THE NAME"TED BUNDY" IT INVOKES THE IMAGE OF BRUTALY MURDERED AND RAPED YOUNG GIRLS.BUNDY'S ACTION OF HIS CROSS-COUNTRY RAMPAGEIN TH 70'S TERRFIED THE ENTIRE NATION.
THESE THREE OF SEVEN SIREAL KILLERS ARE NOT THE BEST KNOWN,BUT THEY ALLMADE AN INDELIDLE MARK IN AMERICAN HISTORY.

This fascinating book is part of the History Makers series, a series of books for young adults that offer short biographies of people who made history, either for good or for ill. This particular book covers serial killers, and has biographies of Herman Mudgett (a.k.a. H.H. Holmes, The Torture Doctor), Albert Fish, Ed Gein, Andrei Chikatilo, John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, and Jeffrey Dahmer. Each murderer is given a full biography, covering his early years, crimes, capture, trial, and punishment.

Overall, I found this to be a fascinating read. Though it is intended for young adults, don't sell this book short. In fact, it gives an excellent introduction to each of the murderers.

Now, as you might expect with a book on this subject, many of the details of the crimes are quite horrifying, so this book should not be given to younger or more sensitive readers. But, that said, if you are interested in serial killers, this is a great book to begin with.

My one suggestion - don't read this book after dark!

I tend not to enjoy books, fiction, non-fiction or fiction based on non-fiction on this era in American history but this book is extraordinary. Carr does an exemplary job of portraying the darkness of NY and the tenements and despair being a very effective backdrop for this equally dark story. Carr is a master of good old fashioned mystery, using real characters and real landmarks that makes this book all the more effective.

This is one of the reasons I enjoyed The Anatomy of Deception by Goldstone. The two are similar although, Carr is much more effective.

While The Anatomy of Deception uses characters not as well known to the reader, a little research of those characters history will no doubt make The Anatomy of Deception a good read for those who enjoyed the Alienist.

The Alienist is a very good book and I enjoyed it immensely.

This is the second Caleb Carr book I've read and it will be the last. Carr follows Charles Dickens in the tradition of using 100 words to say what 15 could have said.

The plot is slow to develop. Carr sacrifices reader interest for the sake of creating mood. He succeeds in doing both - mood is created and I nearly lost interest. I forced my self to move on, suck it up and finish and I was rewarded with a decent last 100 pages or so. But, the payoff was not early enough for all the build-up.

I cannot, in good conscience, recommend this book to anyone except for the most hardcore fans of mystery and/or New York City.

I first read The Alienist when I was 13. Arguably a bit too young, but I did it anyway. In the 10 years since my first exposure, I've probably read it 10-15 times in whole or in part.

The level of historical research and the fact that most of the characters actually existed is unmatched. Some other reviewers have called it "boring" and "sophomoric". I wonder what grade they got in American History? ;) The characters were strong and relatable. Sara is one of my favorite heroines in all of literature. Of course the plot and descriptions can be gory at times, but the 19th century slums were like that. Carr spared nothing in his descriptions of the conditions in which most people lived. As the editor for the Quarterly Journal of Military History, Carr has an even better understanding of how to properly research and present his findings in a creative way.

It's an excellent crime drama. It's a veritable encyclopedia of criminology from the turn of the century. In this era of DNA and GCMS, most seem laughable. However, they were relied upon for years. Fingerprinting is briefly touched upon and it's somthing that we take for granted in the crime solving process.

It's definitely a book for people with an interest in history. I would call it a "smart" book because it requires you to think. If you're looking for something fluffy and mindless, I certainly would not suggest this book. Perhaps a Dan Brown novel instead.

This is my all time favorite book. If you love historical fiction and/or crime novels you must read this! The story and characters are fabulous. It is such a page turner I could not sleep for three days until I finished it! And then I was sad it was done!

Absolutely one of the best books I've ever read, and I've read a lot. Its characters are so strong and leave one of the strongest residual traces of any novel I've picked up. Caleb Carr's New York is almost as vivid and visual as a movie, the author's researched the historical facts very well. I've recommended this to a lot of people. However, the follow up, "Angel of Darkness" was very disappointing.

Having only recently been introduced to the crime novel world I'm very impressed so far with the Alex Cross series. It's nice to enjoy a crime thriller without all the gross stuff for a change. Couldn't put it down.

This 2nd book in the Alex Cross series was absolutely spellbinding! I couldn't put it down. The plot was very interesting and kept you on the edge of your seat wondering what was going to happen next. I could "see & feel" every scene and emotion as if I were right there with the characters. I would recommend reading the 1st in the series- Along came a spider - then proceed from there. I promise you won't be disappointed if you love suspense & mystery! S.L. Chessor author of My Tongue Fell Out & Poodlums Boogeymen and Booglers.Poodlums, Boogeymen and Booglers: A Poetry Collection My Tongue Fell Out

In the Research Triangle of North Carolina, young, intelligent women are being abducted by a mysterious kidnapper known as Casanova. Like his namesake, he loves women - but unlike the famous man, he kills those who do not obey his orders. Meanwhile, on the West Coast, a kidnapper known as the Gentleman Caller is kidnapping and killing young women, before sending his diaries to a young reporter at the L.A. Times. It's obvious that the two men are in communication. But are the same person? Or are there two serial kidnappers on the loose?

Enter Alex Cross, the D.C. detective and psychologist famed for bringing down Gary Soneji the year before. Cross's niece, Duke law student Naomi Cross, is one of Casanova's latest victims. Everyone is sure that the man commits the perfect crimes. But when a young UNC doctor named Kate McTiernan escapes his vanishing house of horror, the Durham police and FBI have some clues as to how Casanova operates.

There's only one problem. Despite knowing the Gentleman Caller's true identity, Casanova remains a mystery. Always seen in various masks, he makes it nearly impossible for his victims to identify him. When bad things start happening yet again, it's up to Cross, his partner Sampson, and Kate to find the man behind the kidnappings - and rescue Alex's niece.

James Patterson's second Alex Cross novel, "Kiss the Girls", is a riveting page-turner that will have you on the edge of your seats until the final page. As a long-time mystery fan, I thought I had the mystery figured out, but I was wrong. This is truly a suspenseful novel, up until the last surprise.

When I was a kid in junior high school, our class read a Sherlock Holmes story called "The Adventure of the Speckled Band." In the story, a villain releases a trained poisonous snake into a woman's bedroom through a ventilation aperture. After the snake administers its fatal bite, the villain summons it back through the aperture by whistling for it. The snake has to climb up a bell rope to get to the aperture, and it is rewarded for its efforts with a saucer of milk set out for it in the adjacent room. In the subsequent classroom discussion of the story, I learned that snakes can't be summoned with a whistle because they're deaf; snakes can't climb up ropes; and snakes don't drink milk.

But what on earth does this have to do with Kiss the Girls? Well, a villain in that book has a beautiful young woman stripped naked and bound with her legs hoisted up toward the ceiling. After administering a warm milk enema--some of which dribbles out--he then lets a snake out of a wicker basket. The snake gets a whiff of milk and--you guessed it--slithers into the hapless girl's fundamental orifice to get to its liquid treat.

Classic example of an author without a clue...

As is the case in nearly all James Patterson's novels, the villains are over the top here--geniuses, handsome devils, phi beta kappas--and the crimes they commit over years are well beyond belief. There are no crimes in real life to compare with those in this book or in other Alex Cross novels. Not even Jeffrey Dahmer or Jack the Ripper could compete with Casanova and his sidekick, The Gentleman Caller.

And Alex Cross, the psychologist police detective, is perhaps just a little too good in places and a bit naive, even blind, in others. Coupled with his character flaws are more serious plot flaws. Casanova has captured a good many women and is holding them in a cellar at a remote rural area. He parks his car some distance away and visits regularly to have his way with them. But when Cross goes looking there, he finds no path, and there surely must have been one with all the foot traffic in and out. Another flaw: Casanova gets some nasty karate kicks when he captures one victim, bone crushing kicks to the face, as they are characterized. Would there not have been clear signs of his injuries next day when he resumes his public persona? Didn't anyone notice that his nose was purple and bent sideways? It seems to me that the laws of physics apply in fiction, the same as in real life. There are other flaws as well, but two will suffice here. Certainly there are many readers who like crime fiction that goes far beyond reality, but for me it just gets funny, rather than scary, when the laws of nature are abrogated.

I have to add one observation with respect to this book and other Alex Cross novels: it is very dangerous for any woman to become closely involved with our hero. Such women get shot, raped, cut, traumatized for life, kidnapped, tortured, electrocuted, etc. Cross's love affairs are not to be envied, despite the fact that he keeps meeting gorgeous and willing females. Perhaps he should consider celibacy for the sake of society.

I absolutely loved this fast paced thriller and have read the rest of the series. It is so good that it was hard to put down. Everyone I passed it down to loved it too.

I thought this book was pretty interesting until the ending. It was so completely over-the-top, contrived, far-fetched, whatever else you want to call it. It tried way too hard and failed big time. It's like he was trying to picture it as a movie and was trying to make a spectacular twist on the twist on the twist...and it was just an eye-rolling inducing obnoxious ending.

Like other Connelly novels, the mystery is good and keeps you guessing. No Bosch in this one -- instead a Denver newspaper reporter whose twin brother turns up dead. There's a point when the reporter, Jack McEvoy, notes that the most interesting part of a news report is answering the "why" question. Well, once the twists and turns are over, you'll feel like the author failed to give us enough of the "why." Who, what, when, where, how ... all answered. But "why" -- just not enough of an answer. Very frustrating.

Another important issue is that if you don't read the novels in chronological order, some of the twists may conflict with what you know from future stories.

Finally, from the negative angle, Connelly suffers from a common malady: repetition of ideas and approaches already used up in others of his books. It gets a bit tiresome.

All the above said -- as a stand-alone novel it's quite entertaining. Likeable complicated characters. A good story. And a to-the-point style that is decent in building tension at times -- and lacks the super-heavy over-descriptive approach that some other well-respected writers, like Rendell and Crais, may use.

The Poet is supposedly one of Michael Connelly's best novels, and since I had not read anything by him, I decided I would give this one a try. The intricate plot focuses on a newspaper reporter whose police officer twin brother commits suicide. While researching a story he plans to write on police suicides, he discovers that many officers across the country have died in similar circumstances that may suggest murder.

The book is well written, and the characters are decent. It is pretty standard suspense fare written in first person, but occasionally switching to third person to describe someone who may or may not be the killer. The plot strains plausibility and I found the romantic scenes in particular to be awkward and amateur. However, it is an engaging story with some interesting twists at the end. For a pure suspense/thriller type novel, it is one of the best that I have read lately.

Jack McEvoy is a reporter who works the crime beat. His twin brother, Sean, is a homicide cop. When Sean is found dead of an apparently self-inflicted gun-shot wound, with an Edgar Allen Poe quote written on the window where it was fogged up, Jack cannot accept that it was, indeed, suicide. He does his research and discovers an unsettling string of homicide detective "suicides" - each had an unsolved case that was consuming them, and each left as a "note" a line from an Edgar Allen Poe case. Of course, once the FBI became involved (since these killings occurred across several states), they wanted to shut him out - which he would not accept. He wanted the exclusive story and he wanted to know why his brother was dead.

An intense story with an intensely creepy antagonist, the Poet is an interesting break from the Harry Bosch series. It is MOST DEFINITELY worth your time to read. So, drop whatever you're doing, go buy the book and get reading!!

While I do feel like this book was well written, it left me feeling a bit cheated. I wanted to be a little more scared, a little more surprised and shocked by plot twists. It may have been that I expected to much out of my first Palahniuk novel, but frankly, I was disappointed.

I felt that Lullabye lacked in plot and focused too much on social and political commentary. It was a quick and fairly easy read, keeping me entertained enough to finish in 2 days but I kept waiting for something more to happen...and then the book ended.

I enjoyed his style and will most likely try another one of his novels, but if your new to Palahniuk, don't read this first.

When I first heard the premise behind "Lullaby", I thought it sounded rather flimsy: there exists a lullaby that causes anyone who hears it to drop dead as soon as they fall asleep, and it is, thus, the cause of all SIDS deaths. I could work out how a book with such a concept could begin, but I couldn't figure out anything beyond that. This is why Chuck Palahniuk is such a great author. He did, and he came up with such a convincing and exciting story that it kept me wondering what was going to happen next right to the end.

Here is a more detailed synopsis of the plot, for those with the same doubts as I had: after being assigned to write a series of human interest articles on SIDS deaths, journalist Carl Streator discovers that the one linking factor behind all of these deaths is a particular lullaby in a book of children's poetry. Then, along with a real estate agent who specializes in selling haunted houses, the real estate agent's Wiccan secretary, and the secretary's Wiccan boyfriend, Streator embarks on a road trip across America to locate every copy of the poetry book, and the original magic book from which they believe the lullaby came from, and destroy every one of them.

Yes, the premise of this novel is far fetched (and that's just the parts of the book that I've told you - wait until you get read the end) and yet, every character within the novel's reality behaves in a thoroughly believable way. This is one of the most original books that I have read, and as a result, it is virtually impossible to guess the next twist of the plot.

This if Palahniuk's fourth novel, and the first of his trilogy of "horror" novels, along with "Diary" and "Haunted". I have now read all of Palahniuk's novels, with the exception of his latest book, "Snuff", and I would consider "Lullaby" to be among his best. I used to be able to rank all of the Palahniuk novels, but the more of his books I read, the more I realize that he has written so many good books, that I find it impossible to pick just one favourite, and even a bad Palahniuk novel is better than most of the novels that are being published at the moment.

I found that a lot of the criticism heaped upon this story by several of the other reviewers is partly misguided. Although, when compared to his other books, this one does lack a lot of the shocking imagery, it still manages to provide an entertaining narrative in the same theme and tone of those other works. And that is what I think gives his stories value: not the disturbing imagery, but the creative look at common themes many people have seen with regards to our culture.

This story deals with power and control. Who really has it? Does it even exist? How should we exercise it? And, ultimately, do the answers to those questions even matter? While yes, this story is more conventional and straightforward than Palahniuk's previous work, I do not think "Lullaby" is disappointing in the least. I enjoyed it thoroughly and look forward to reading "Diary".

There's a lot I could say about "Lullaby," but some of these reviews have covered it. I would just like to note a couple of things:

-The writing style is very lyrical. The author returns to the same phrases again and again, often in different contexts than the first time he used them. It's a creative way to give the story a sense of theme, of being tied together, and it's also a creative way of twisting some seemingly benign sayings.

-The book is rich in real (and often morbidly fascinating) facts, which usually feel like a natural part of the story, rather than seeming strung together. The main character is a journalist and the author researches like a journalist. By taking certain elements of a journalist's behavior and using them to write the book, he makes the main character compelling.

Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk *****

Lullaby is not UpChucks best but it sure is close. It is easily among the best of his work. Better than Choke, Haunted, and Diary. On par with Fight Club, Invisible Monsters, and Survivor. The story is just absurd enough to almost kind of believe and gives insight into why UpChucks work is in a league all it's own.

The story of a man who works a a journalist and has a current assignment on the subject of S.I.D.S. or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. As he begins his assignment he realizes a trend across the country, as all of the parents of the children who died had read them a poem from page 27 in a book of poems from around the world; a culling song. An old African chant used to send the dying to the other side. This is all by mistake that the parents harm their children of course but once the poem falls in to the wrong hand it shows that people have a serious issue with tolerance and self-control. As the main character scourers the country in search for every copy of the book he realizes he has undertaken more then he bargained for.

Lullaby is a insightful (as is all UpChucks work), a page turner, and one that will have you transfixed on what is coming. Palahniuks signature style shines bright here and makes for one of his best novels.

I'm a bit of a Dexter fanatic. After watching just one episode of the Showtime hit, I was hooked, reeled in, and left wanting more and more. I adore the idea of a serial killer who not only kills bad guys (ala The Crow, etc.), but also ENJOYS and NEEDS to do this "work." It's rather twisted, yet seems just. How can that be?

Unfortunately or perhaps fortunately, I'm not sure, I watched the show before I read the books and I must say, Michael C. Hall's portrayal of Dexter is so amazing and wonderful, I found myself saying throughout the reading to Book Dexter, "Why can't you be like TV Dexter?" Even the plot lines, once again, on the show, they're fantastic, in depth, and gripping. In the book? Eh, not so much.

Still, I recommend this for any deeply devoted Dexter fan so you can see for yourself how this twisted good time started, but I have to be fair and recommend the show even more. It takes the book and kicks it up a few notches. It even slices and dices THOSE notches with ease and cleans up afterwards like a breeze.

If you are looking to read this book because you are hooked on the tv show, then you may be surprised. The book Dexter is a bit more cold and crazy, though still funny at times. What surprised me most is that the tv show was actually better than the book. I can't remember the last time (if ever) that I have come to that conclusion. The story is quite different, but a lot less things happen and before you know it. . . the book is over. I won't be giving away any spoilers, so you'll just have to find out for yourself. I would give the tv show a 5 star rating and the book a 4 star.

The one thing I really hated about the book were the constant repetitive ramblings about the fact he is a killer and why he even bothers to pretend. Over and over pages are wasted saying the same thing. By book #2 I am just skipping over these pages.

My day job happened to have a connection to the Dexter show - the sister of one of my coworkers worked on the set. My curiosity was already piqued by the premise of a serial killer turned vigilante, and I thought that as a show it would either be a marvelous achievement or a glorious disaster. Since it was on Showtime, and I don't get Showtime, I didn't get the chance to find out.

Eventually, Dexter came out on DVD and much to my relief the show was phenomenal. Dexter is every bit as charming and cold-blooded as you might expect from a sympathetic psychopath, and his occasional narrative aside serves to add both humor and horror to the events on screen. And those events are the political machinations of the Miami Police Department.

Dexter was raised by his foster father and former cop, Harry, to follow a particular code. This code regulates everything Dexter does, from how he dresses to whom he kills. Dexter's bloody murders are further complicated by his beard of a girlfriend, Rita, his half-sister Deborah, and his day job as a blood spatter analyst. Then one day a serial killer starts committing murders with an underlying message, a message meant only for Dexter. And then things get REALLY complicated...

The show is surprisingly true to the book. Every character is there just as I imagined them, except one: the main antagonist. In the television series, Dexter's antithesis is smart, conniving, believable, and capable of far worse than Dexter himself. In the book, he's a one-note ghoul who, in the span of five pages or so, expounds upon his entire background, his reason for killing and tempting Dexter, and their relationship.

And therein lay the problem. Darkly Dreaming Dexter tries to be both an ironic reflection of our fascination with serial killers and a murder mystery, but the mystery is severely lacking. Lindsay can only come up with "maybe Dexter's committing the murders in his sleep." It's telling that the producers of the television series discarded that notion right away, choosing instead to introduce the villain gradually.

The other problem is that the book escalates a conflict in Dexter's personal and professional life to such a level that it's something of a cheat; killing an antagonist off is easy, defeating them is hard. The end of Darkly Dreaming Dexter doesn't even give us closure with the other serial killer. He just gets away, leaving the reader with an unsatisfying conclusion and the creeping feeling that Dexter's personable façade has been completely discredited.

Nevertheless, Dexter is a marvelous read. As narrator, Dexter himself toys with language, using alliteration at it fancies him. As an author, Lindsay's writing skills are above par, and some of his descriptions are almost poetic.

Given the choice between the two though, I'll stick with television Dexter, thanks.

I don't know if I didn't really care for this book because I saw the series first, or that it isn't a great book. Usually I enjoy reading the book that a series or movie is based on AFTER I see it on screen. I think I enjoy it more because the book usually has more. This one does not.

I find the prose pedestrian and simplistic. The dialog is blase and the characters save for Dexter are one-dimensional props to move the plot (what there is of if) forward.

It is not a bad book. As a light summer read for sitting by the pool or at the beach, this would be fun. The pages fly by and what passes for a story is easy to keep track of.

If you haven't seen Dexter on Shotime, I suggest you do, but then avoid this book. If you haven't seen Dexter yet, start with the book. It will be much better for you.

I watched the first season of Dexter and couldn't wait to read the books that spawned it. I got the first two books out of the library and eagerly started reading number one. The sinking feeling came on page 8. Here's the passage that caused me to despair.
"No," he said.
"Yes," I said.
"Oh, no," he said.
"Oh, yes," I said.
He screamed, "NOOOO!"
Despite this I continued on. The prose is fairly average. The characters are painfully stupid. Dexter only seems smart because everyone around him apparently flunked out of elementary school. The commentary on Miami traffic is actually kind of funny. It did have occasional tense moments, only spoiled by the fact that I couldn't bring myself to care what happened to anyone, not even the main character. On an amusing note, there is inadvertant homoerotic banter between Dexter and Masuoka. If you must read the book, see if you can find it!

I didn't really care for THE COFFIN DANCER very much. Jeffrey Deaver is obviously a very intelligent author, but I didn't feel that much of an emotional connection to this book's storyline and its large cast of mostly stereotypical characters. For the most part, this was a rather colorless read, with a lot of action scenes and research on forensics, but not very much heart.

Further, most of the dialogue is quite stilted and the action scenes have a unbelievable, contrived quality. There's a bit of romance in this book, but the "love triangle" scenes struck me as forced and inauthentic. I would not recommend this novel to someone who cares deeply about good dialogue and characterization.

There are two very clever plot twists at the end of THE COFFIN DANCER, but they weren't enough to save the book for me. Clearly, I'm in the minority when it comes to Jeffrey Deaver's novels, since he obviously has a very large fan base. If you're never read Deaver before, I suggest reading THE BONE COLLECTOR, which is the first novel featuring his recurring character of Lincoln Rhyme.

I love Jeff Deaver's books in general and this one was excellent! Lincoln is one of my favorite fictional characters. Deaver never disappoints when it comes to suspense, twists and character development.

No spoilers

The Coffin Dancer is a pretty good follow up to Bone Collector, but it's definitely not as good. Actually the path of the books is very different. In Bone Collector, it's all about the antagonist leaving all sorts of crazy evidence just waiting to see if the law can put it all together and get on his trail. However, in Coffin Dancer there is almost no evidence whatsoever and Rhyme is having a tought time catching a break on getting a lead on the antagonist.

As I was reading, I kept thinking that Bone Collector was better and that while this book was good, it wasn't all that great, but at the end there are two huge twists that you will not at all see coming. I promise you. If you see these coming... well you won't and if you say you did then you're a liar. If you're thinking of continuing the Rhyme series, I definitely suggest you do so, because I am.

I have read a number of Deavers books and he always keeps me in suspense until the end of the book. I would definitely recommend this book and put it up there with Michael Connely, James Patterson and other such authors. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Alexander Adams did a marvelous job of reading this book on tape. It was a really great mystery novel with Lincoln and Sachs doing their best to catch the culprit(s). If you watched the movie, the BONE COLLECTOR with Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie, you know the characters and these Lincoln Rhyme novels are excellent. I picked up another book on tape by Deaver, PRAYING FOR SLEEP, read by Connor O'Brien and the reader is really not high quality. If you've listened to books on tape and heard readings by the likes of Frank Muller or George Guidall or the reader of the Stuart Woods novels, then you know what great readers are like. When you get a dud reader, it destroys the books. Although I've become a fan of Deaver's with this book and the Bone Collector movie, I'm afraid I'll have to bypass any "listening" of these books read by O'Brien.

Having said that, this is a great story of a very perverse and brilliant villain and a woman who loses nearly everything dear in her life because she's on the assassin's list. You'll love it, Deaver's done a great job with this one!

When the Poet - one of the most cunning of the villains created by Michael Connelly - who is known to be an ex-FBI agent named Robert Backus, resurfaces, it quickly pulls in both Rachel Walling, whom he formerly mentored, and Harry Bosch - who is being framed. Backus is again cleverly leading everyone around by the nose, keeping about 3 steps ahead.

Probably the best thing about the book is the very cleverness of the villain. Even though we don't spend much time in his head, we see the fruits of his labours throughout the book. Most people who read thrillers enjoy a good villain - because otherwise the PI, cop, detective, whomever, wouldn't have any sort of challenge. The very best writers in the business can actually make you like their villains, make them almost sympathetic. Not Backus, however - he's pretty much just evil.

Definitely a part of the Bosch series not to be missed - big recommend from this reviewer!

I find mysteries about clever serial killers to be especially satisfying. The sub-genre often features a killer who is stalking the police, and that's exactly what happens in The Narrows as an ex-FBI agent, Robert Backus (aka The Poet), tracks his ex-protégée, Rachel Walling, in a sequel to the non-Bosch book, The Poet.

Harry Bosch had worked homicide with LAPD for what seemed like a lifetime until he resigned after much frustration with police politics in City of Bones. Now, Harry is a private detective with a lot of time on his hands.

Harry's life has a new direction after learning at the end of Lost Light that he is the father of four-year-old Maddie by his ex-wife, Eleanor Wish. Eleanor enjoys earning a living as a high-stakes poker player in Las Vegas, and doesn't enjoy Harry's company all that much. Harry is trying to split his time between LA and Lost Wages, but is feeling drawn to the southwest more and more.

Harry stumbles into the serial murder investigation after looking into the suspicious death of an ex-partner whose heart medicine was tampered with. Naturally, the FBI wants him out of their hair . . . but Harry is always at least one step ahead of them. With a clever killer tweaking their curiosity, can Harry hope to survive between the twin anvils of a deadly murderer and the heavy-handed bureaucracy?

Because of the serial killing aspect, the book has a pace and beat that aren't always present in the Harry Bosch novels. This story built up nicely into an exciting ending that made this book qualify more as a thriller than as a detective story.

I haven't read The Poet, and I followed this story just fine. I have no idea how you will feel about this book if you did or didn't like The Poet.

Very nice!

The Narrows is a satisfying sequel to The Poet that for me was better than the first book. It also introduced me to Harry Bosch, the defining character of Michael Connelly novels. The novel moves fairly straight-forward to its conclusion, which is satisfying, if not a little brisk. Eight years after the Poet disappears, a GPS is sent to FBI agent Rachel Walling. On the GPS, she finds coordinates to the location of many, many bodies, and so begins the final quest to stop the Poet once and for all.

The Narrows just seemed to flow better, and it was easier to make sense of than the first novel. I found Walling to be a much more interesting character this time, and thought Bosch was more likable/sympathetic than Jack McAvoy of the first novel. However, it was insinuated that Jack might reappear in this novel, but it never happens.

This is another good book from Michael Connelly.

As always, Michael Connelly delivers. Since the first two books I read by Connelly, I decided to read them in order of copyright date, thereby enhancing the continuity of Harry Bosch's life. This book is getting close to the end of Mr. Bosch's career.

My favorite thing about all of the Harry Bosch novels is his three-dimensionality. We are allowed inside his head. There were times when I felt like shouting, "No, Harry! Dammit, control yourself and don't do that!" But as always, he gets himself into hot water, and manages to get out.

For readers not familiar with this author, I respectfully submit that Michael Connelly delivers as much meaningful content in 200 pages as Clancy does in 450. There is not a single word of filler. I have also never read a book where the speaker moves from the third person to the first person back and forth from chapter to chapter.

A totally enjoyable page turner!

I never knew where this story was going - I like that. The fact that the seriel killer was an FBI agent was certainly unusual.For Personal Pickup