5 comments about When Capone's Mob Murdered Roger Touhy: The Strange Case of "Jake the Barber" and the Kidnapping That Never Happened.

1. The Roger Touhy case has always fascinated me. I once firmly believed--back in my "armchair expert" days--in the innocence of Roger Touhy of the alleged Factor kidnapping, though, like author Tuohy, I was also skeptical of Touhy's own book The Stolen Years, which presented Roger as basically an "innocent bootlegger" rather than a real gangster. Mind you, I haven't necessarily changed my mind on this. Touhy may very well have been framed. It's just that there has always been a lot of evidence both for and against a frameup. Such as the wiretapped conversations between members of Touhy's gang and Jake "The Barber" Factor after Jake's release, threatening to kidnap him again unless further ransom was paid. Author Tuohy--no relation to Roger--neatly explains this by revealing that members of Touhy's gang were involved in the frameup. It's very believable but the credibility of the book is not enhanced by its numerous factual errors. Most deal with characters only marginally associated with the case but still undermine the book. Alvin Karpis was never a labor slugger for Capone. He was a bank robber and kidnapper whose only motivation to become involved in the Hamm kidnapping was pure profit. Karpis had no interest in framing Touhy for the Hamm job and certainly nothing to do with the Factor case. Karpis was, in fact, a friend of the Touhy gang and they had a mutual friend in "Baby Face" Nelson, whom Karpis introduced into the Dillinger gang. Melvin Purvis, who arrested Touhy for the Hamm job, which Touhy was subsequently acquitted of, was probably just another innocent dupe. Attached to the Chicago FBI office at the time was an Illinois highway patrolman, a so-called expert on the local underworld who seems to have actually been a double agent for Capone. It is curious that author Tuohy never stumbled upon this but he should have, as this was probably the "informant" who misdirected Purvis in Touhy's direction. Instead, the author implies that Purvis was part of the frameup, stating, erroneously, that Purvis knew through informants that Karpis had engineered the Hamm kidnapping. Purvis had no knowledge of this at the time. The FBI did not learn of the Barker-Karpis gang's involvement in the Hamm case until the following year, when they first heard of it from dying Dillinger gangster Eddie Green. The information on Gus Winkler (true name Winkeler) is also erroneous. Winkler was arrested for a million-dollar Lincoln, Nebraska bank robbery but he did not sell out his accomplices to beat to the rap. In fact, he was as innocent of this robbery as Touhy was of the Hamm and (probably) Factor kidnappings. Winkler simply bought back the stolen bonds from the actual robbers and returned them, beating the rap this way. None of the actual Lincoln bank robbers went to prison, through information from Winkler or any other way. No one--at least no one who's talking--knows why Winkler was killed but some evidence suggests it was just Frank Nitti consolidating his hold on the Capone empire by eliminating potential rivals, another of whom was North Side gangster Ted Newberry, a mutual friend of Touhy and Winkler. The connections of Touhy and Newberry to Mayor Cermak are well known but the case for Capone involvement in Cermak's murder, as presented here and elsewhere, is highly speculative at best. Personally, like many other researchers, I doubt that Capone or Nitti would have used a loser like Zangara for a hitman, or to have been stupid enough to have staged the assassination of Cermak while he was meeting the President-elect. Getting back to Touhy himself, the author does make a good case for Roger's innocence of kidnapping but his research strayed too far into other areas of gangster history in which his expertise is less than certain. Some source notes would have helped but the obvious errors detract from the author's equally obvious research. Still, someone--the Outfit? Jake the Barber? or both?--wanted Touhy out of the way in 1959. This book does go a long way toward explaining that. Despite its obvious faults, this book is a worthwhile addition to any gangster aficionado's library.



2. If you're into mafioso, read this! I loved it. Bought a copy for my brother to read for his birthday--good stuff.



3. Mob stories like Tuohy are a fascinating study in psychology of criminal deception. While criminal enterprises require a measure of loyalty. The question is always, loyalty to what, to whom, and for how long? Tuohy really understands the incredible gullibility to those who want to believe in surface appearances, while he keeps his eye on his own main chance. Unquestionable it takes the kind nerves of steel that only a sociopath has to be able to betray those around him to the extent that Tuohy (the con)does.

   Author John William Tuohy's startling account of Ken Lelek and StarNet is even more incredible. It must have required amazing personal courage - few people would have the guts it to do it and expect to get away with it.

   The "mob" world is not for the faint of heart, though. The moral of the Tuohy yarn is that in the end the ferryman expects his due.




4. An amazing story, I'm surprised it hasn't been turned in to film yet. Tuohy (The author) has tackled a difficult subject, an, considering the complexity of the issue has done well with it. Highly recommended



5. A complex tale of gangsters, political kickback, mob wars and corrupt politicians told with wit and humor at a good pace. Highly recommend this book.

5 comments about The Trophy Wife.

1. I have never read a book with so many typos and grammatical errors. One must certainly allow for human error even in the publishing of books, but this was just GROSS.

   I gave this book two stars instead of one because it did hold my attention -- I finished it in two days. But the characters were disappointing. I hate reading books that don't have even one admirable character.

   And the predictable ending was trite, not "explosive." The good guys (or gals) were no better than the bad when it was all said and done. Ugh.




2. The spelling and grammatical errors were so horrendous in this book that I felt it was a total insult to the reader. No wonder the author wants to remain anonymous! Some scenes were so overwritten that I skimmed many pages until I could see that the story line began moving again. I guess I probably missed even more mistakes. Obviously, someone was asleep at the switch when this book got published. Who is the real author anyway? I need to know so that I can avoid her future books.



3. I found this book to be too predictable. Like another reviewer said, it was hard to feel sympathy for the wife because she was painted as somewhat negative from the beginning. Even though the story leaves a lot to be desired, the editing is absolutely AWFUL. The typos and other mistakes were extremely distracting. Otherwise, I would have given the story a marginal two stars.



4. This is a pretty good thriller which is extremely exciting in the scenes with Emily and her tormentors. If the book was all like this it would have been five stars in rating easily but the lengthy scenes with Walter and other secondary characters do drag on from time to time giving the book a slightly less over all rating. Great thriller though, highly recommended. Current edition in Australia has none of thesse numerous typos some reviewers are going on about. If they bought books full of typos why did they not return them as they are obviously cheap rip off copies and not originals.

   Emily Childs, wife of Walter a banker who is at the top of his industry and in charge of billions of dollars of accounts is violently kidnapped. The kidnapper wants one hundred million wired to an account in the Cayman Islands by Monday or Emily dies. If Walter tells the police or his employer (they have a strict policy not to negotiate with terrorists or other extortionists) Emily dies.

   Even though he was about to dump his wife in favour of his much younger assistant and by following company policy under these circumstances he will more than likely be promoted, guilt and pressure from others plays on Walter's mind to do the right thing and pay off the kidnappers to save his wife's life. Andrew Hogan is an ex cop who left the force because he didn't want to be in anyone's pocket and is the bank's head of security so is the only man Walter can trust to get Emily back. Greed however is creeping into the minds of those holding Emily and she must be found before it is too late.




5. I give it a 3 for holding my attention. I am a teacher, and I thought I was going to scream over the editing. It became a game to see how many typos I could find. I thought the ending was horrible! Emily could have been killed, and she was brutalized, but no one says anything about it. Argh....I bought all 5 of "her" books, and this is the first I've read. I hope they get better.

3 comments about Darkness Falls.

1. This is the first Margaret Murphy book that I've read but it certainly won't be the last.
   Defence barrister, Clara Pascal, is kidnapped and held captive in a dark, cold cellar for 6 days, expecting that every next minute would be her last. Can't go into detail as it would give away the plot but suffice to say that there is suspense, tension and the expectation of iminent violence. M/s Murphy describes her scenes in the police Special Operation room in as much detail as if she were writing a script for a tv cop show which is a very effective way of writing in this genre. I gave it 5 stars (unusual for me) for good plotting, tight writing and her ability to hold the readers attention to the end without missing a beat.



2. Nine year old Pippa Pascal persuades her ultra-busy mom Clara to take her to school today since it is her birthday. Though the barrister is working on a major case with early appointments, still Clara is conned into dropping her daughter off to the amusement of her spouse Hugo. However, at the school following the mandatory cautionary motherly pitch to stay safe, Clara turns towards her vehicle only to have a red ski masked male abduct her.

   While Clara is chained to a wall in a clammy cellar with no food, water, or a toilet, the culprit remains silent behind his mask. Clara ponders who and why, but comes up empty. Meanwhile Detective Inspector Steve Lawson investigates the kidnapping with two prime suspects in mind: the spouse and a mobster she is prosecuting. Though held prisoner with Bastille-like conditions, Clara refuses to break or beg. Instead she fascinates her host when with élan she psychological assaults him though that track fails to move the culprit. As time moves on, Clara's chance of survival geometrically diminishes.

   DARKNESS FALLS is an exhilarating thriller due to the prime two characters. Clara will fascinate readers as she has her "host" with her courage. The abductee is also intriguing as ironically the audience learns his plans for his victim before he applies them to Clara. This enables the audience to feel for the barrister yet also sees what went right and what failed. Though a final turn of the screw seems too easy, fans will value this dark psychological thriller that does not let go until the final ante is raised.

   Harriet Klausner




3. Fast paced and chilling, "Darkness Falls" is a thriller that will definitely please even the most fastidious of readers. I certainly was hooked by the time I had finished the first chapter. And even though I (again) suffered from a lack of a proper night's sleep, it was well worth it.
   
   It's Pippa Pascal's birthday, and the nine year old wants her mother, high-flying lawyer, Clara, to take her to school. And so, even though she shouldn't, Clara makes the time in order to take Pippa to school on this important day. But outside the school gates, things go terribly wrong, when a masked man jumps out of a nondescript van and grabs Clara, bundling her into the van and driving away. Within minutes the police are on the scene; unfortunately, even though Pippa was a witness to her mother's kidnapping, the traumatized little girl is of little help. As the police try to figure out if Clara was kidnapped for ransom, or if she was snatched because of her involvement in the very high profile prosecution of a crime boss, the once totally in control Clara Pascal, imprisoned in a cellar and chained to a wall, battles for her life and sanity as she tries to figure out who kidnapped and her and why. But the more she learns, the more she realizes just how precarious her position is and how much she has to fear from this very determined man who seems to have some very firm ideas about what Clara should experience...
   
   "Darkness Falls in a very superbly crafted thriller that centers wholly on the character of Clara Pascal -- who she was, what she did, and her reactions to being imprisoned and controlled by her masked jailer. Slowly we get to know Clara -- to admire her tenacity and courage, even as we dislike her (past) single-minded dedication to her profession. And even though the book focuses equally on the police investigation and the killer's sick fantasies (there is a subplot involving the serial killer), reading of Clara's attempts to connect with her kidnapper is what made "Darkness Falls" riveting. Swiftly and tautly paced and with mounting levels of tension, "watching" how Margaret Murphy brings both these subplots together is a stunning and unexpected twist, made reading "Darkness Falls" a pleasure and well worth not having slept enough the previous night.

No comments about Roller Coaster Tycoon 4: Kidnapped! (RollerCoaster Tycoon).

5 comments about Lamb (Norton Paperback Fiction).

1. Lamb is a book about a priest (Brother Sebastian aka. Michael Lamb)who runs away from a cold, uncaring children's Home in Ireland with a young boy whom he feels sorry for. They then try to start a new life in England and try to forget their bleak past. Lamb is trying to come to terms with his fading belief in his religion and is at conflict within himself throughout the book. Lamb's teacher - pupil relationship with the boy changes to a father - son relationship and this strengthens his actions at the end of the novel.



2. I had to read Lamb by Bernard Mac Laverty as a school projet. At first I was really un-keen as it wasn't my kind of book , but by the second chapter I was totally hooked. the only thing better than this book is the film.



3. Bernard MacLavertyýs short novel LAMB is a great example of things going terribly wrong for someone who has the ýbest of intentionsý. The writing is flowing but intense, drawing the reader inexorably into the story ý it makes this a hard book to lay aside, even for the night. I was tempted to stay up ýtoo lateý to finish it.

   Brother Sebastian (née Michael Lamb) is a member of the Christian Brothers, assigned to a bleak reformatory where parents bring boys they can no longer control ý it is a way station on the road to troubled adult lives, although it is seen by the parents and the administration as a place of rehabilitation. Unfortunately for the boys, the ýrehabilitationý practiced by the headmaster and his staff in mostly made up of beatings and other forms of cruelty. The headmaster ý Brother Benedict ý at one point refers to the institution as ýa finishing school for the Idle Poorý, a telling remark that shows his contempt for those to which he supposedly ministers. Sometimes beatings are administered to boys the headmaster knows in innocent of the transgression at hand, simply as an example to the population in general. Itýs a depressing atmosphere, and it weighs heavily upon the already fragile character and emotions of Brother Sebastian.

   There is one boy for whom Brother Sebastian feels a special, deep affinity ý young Owen Kane, small for his age, quiet, and, as we learn, an epileptic. The boy is plagued by episodes of bedwetting, and his stubborn demeanor singles him out for especially violent ýlessonsý from the headmaster. Sebastian determines that the only way to save Owen is to take him away. He plots this action only skeletally, acting as he is on his emotions, with his intellectual abilities taking the back seat ý and this comes back to haunt the two of them as they steal away from the school and take off on the road to London. Sebastian honestly loves and cares for the boy ý this is not a story of sexual abuse by a church figure ý but his increased depression, which he doesnýt recognize as such causes them to be in increased danger of discovery, leading to the inevitable and very disturbing conclusion.

   The lighter scenes, in which Brother Sebastian manages to bring some rare joy into the childhood of his young charge ý and as a result into his own dark life as well ý are very moving. They give the reader hope that somehow, in some way, the Brother is successful in starting a new life with the boy, living in peace somewhere with him, as father and son. His intentions, as I mentioned, are completely loving and honorable ý the darkness in the book is not in those intentions. There is darkness in the system that allows such a place as the school depicted here to exist in the first place, and to be ýmanagedý in the manner of a prison for incorrigible criminals rather than an institution that would truly give troubled boys a ýsecond chanceý.




4. Lamb, by Bernard Mac Laverty, is, at 150 pages, a short read, but its brevity serves only to provide a perfectly told story without padding or exposition. It follows the story of a young priest, Michael Lamb (or Brother Sebastian), who runs away from the Irish Borstal that he works in, takes a deprived boy named Owen Kane with him. But, as his money dwindles, news of the kidnapping closes in on them, and Lamb finds himself running out of ideas on how to save the boy's life, leading to a dark climax borne of both necessity and love.
   
   Beginning in the Borstal, aptly referred as "a finishing school for the sons of the Idle Poor" by its head, Brother Benedict, Lamb observes this to be an accurate statement as he believes it finishes their lives, providing them with little hope for the future. Upon inheriting money from his father's death Lamb resolves to rescue Owen, a misunderstood - and epileptic - boy, often made an example of due his stubborn nature, and give him the life he deserves. They break for London, and spend their time exploring the city and discovering each other, until the time comes when they have so few options that Lamb is required to make the decision that will affect their lives, but he believes to be right.
   
   The characters, throughout, are developed sufficiently to create your own impression of them; although Owen's character could have done with further expansion with regards to his life before Borstal. Lamb, especially, as you would expect a title character, is well conceived and his decisions, at all times, appear believable. Brother Benedict, a sadist at heart, claims that he "was belted black and blue myself what harm did it do me?" without realising that it turned him into the one now administering beatings. Even the fringe characters: conmen, housekeepers, and perverts have enough splashes of colour to make them plausible.
   
   The writing, while not being flowery, is engaging enough to spin the narrative on, making it a book you are not likely to put down until completion. It's a thrill to read as the escapes bond with each other, but watching as their world of opportunity caves in around them. The underlying meanings and symbols that make the book special, the many inferences of the book's title, for example, raise the scope of the novel, adding further richness to it.
   
   Lamb, for its length, covers a number of topics, but the theme that stands out, for me, is love; that, and the things you would do for it. Sometimes, you don't even know you are doing it, Lamb discovers while trying to understand the fugues of Owen's epilepsy. But it's the grim denouement of the novel that questions how far one would really go, and it's this that adds the pièce de résistance to a wonderful and haunting tale.



5. Brother Sebastian, alias Michael Lamb, works at a finishing school for the sons of the Idle Poor in Ireland. There the Brothers teach boys to conform, make their beds, how to hold a knife and fork in order to shoehorn them back into society at an age when, if they commit another offence, they go to the grown-up prison. If they do not conform, the school thrashes them. The Brothers thus teach them a little of God and a lot of fear.
   It is to comply with his father's wish that Michael has stayed so long in the Brothers and besides he always wanted to help in whatever way he could the suffering of the world. Like the Lamb of God, he wanted to take away the sins of the world.
   There are three reasons which push Michael to leave the Brothers: the death of his father and the money he left him, the values for which the school stands which he can no longer tolerate and his attachment to a boy called Owen Kane (Owen is the Gaelic word for lamb) whom he doesn't see fit for such an institution.
   He therefore decides to leave secretly the school and take Owen with him to London with the hope to be the boy's saviour. They pose as father and son but soon the world closes in around them and when time, money and opportunity run out, Michael has no other option than to move towards a solution that is as uncompromising as it is inspired by his love for Owen.
   A powerful and deeply humane novel with a breathtaking ending, both dramatic and inevitable.

5 comments about Solid Gold Kid, The.

1. The book is so unusual for a kidnapping story but it is so good. I picked it up and couldn't put it down until I had completly finished it. I have read it twice since then and it just as good the second and third times. I live in Silicon Valley and go to what a lot of people would consider a school for preppies, so I know that the character of Derek Chapman is so realistic. The last part of the book was so full of the realism of the shock of surviving a kidnpping, I had to look up while I was reading it to make sure that I was still me and that I was still at home.



2. Review by Casey
   If you like realistic stories, you will love The Solid Gold Kid by Norma and Harry Mazer.
   Sixteen year old Derek Chapman, who lives in Central Park South in New York City, the son of a millionaire banker. Derek likes to take the 12:22 pm bus to the youth center in town. On one rainy, April, Saturday afternoon, Derek was at the bus stop with four other kids and they were all getting soaked. A van pulled up with a man and a woman in it and Derek asked, "Give me a ride downtown?"(p. 11) The people in the van gave them a ride. Derek and the other kids thought that the man and woman were just being nice but they were really kidnappers waiting to kidnap Derek. Will Derek and the other kids get out of this situation alive?
   I liked the realism of the story because this story could really happen. I also liked how fast the plot went. The plot kept speeding up for the majority of the story.
   I think that the story had great characters. Two of my favorite characters were Wendy and Derek. Wendy had come up with a great idea on how to get out of the fire lookout tower. They were trapped in a fire lookout tower and the trap door was tied with chains from the outside. "You'll let me down on the rope about ten or twelve feet, that's all. I don't have to go all the way to the ground. I just have to get a good swing going, swing out and then back in through the iron struts. I'll grab on to one of the struts and climb over to the stairs and untie those chains." (p.143)
   I liked Derek because he thought of everybody before himself and wanted the others to live and not get hurt. He tried to make the best out of a horrible situation. For example, when Wendy came up with the idea to escape from the fire lookout Derek said, "No it is just risky, what if the line breaks you could die." (p. 144)
   This is a very serious story. What happened in the book could happen in real life. In the story, people were shot, beaten, punched, and burned.
   The language that the author used was very easy to understand except for the times when Derek was talking to himself. For example, "Stay calm, Derek. Think. They want to kill you, but you want to live. You are going to live, you're going to live, you're going to live, you hear me, you're going to fight. Fight. Not dead till proved dead. Think. What are you going to do?" (p. 161-162). When I read the story, I thought that someone was saying that out loud.
   The book was pretty good except I didn't like the ending. During the whole story, there was alot of action that led up to the climax. After the climax, the story slowed. I think the ending wasn't necessary to the story.



3. I love stories and movies like this! The authors have a way of putting you right in those chairs, that attic, the van, right along with Derek and his friends. If you're looking for a book that you can really put yourself into, this is the one!



4. I read this book in school, I thought it would be boring because I am into Sci-Fi Books. Really I enjoyed it. Day by day my class read it and during the middle I wondered if the boy and his friends would escape safely. If you want to know you have to read it for yourselves.



5. I have now read this book at least sevent times and am working on memorizing it. I have read a lot of kidnapping stories and this one is honestly the best one out there if you're looking for one from the victim's point of view. (It even touches upon the parent's point of view a little bit near the end.)
   
   One of my favorite movies is "The Breakfast Club." If you are not sure if you want to read this book but are familiar with and like this movie, then you will enjoy "The Solid Gold Kid" just as much. In this movie, five high school age kids are thrown together for a Saturday detention class: three guys and two girls, the same as in the novel. They don't know each other at the outset but, throughout the day, come to know a lot about each other and end up actually being pretty good friends. It has been said that the kids in "The Solid Gold Kid" represent a pretty rounded representation of different social classes and circles (a rich kid, a Black guy, a Jewish girl, a middle-class white guy with glasses - whom I picture as kind of pudgy and medium height - and a strong-willed girl). The same happens in "The Breakfast Club." There are the Jock, the Criminal, the Princess, the Basket Case, and the Brain.
   
   The scene that especially solidifies this theory is the scene in the movie near the end where the students are all sitting in a semi-circle and each of them ends up taking a turn revealing their deepest secret and how it connnects them to being in detention that day. At the end of both the movie and the book, there is a certain level of commeradery, friendship, trust, and overall a genuine connection that these kids actually needed to find and wouldn't have unless they were all thrown together in this situation and had to learn to deal with it.
   
   Earlier I stated that the five characters in each of the stories are very similar. Not to make any judgements about them (especially religious or racial judgements) but based on their attitudes about the situations they are thrust into and partially just plain on how I imagine them, this is how I would pair them up across the stories. Derek = the Jock. Pam = the Princess. Jeff = the Criminal. Ed = the Brain. Wendy = the Basket Case. I don't want to influence how you read each of these characters but I just wanted to finish up my comparison of the ten characters.
   
   The two stories are even similar right down to the fact that in both there are really mean adults over them who abuse their power/authority.
   
   This truly is an excellent book. If you're still not sure you want to spend more than two hours deeply involved in a plot like this (and you WILL get deeply involved - it can't be helped), watch "The Breakfast Club" and from that you should be able to decide if you want to read "The Solid Gold Kid," right down to the quote at the very beginning(?) of the movie. Ooooh... that's one to think on...

No comments about Days of wrath: The ordeal of Aldo Moro, the kidnapping, the execution, the aftermath.

5 comments about X-Men: Codename Wolverine (Marvel Comics).

1. After reading Codename Wolverine, Ithought this made great movie material.The idea of Wolverine and Mystique teaming up to save Sabretooth makes forsome high stakes action. But there's more to this story than saving Sabre's skin. Once they find out the strange circumstances behind Victor's kid-napping, things start to get really wild. The "now" segments have Loganand Mystique trying to uncover the truth behind Victor's kidnapping, along with finding out that Black Widow, Maverick, and Banshee have also been taken .They find a lot of trouble in the process. The "then" segments take you back to Logan's days with Team X.The action is definitely fast paced,and the alternation from now to then and back will keep you guessing and wandering what's going on. The ending revelation and action bring things to a cooling end, letting you relax to know that Wolverine has won again,and yes, he's pulled Sabretooth's fat outta the fire. This really does sound like a good movie. A great read, too.



2. This is a great story of Wolverine and the rest of the project X team. It was very well written, but I'm a comic lover and I love to see the beautiful artwork that most illustrators come out with. I think this story would be great if it were in a comic form, what can I say I love pictures!!



3. I got half way threw the book and I was falling asleep. There is no action or adventure in this book and I suggest not buying it. It is a waist of time and money. Go by the old saying and "DON'T JUDGE THE BOOK BY IT'S COVER!"



4. After reading Golden's great 'Predator's Smile' Daredevil novel, I was excited to see what he would do with Wolverine. While not
   a bad book, the pacing is slow and the action is kind of far
   between for a Wolverine tale. All the characters seemed a little
   too two dimensional unlike 'Predator' which brought out the best
   in all the cast. While I hate to do this, as I am a Golden fan,
   you should pass on this one and read 'Predator'. (If you like
   DD anyway)



5. Wolverine has always been and will likely be one of Marvel's most popular characters. But, Golden adds a new depth to the background and persona of the lovable hairy mutant. A great deal of the book is flashback to Wolverine's espionage days and those flashbacks lend an insight that has been lacking in the character's development.

1 comments about The Lost Child.

1. I grew up in the area of Montana whereof this book is written. In fact, I was there at the campsite where Mrs. Jaeger's daughter was taken during the time period covered. I was one of the children that Mrs. Jaeger came to realize were saved by the loss of Her Child at the hands of a man who had murdered several children through the years.

   I read this book cover to cover in a couple of hours. What a tremendous struggle and glorious victory over evil in this world because of this one woman's willingness to not only bear the cross, but to search the scriptures, pray steadfastly for guidance, and be willing to move forward in that process. A wonderful, wonderful book of love, spiritual growth, true Christlike compassion and forgiveness. I'll never forget it!

5 comments about The Shadow Catchers.

1. FBI agent Mike Yeager is devastated over a child kidnapping case that went bad. He's on a road trip to photograph the Nevada Mountains--and to heal from the mistakes he made on his last job.
   
   In San Cristobal, Nevada he finds himself in the middle of a world of trouble. One child is dead, a man he had an altercation with is murdered, and a mother and her child are missing.
   
   The last thing Mike wants to do is become involved in the problems of San Cristobal, but the local sheriff has other ideas. Mike races against time to find the child and prevent other kidnappings by the shadow catcher. It seems someone is trying to teach the local sheriff a lesson by killing the people closest to him. And it is all tied up in an old case from the sheriff's past.
   
   Thomas Lakeman's debut novel, The Shadow Catchers, is a suspenseful and fast read that catches your attention and keeps it through the darkness that is the lives of the residents of San Cristobal.
   
   Armchair Interviews says: We hope there is another Mike Yeager novel in the future.



2. THE SHADOW CATCHERS is a very capable thriller novel. It's a fine choice if you're interested in a fast-paced suspense story with lots of clever dialogue. The quality of the prose in this book is very high, especially considering that this is Mr. Lakeman's first book.
   
   My major qualm with THE SHADOW CATCHERS is the plot, which I think is a bit too convoluted for its own good. Toward the end, I found it somewhat confusing. There is also very little in this novel that I would describe as truly original; I have read many other thrillers with similar storylines and situations.
   
   This book moves at a rapid-fire pace, and is dominated by many scenes of dialogue. As a result, character development suffers a bit. I felt that most of the characters in THE SHADOW CATCHERS were rather underdeveloped, including the square-jawed hero, who I did not find particularly distinctive or memorable.
   
   All in all, though, THE SHADOW CATCHERS is a fine debut. It will be interesting to see what Mr. Lakeman writes next.



3. Don't let those first few pages available on Amazon mislead you: Although the novel opens nicely with these hard-boiled words, the first couple of chapters don't fully prepare you for the humor, subtlety, and deep human insight that the rest of "The Shadow Catchers" has to offer. Detective Mike Yeager may on the surface be your archetypal FBI investigator with a troubled past, but that isn't just a brief backstory tacked on to a standard mystery plot (which in this case is about dead, missing, and secretive children in a small Nevada town ruled with an iron fist by a slightly corrupt sheriff). His character remains central to the story. He makes mistakes. His past never stops haunting him, and plays a crucial role in the mystery that unfurls around him.
   
   Thomas Lakeman's debut is very impressive. He has a command over the English language that you don't see in most contemporary mystery writers. His prose is to the point, yet fluid. His observations on human behavior ring true - sometimes hilariously so. And even while "The Shadow Catchers" delivers the goods - cryptic clues, red herrings, an array of suspicious characters and a big finale - it dares to plumb the darkest depths of the human soul, not for shock value but to find the troubling real-world truths that lie at the heart of every murder. There is an authentic sadness that lurks in the corners of "The Shadow Catchers," and though it's thankfully not enough to derail the twist-filled storyline, it helps the novel linger in the mind long after it's over.
   
   This is a fine, haunting book. Here's hoping Lakeman gets to write more novels and is allowed the freedom to explore his characters more in his future work, before those third act chase scenes set in. He tells a good story, and "The Shadow Catchers" is a great page-turner, but his real talents lie in the people he creates.



4. Thomas Lakeman is an excellent writer. His characters come to life with ease and I feel as if I know Mike Yeager well. Although this is his first book, he is right up there with Lescroart, Baldacci, Patterson, etc. I'm looking forward to reading his second book, "Chillwater Cove."



5. I absolutely could not put this book down!!!! Kept me on the edge of my seat throughout the whole book!