The Murder Artist: A Thriller

• Publisher:   Fawcett
• Number Of Pages:   432
• Publication Date:   2005-06-28
• ISBN-10 / ASIN:   0345464729
• ISBN-13 / EAN:   9780345464729

The bestselling author of The Genesis Code and The Eighth Day now strikes his most harrowing chord, with a chilling novel that pushes suspense to nearly inhuman limits. As a television news correspondent, Alex Callahan has traveled to some of the most dangerous corners of the globe, covering famine, plague, and war. He’s seen more than his share of blood and death, and knows what it means to be afraid. But what he’s never known is the terror that grabs him when, on a tranquil summer afternoon, he ceases to be an observer of the dark side and, to his shock, becomes enmeshed in it. Separated from his wife, and struggling not to become a stranger to his six-year-old twin sons, Alex is logging some all-too-rare quality time with the boys, when they vanish without a trace amid the hurly-burly of a countryside Renaissance Fair. Then the phone call comes. A chilling silence; slow, steady breathing; and the familiar, plaintive voice of a child–“Daddy?”–complete the nightmare . . . and set in motion a juggernaut of frenzy and agony. The longer the police search, exhausting leads without success, the deeper Alex’s certainty grows that time is running out. And when, at last, telltale signs reveal a hidden pattern of bizarre and ghoulish abductions, Alex vows to use his own relentless investigative skills to rescue his children from the shadowy figure dubbed The Piper. Whoever this elusive stranger is, the profile that slowly emerges–from previous crimes involving twins, from the zealously secret world of professional magicians, and from the eerie culture of voodoo–suggests that The Piper is a predator unlike any other. A twisted soul hell-bent on fulfilling an unspeakably dark dream. A fiend with a terrifying true calling. What Alex Callahan is closing in on is a monster with a mission.
From the Hardcover edition.

Plot/Storyline: 4 Stars The storyline was unique with not only two children missing at once, but a set of identical twins. The police are at a loss because if ransom was the motive, why take both children with double the trouble? This would also fit for a pedophile. The father, Alex, refuses to give up and quits his job to chase down leads. His leads take him across the country and back again. What made this journey stand out is how much the reader gets to learn about the different aspects of the case as he finds them. I learned about whippets (a breed of dog), origins of magic, a little voodoo, origami, and much more. These details show what a rich and diverse world we live in. There were some superfluous scenes in this novel that could have been cut out while leaving the story completely intact. For example, there is a portion with a `voodoo witch doctor' that could have been deleted. While I enjoyed learning much of the voodoo history, the scene I refer to was just unnecessary. I felt the ending was a bit rushed. There were some loose ends, unexplained events that were either coincidence or more crimes by the perpetrator, which were not wrapped up. Also, I would have liked to have seen an epilogue. Character Development: 4 1/2 Stars Alex, the father, was fairly well-developed. The reader did get a sense of him and empathize with him at times. However, I did feel at though we should have been given more background on him to really understand him. The reader also doesn't get a good sense of the mother. She is just some weepy (and later, `witchy') person in the background.
Writing Style: 5 Stars The writing in this novel was excellent. The syntax was perfect for the flow of the story. The author did a terrific job of describing each location with minimal language, while still painting the picture. The dialogue was rich and very realistic. Editing/Formatting: 4 3/4 Stars The editing was very good with only a couple of errors. The Kindle formatting was okay. The biggest issue was the odd spacing. There were triple and quadruple line spaces between paragraphs. Once or twice, a sentence broke off onto the next line midway. Rating: PG-15 for Adult Situations, Violence

This is just a FANTASTIC story. Don't be put off by the fact that it's about kids being kidnapped, there's very little of the hand wringing, search the bushes, wait by the phone stuff. This book is about a father searching for his kidnapped sons. One reviewer described it as convoluted, and I disagree. His journey does take him to many places but when you get it figured out, for me, anyway, it's crystal clear what's been going on all along and it's chilling, yet makes a lot of twisted sense. No stretch for motive here! Outstanding story, very well written, I couldn't read it fast enough, I had to take breaks at the few tiny spots of release of tension just to catch my breath! What a story! What a rich history of magic that's revealed here, and what a twisted 'bad guy.' I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys an educated person's thriller. Not your usual fare by a long shot. I've also read and enjoyed The First Horseman by this author. Another well done novel.

At first sight there's nothing much to recommend this thriller- the plot is very basic, no twists or turns and characterisation is uninspired with lots of loose edges at the end. But it's beautifully paced by authors who clearly delight in research. As a result this is a classic old time horror cum detective novel and as one of the best of its kind, it's unputdownable.

The plot is about investigative TV reporter Alex Callahan's identical twin 6-year-old sons who go missing at a Renaissance fair. He soon learns that they have been kidnapped. However, there is no contact from the abductor(s) and soon the police's investigation also slows down from lack of leads and evidence. This is where Alex starts to take matters into his own hands and plays private investigator. His investigation leads him all over the US and he learns that magic and voodoo is involved. The more he learns about the abductor, the scarier it becomes and he knows that he has to find his sons as soon as possible, or they may depart this life in a terrifying way. The novel's pace slows down towards the middle of the story, but picks up towards the end. However, Alex's quest to find his sons is still a captivating read. My only quibble with this book is that some loose ends are left untied at the end, but maybe the author wants the reader to use his/her imagination and figure out how he/she wants it to work out.

This is the first novel I've read by John Case, and it won't be the last. THE MURDER ARTIST is a very well written thriller, and I say that as someone who has read close to a thousand books in the genre. The best part of this book is the beginning. Reporter Alex Callahan's 6 year old twins are kidnapped, and the first hundred pages are a highly realistic depiction of how Callahan and the authorities respond. This section of the book is incredibly suspenseful, on par with the very best the genre has to offer. Unfortunately, after starting with a bang, THE MURDER ARTIST eventually turns into a rather formulaic detective story. Callahan decides to purse the kidnapper on his own, and essentially becomes a de facto private investigator. He then embarks on a cross-country trek, interviewing witnesses and pursuing clues. The suspense level of the book drops considerably at this point. Case is a writer who obviously loves research, and much of the book is filled with a lot of interesting historical trivia, much like the work of Dan Brown. There are many lengthy dialogues about magic, origami, voodoo, and a host of other subjects. I personally found these dialogues quite interesting, but they do slow the pace of the plot somewhat. The storyline is ultimately very interesting, but it does becomes less and less credible as the story progresses. Still, I enjoyed THE MURDER ARTIST, and the book's pace does pick up considerably toward the end. Overall, this is a very well written thriller, definitely one of the better ones I've read this year. Recommended, and I plan on reading more of John Case's work.

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