A Blade Away [Paperback]

Jack Wallen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 8, 2011

Killers and victims on the fringes of society are the focus of the ‘Fringe Killer’ series. “A Blade Away” kicks it off with a murderous transgendered twist. "I am the last true artist.” Jamie Davenport is a struggling young officer on the Louisville Police Force. In her first homicide case, Jamie must track down a twisted killer who preys upon transgendered men to bring about The Change and transform them into their “true selves”. “I am da Vinci with flesh.” However, even with the help of her friend and mentor, Skip Abrahm, she finds herself fighting a war on three fronts: a victimized population reluctant to cooperate, a police force unwilling to take the crimes seriously, and a killer that is always one step ahead. “I am a god with your gender.” Warning: Contains adult situations and material.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Jack Wallen has been many things during his adult life. Among those many things, Jack has been an actor, hair stylist, computer engineer, bike mechanic, radio personality, and of course a writer. Over the past decade Jack has written thousands of technical articles (mostly about the Linux operating system), theatrical scripts for young audiences, as well as thriller, horror, and other forms of fiction. Jack now concentrates on horror, thriller, and fantasy fiction. Jack lives with his incredibly wonderful wife, three step-children, and six (count 'em...six) cats! For his inspiration to begin reading and writing, Jack thanks the ever-incredible Clive Barker for words that words can not describe.

Product Details

• Paperback: 390 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (April 8, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1461082218
• ISBN-13: 978-1461082217
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,045,725 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jack Wallen is the new name in horror. His works span genres and weave evil, conspiracy, and fear into nightmarish worlds.

Jack has been given the title "Zombie King" by his readers and fans. He didn't garner that title by dining on the brains of helpless victims. It was only after writing until his fingers and mind were nothing but meat for the beasts that he became a master of the zombie genre. During that haunted hay ride Jack produced works of fiction enjoyable by not just zombie fans, but anyone daring to take a peek into what might possibly become of humanity.

Of course, being of the insane writer clan, Jack isn't just happy with the penning of zombie fiction. Oh no, the nightmare does not end there. Like the late, great Freddy Mercury, Jack wants it all -- so, he will continue twisting the horror genre to meet his disturbed mind as well as write his Fringe Killer and Screampark series, and his joyous celebration of all things diverse -- Shero.

For his inspiration to begin reading and writing, Jack thanks the ever-incredible Clive Barker for penning in a genre with words of grace and horror.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Unique & Compelling, Well-crafted Novel August 22, 2011

By Karen Fowler

Format:Kindle Edition

There are two kinds of "disturbing" novels, the kind that splashes blood and depravity around for cheap shock value, and the other kind- a novel so delicately contstructed that the reader goes willingly into that dark night. And such is the case with this novel, A Blade Away. The journey, while disturbing, reads honest and true. The details maybe gruesome at times, but what other than horrendous acts of violence could give birth to a serial killer who doesn't even realize that's what he's become. Not to sound like a PSA, but serial killers are people too, though society often forgets that. Wallen has given us a complex bad-guy with deep battle scars and a warped sense of purpose. Serial Killers may not think like the average person, but they do think and feel just ilke the rest of us. Wallen is that good... I found myself both repulsed by and empathetic towards the twisted Doctor at the same time.

In the other corner, battling against evil and a narrow-minded boy's club is Detective Jamie Davenport. Along with her unofficial partner Skip, Jamie is plunged headfirst into Louisville transgendered community. Whle battling a downright frigid work environment, her neglected libido and potentially complicated relationship issues, Jamie must track down the killer before another person falls victim - or before the Chief busts her back down to desk work.

I've said before that the hallmark of a good book is two-fold: If you're tired the next morning from staying up late to read just one more chapter (and then another, and another) and if your mind revisits parts of the novel days, weeks, or even months later, like remembered reaility instead of a fictional account. A Blade Away had me on both counts.... If Wallen can handle serial killers, the transgendered, cross-dressers and the suspense genre in such a creative, finely-tuned, and insightful way as he's done with A Blade Away, then I can't wait to read his other novels! Read more ›

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining Thriller July 12, 2011

By Julie A. Dawson VINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition

A Blade Away is a fast-paced and well-plotted tale of a serial killer who victimizes the transgendered population of Louisville, Kentucky. On her first official homicide investigation, Jamie Davenport finds herself dealing with a sociopath who considers himself an artist and has taken it upon himself to bring "The Change" to the city's fringe transgendered community. Author Jack Wallen does an excellent job of approaching the material in a way that is entertaining without being exploitive or artificially controversial. In particular, I'm a big fan of Skip Abrahm, a gay cop who serves as Jamie's friend, mentor, and occasional partner. His struggle with keeping his orientation under wraps, as well as his frustration dealing with the bigotry exposed while trying to stop the killer, is authentic and adds a nice layer to the story.

Fans of thrillers with strong police procedurals, however, may find themselves tearing their hair out. The actual nuts and bolts of the various crime scene investigations feel more like prime time solved-in-an-hour policework than legitimate procedurals. In the opening crime scene, the police chief is at the crime scene before actually calling Jamie to the scene. After a brief exchange, he declares the victim a suicide and leaves. Jamie and her partner Skip then proceed to move furniture and otherwise completely contaminate the crime scene while the body is still hanging from the ceiling. There is no evidence collection or even a coroner on site to confirm time of death. Just two cops trouncing around the crime scene contaminating evidence left and right. The scene, and others like it, is the sort of thing that casual readers will gloss over but will get under the skin of hardcore fans of the genre....

While I like Jamie as a character, she is a poor choice for a narrator. Much of the first person narration has a rather "pro-Jamie" bent, as if she is telling the story in such a way as to make herself look better. It is as if she is conscious of the fact that people are reading the book, and wants to present herself in the best light. If you like first person stories, her style of narration may come across as endearing, though I don't know if "endearing" is a quality one actually wants in a thriller. But on a personal level, at times it felt like I was reading a book about a wishy-washy teenage girl and not a strong female cop. Wallen also does not strictly stay with a firm first person narrative. He jumps around from first person to third person when he needs to provide information on what the killer is doing or to offer details to the reader that the narrator would not know.

These issues don't take away from the overall entertainment value of the story, but do prevent the book from delivering the maximum amount of punch it could have offered. A Blade Away is still an enjoyable read with plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader on the edge of the seat.

Reviewer note--Author provided a comp copy for review. Read more ›

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Shocking! July 19, 2011

By Bookish Witch

Format:Kindle Edition

This is an extremely shocking book. I dig shock factor, though I know a lot of people don't. A Blade Away made my skin crawl. It is an in-depth picture of the inner workings of a serial killer's mind--a serial killer who doesn't know he IS a serial killer. It deals with the hardships of being homosexual, being a female police officer, and the identity issues transgendered folks face. It is touching, painful, and intriguing. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars J.A. Konrath for the LGBT community July 12, 2011

By Andy

Format:Kindle Edition

Like Konrath's heroine, Wallen's Jamie Davenport is a strong-willed police officer, but in A Blade Away officer Davenport faces a case like nothing her Chicago counterpart has ever seen. Someone is stalking Louisville's crossdressing community, but with a motive far more dark and complex than mere malice.

With her 'fabulous' partner and a colorful supporting cast, Davenport must race against an unreasonable deadline set by her narrow-minded chief to catch a serial killer bent on something much more significant than murder.

Wallen weaves a complex and engaging tale with this thriller, and even the killer is sympathetic at times. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested something beyond the run-of-the-mill detective novel.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Not for the faint of heart -- riveting October 24, 2012

By M. Frastley

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I became aware of this writer earlier this year when I was looking for something particularly dark to read, and picked up "I Zombie I" on the recommendation of a friend who likes Zombie stories. Not really my thing, but what happened is that story caused me to pick up a couple more of his books. "A Blade Away" is a dark, raw, unflinching, at times bleak and yes, gruesome, look at the horrors inflicted upon a certain minority of humans in our world: the LGBT community. In addition to the horror of being treated with constant ridicule and disrespect by the majority of the community -- and police force -- in this story, a group of cross dressing and transgender individuals who simply wish to live their lives in peace are being stalked and brutally (that's a mild word for it) murdered by a mentally disturbed individual with his own past of horrors. The leading character; a top notch female police officer with hopes of making detective in a decidedly old school police force in Kentucky, is relentless in her pursuit of the killer, despite opposition from her chief, who wants the case to go away, and who dislikes women almost as much as he dislikes anything "other." Her optimism, coupled with her upbeat, loveable and often comical relationship with her partner on the force, is what keeps this story from pulling the reader too far into the bleaker subject matter, and she is certainly someone to cheer for. Jack Wallen has written an impeccably researched novel -- and a truly gritty thriller with a fantastic female lead.