The Answer Man [Hardcover]

Roy Johansen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 6, 1999

They call him the Answer Man. As a lie detector operator, he's an expert in the science of truth... and the art of lies--and both are coming in handy. Because Ken Parker has been in a bad way. His business isn't making enough money to support him and his sick brother. The repo men are after his MG. And an eviction notice has just been nailed to his office door.

Then Myth Daniels, the most beautiful woman he's ever set eyes on, walks into his favorite bar. Little does he realize that everything is about to change. Five minutes after they meet, she takes him home, to a posh Atlanta neighborhood of fancy cars, manicured lawns, and security gates. And that's when she offers him $50,000 in cash for one job.

Myth Daniels is a lawyer, and running into Ken at the bar was no accident. Her client Burton Sabini stands accused of embezzling $12 million from his company. Now she's offering a deal to Ken Parker: Teach her client how to beat the polygraph, and Ken will walk away rich. Not exactly ethical... but ethics don't pay the rent.

But Ken--more than anyone--should know the price of a lie. Just days after he takes the deal, two bodies turn up brutally murdered, and the one link between them is Ken. Now the only way out is to find the $12 million before his life crumbles completely. Even if the search marks him as a suspect in the two murders. Even if it makes him a target for the real killer. As he's drawn deeper into an explosive game of greed and violence, the question will be how to stay alive. And this time, not even the Answer Man knows.

A gritty, gripping debut thriller, Roy Johansen's The Answer Man is a pulse-pounding novel of dangerous seduction and unrelenting suspense.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If Roy Johansen's first thriller has a definite cinematic flair, it's no big surprise: he's a successful screenwriter. But there's a lot more than visual movement to recommend this exciting and original novel--beginning with a hero with an entirely new occupation. Atlanta-based Ken Parker runs a polygraph service, administering lie-detector tests to felons. And it's no lie that his own life is a mess of bad debts and failed responsibilities. So when a gorgeous lawyer named Myth Daniels and her client Burton Sabini offer Parker a much-needed $50,000 to help Burton pass an upcoming polygraph test, Parker hesitates for only a heartbeat before accepting. But his luck continues to run cold: a man whose life was ruined by a faulty polygraph reading attacks him. This man then winds up dead, closely followed by Burton Sabini. Not surprisingly, Parker fits the frame for both murders. The only person who believes he didn't do it is a marvelous creation called Hound Dog, a 21-year-old woman who photographs crime scenes. She and Parker have the kind of offbeat energy and instant credibility that get you over a couple of rough spots in Johansen's quirky and compulsively readable fiction debut. --Dick Adler

From Publishers Weekly

Down and out in Atlanta, Ken Parker is a polygraph examiner whose life just can't get any worseAor so he thinks. His wife has just left him, his car has been repossessed and his disabled Gulf War veteran brother is being swindled by an insurance company. Desperate for cash, Ken accepts an illegal $50,000 job from beautiful defense attorney Myth Daniels to teach her client, embezzler Burton Sabini, how to beat a polygraph. Then matters spin downward from bad to horrific. A polygraph test subject whose life was ruined by Ken's faulty reading attacks Ken and then turns up dead in a Dumpster. Sabini passes his polygraph test but later is also found dead in an alley, with Ken's phone number on him. Under suspicion for both killings, Ken is now suspicious of Myth. Enter Hound Dog, a 21-year-old woman whose obsession is getting information from a police scanner to find crime scenes to photograph; she delivers some bad news to Ken about Myth's past. Trying to clear his name, Ken stumbles across another murder, an attack on Hound Dog's boyfriend and a suspect who turns out to be Ken's still-beloved ex-wife. The offbeat narrative of Johansen's debut races cleanly through a maze of techno clues and multiple suspects, pulling readers along for a quirky ride with likable companions. Most notable of these is Ken, a classic amateur thriller hero who suffers endless humiliations while solving just enough of the puzzle to put everyone in grave danger when he guesses wrong. He deserves a sequel, and this novel's bittersweet finale gives strong hope of that.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (April 6, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553106074
• ISBN-13: 978-0553106077
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,235,071 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "The Answer Man" is captivating and makes you want more!!!, May 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Answer Man (Hardcover)

Roy Johansen's "The Answer Man" is a story that grabs your attention and holds you captive until the very end! The characters are well thought-out and deveolped, with very interesting backgrounds. Just when you think you know where the plot will take you next, BAM!, Mr. Johansen takes you in a totally different direction! I love that in a story! I want to read more, especially about Hound Dog's interesting hobby. Maybe a sequel???

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars future johansen junkie, July 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Answer Man (Hardcover)

I've been reading all of this year's Anthony and Shamus Award nominees, and "The Answer Man" is one of my most pleasant discoveries in the bunch. There's suspense, humor and clever plot twists, plus some very involving moments concerning a man's efforts to beat a polygraph. The characters were people I enjoyed spending time with, which is one of my main requirements for a good novel. Highly recommended!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Exhilerating look at white collar crime, February 17, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Answer Man (Hardcover)

THE ANSWER MAN is a lie detector operator who administers the test and interprets the results. Ken Parker hates his job because he knows his findings can ruin lives. Being broke with high medical bills caused by his brother's illness leaves Ken with no choice, but to continue with his present job. When a defense attorney offers Ken $50,000 to teach her client how to cheat on the test, he accepts.

Vickers Industry accuses their former employee Ms. Saboni of embezzling $12 million from the firm. He swears he never took any money and Ken insures she "passes" the test. However, he only collects $10,000 and decides to collect the rest plus interest from the missing money. Ken soon finds himself in an avaricious world where one misstep could lead to death.

THE ANSWER MAN carefully scrutinizes corporate espionage and its impact on a wide range of individuals, which provides readers a lucid look into white-collar crime. The engaging Ken is a decent person, struggling between personal ethics and pending bankruptcy. The audience will want more appearances from this likable antihero.

Harriet Klausner