Customer Reviews

Bad Chemistry

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Krist's style was clean and straightforward, and the plot, hinging on smart drugs, was interesting to me. I found this via mystery, but Berkley calls it general fiction and I think that's more accurate. At first, there was a paradigm shift in how I read this since it wasn't closer to the mystery genre (sometimes I like more formulaic easy reads) but this was worth it.

Three elements that struck me. First, this book felt as if it were starting mid-series, and not in a bad way. I was interested in Kate's past as a cop, and by the end of the book I was hoping for a chance to read about her again. Second, the supporting character of Evan, a misfit teenage boy, was an odd and uneasy choice -- but the character development was subtle and fascinating. Third, the whole smart drugs driven plot was intrinsically interesting; the point of view on it, through Kate, was conventional, but the author's view may have been slightly more balanced. There was a whole backstory from the husband's point of view that we didn't see; I would not have minded reading this interwoven with Kate's even though the mystery surrounding him was the vehicle for the plot.

I picked up on some similarities to Particia Cornwell, but it may just have been the setting and a few chance resonances. I can't really think of any one author this reminds me of (which is good); Carol O'Connell, maybe, but with the more focused humanity of a Thomas Cook.

I went out and looked for more of Krist's work but it's hard to find and apparently this is his first supsense-type outing. I hope to read many more.

This is a tremendously entertaining novel.. Gary Krist has an excellent ear for dialogue and his heroine is likeable and appealingly flawed. It's a taut, gripping book that makes you think while you're plowing through the plot at breakneck speed, with more than enough twists and surprises to satisfy even the most jaded thriller reader. Best of all, it manages to go beyond the sex and violence that too often define the genre.

Gary Krist's 'Bad Chemistry' has an outstanding message within the literature of this book. The message is that no matter how well someone knows someone else, that they will undoubtedly be surprised. Joel Baker definitely suprised his wife Kate Baker within this book. He surprised his wife by disappearing, and leaving all of his secrets behind. Kate realizes that the Joel Baker that she knows is not the real Joel Baker; that he had a secret drug involvement, and many other secrets. Kate is determined to find the man that she married, and will do anything to accomplish this.When a friend of Joels, Jin Liang-Lu, another man involved in the drug ring, is murdered with his hands and head cut off, the surprises are full blown. All in all, Joels return is not for his wife, but for information that he left on his computer at their house. While this entire scenario is going on, Kate us becoming closer friends with the boy who found Jin's body, Evan Potter. Everyone who reads this book can identify with at least one character or one point of view, and get the same message. That even those who are close, can be very surprising.

Gary Krist has created a dynamite character in the person of strong, stubborn, take-no-prisoners Kate Theodorus. Kate, a former Chicago cop, has been transplanted to the Maryland suburbs as the wife of Joel Baker, a 60's refugee turned entrepreneur. As the story begins, Joel throws a birthday party for the family dog to which the neighborhood pets are invited. Kate is not entirely sure whether Joel's intent was to impress the neighbors -- or snub them. In any event, the canine fest ends with an act of violence which will thoroughly horrify dog lovers such as myself. Later that night, Joel makes a routine trip to the store -- and vanishes. Kate finds herself at loggerheads with the police, who treat Joel's disappearance as a domestic matter. It is not long before a very weird 14-year-old boy reports to 911 his discovery (several days before!) of a mutilated body in the woods. When the body is identified as a business associate of Joel and his partner, Don, the missing Joel becomes a suspect in the man's murder. At the same time, Kate herself is considered a possible suspect and placed under surveillance. While Kate believes Joel has disappeared because he is in trouble of some sort, she refuses to believe he is capable of murder. But how well does she really know him?, she wonders as she begins to discover secrets within secrets.

No longer trusting the police, Kate launches her own search for Joel. Her investigative techniques include her Police Academy training, covert surveillance, following both people and paper trails, and plain old-fashioned bluff and bravura. When Evan, the boy who found the body, becomes her unlikely ally, she is introduced to the world of Internet snooping, chat, and hacking. Joel's import/export business includes legal and quasi-legal pharmaceuticals and as the pieces of the puzzle begin to fit together, it starts to look like the 60's battle cry of and Joel and certain of his partners -- Better Living Through Chemistry -- has been pushed to deadly limits. The novel culminates in a hair-raising confrontation among Kate and Evan and Joel and his cohorts, with a fortuitous appearance by a DEA SWAT team, from which not everyone emerges alive.

This author is a new find for me and I will certainly be on the lookout for his next book. This one, apparently his first, is dark and creepy and deep, and infinitely satisfying.

Gary Krist's Bad Chemistry was a quick one day read with some new twists; smart drugs and Internet intrigue.Krist takes a probing look at relationships at all levels in this book, specifically those surrounding his protagonist, Kate Theodorus-Baker.Kate is believable and vulnerable while maintaining the necessary toughness to survive her nightmare. Her husband Joel's secret life is shocking yet the reader is left wondering why she didn't pick up any clues, given her police background. There was considerable time spent developing her Chicago past, which might have been better spent more fully exploring their relationship. Plot depth notwithstanding, it was a fun read raising my awareness level of smart drugs and exploring the limits of trust.

This is a very cool take on biotechnology and the new pharmacology. Most thrillers about drugs are about the usual recreational kind, but this one is about designer drugs that can change the way you are--that let you, in a sense, choose WHO you want to be. That plays into the character theme of the novel. We can "design" our consciousnesses, but does that mean we can know each other any better than we did before? Krist doesn't think so. The writing is also great here--very smart, interesting. And the two main characters are really fascinating, especially the fourteen-year-old kid, who may be one of the weirdest dudes in contemporary literature.

Gary Krist's 'Bad Chemistry' has an outstanding message within this fine piece of literature. The message is that no matter how well someone knows someone knows someone else, they will undoubtedly be surprised. Joel Baker definitely surprises his wife Kate within this book. He surprises her by disappearing, and leaving his drugs from his drug ring behind. Kate is held aghast by this and is determind to find the man she married only three years prior. When Jin Liang Lu, another member of Joel's secret life is found brutally murdered, Kate's suspiscion increases dramatically. All in all, Joel's return was not for Kate, but for information off of their home computer. While this scenario is going on, Kate is getting closer to they boy who found Jin's body, Evan Potter. Everyone can relate to a character within this book, or a point of view, or the message. The message being that even the people closest to your heart will have a few surprises along with them.

This book combines the best of both worlds. It's smart, and has lots of interesting things to say about its characters and about modern life. But it's also an impossible-to-put-down thriller. Krist writes from a woman's perspective with amazing accuracy. This book is moving, funny, and exciting. I found the ending just a little puzzling, but it was a relief, I guess, not to have everything tied up so neatly.

If you like the books of Peter Abrahams, you'll like this one, though not as much. It's not as scary or suspenseful, but has a similarly driven and sympathetic heroine. The "smart drugs" back story was a bit too technical for me, and the boy who helps Kate solves the crimes is creepy, like Seth Green in "Radio Days." But it keeps you reading all the way to the last page, and it sure has a lot to say about marriage!

Two aspects of this thriller set it apart from the average. First, the heroine is believably fallible. She makes stupid mistakes, trusts the wrong people, and lets her emotions control her thinking. How could I not care about the fate of such a familiar character? Second, the crime she uncovers is an interesting twist on the typical techno-biological plots. As an added bonus, Krist writes clear, effective prose that is a pleasure to read. Kathleen T. Choi, HAWAII CATHOLIC HERALD