Becker's Ring [Mass Market Paperback]

Steven Martin Cohen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1997

Police Detective Brent Kramer has always loved bringing order to the chaos of New York City's streets. Taking down the Dad guys was the number one allure of the job. But now someone else is laying down the law: Paroled murderers are turning up as victims -- surgically mutilated to make sure they'll never kill again. And while the public is alternately amused and horrified, Kramer must confront a criminal... with a very disturbing agenda.

"Outrageously funny....A realistic rendering of America's greedy fascination for the bizarre". -- Chicago Sun-Times

Cohen pits New York City's finest against a serial mutilator who dishes out a fate literally worse than death". -- Kirkus Reviews

"A macabre tale, bordering on black comedy". -- Deriot Free Press

"A fast-paced, tightly constructed psycho-thriller with well-drawn characters". -- Library Journal

In the cinematic style of Quentin Tarantino and David Lynch comes a riveting novel of dark humor and psychological suspense.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Cohen's macabre hardcover debut (after the mass market Seven Shades of Black, 1995) is an over-the-top crime thriller that begins when an ex-convict is deposited at a Manhattan hospital with his hands amputated, his arms surgically joined in front of him to form a loop and his mouth sewn shut. As like crimes proliferate, the perp ups the ante, turning a pair of paroled crooks into grotesque Siamese twins by interconnecting their arms and legs. Using a combination of computer technology and medical detective work, NYPD Lt. Brent Kramer and his engineer colleague, Nigel Atkerson, close in on the suspect, using botanical clues supplied by an eccentric scientist who specializes in a form of tree grafting that resembles the suspect's m.o. The story clips along at breakneck speed, aided by some darkly humorous passages in which the victims join the legions of talk-show freaks in search of their Warholian 15 minutes of fame. The detailed descriptions of the surgical procedures are needlessly grisly, however, and the climactic finale, in which the killer captures several of the protagonists, has a slapdash, haphazard feel. Cohen has crafted a fascinating spin on the standard genre formula, but his emphasis on sadism and gore ultimately detracts from the raw emotional power of his tale.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Someone in New York City has decided to play avenger to punish murderers whose prison sentences allow early parole. But the punishment isn't death; it's a very clever and diabolical medical operation that ensures these criminals never again harm anyone. As the victims, dubbed "hoopers" by the press, are dumped throughout the city, Lieut. Brent Kramer races to find the perpetrator. He enlists the technological knowledge of Nigel Atkinson, an offbeat engineer with a penchant for weird humor and the insight to observe that the "hoopers" resemble bonsai experiments gone awry. Cohen (Seven Shades of Black, Warner, 1995) has written a fastpaced, tightly constructed psychothriller with well-drawn characters, even if the premise is revoltingly weird. Purchase where demand warrants.
M. J. Simmons, Duluth P.L., Minn.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (December 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446604437
• ISBN-13: 978-0446604437
• Product Dimensions: 4.2 x 0.9 x 6.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,974,925 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's a shocker, but skip the romance, January 15, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Becker's Ring (Mass Market Paperback)

the first chapter will have you hooked. this is a scary read, and the detail is riveting. even though the events are pulse-quickening, there is well-placed humor in which the author seems to be winking at us. the conclusion, often the downfall of many mysteries, is completely consistant with the logic of the whole story. however, as with most murder mystery/police procedurals, skip the obligatory romance, this time involving the #2 male lead and an asian police department computer programmer, in which the dialogue is sophomoric and many of the references nigh-racist. would have been 5 stars if it weren't for the love affair.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Steven Cohen is back!!, October 13, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Becker's Ring (Mass Market Paperback)

If I were stranded on a desert island, this is the book I would want with me. Cohen is a genius! It was a pleasure to read a book from this new, fresh, sick, warped mind. I first became aquatinted with his work while reading his first book, "Seven Shades of Black." I look forward to his next book, although, I can't believe he can top this one. Can't wait for the movie version. BUY THIS BOOK, YOU'LL NEVER BE THE SAME!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bizzare and knee knocking, November 30, 1999

By 

Karen Bierman Hirsh (Greenwich, CT) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Becker's Ring (Mass Market Paperback)

This was one book that I could not put down. Although I read it several months ago I can not stop thinking about it.

Steve Martin Cohen has an excellent imagination, along with his ability to write and create unique characters that means one heck of a book.

If you liked Silence of the Lambs then you will love this over the edge thriller. Just remind me not to bumb into Mr. Cohen in a dark alley at night!