Customer Reviews

Becker's Ring

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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!

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!

You'll never read another book with this premise I guarantee. It's not about a serial murderer instead it's about a lunatic who performs serial disfiguring surgery on the victims. It has a lot of detail both on the procedures and on the hunt for the perp. But not so much you feel like you're in the first year of med school. This is an old book from the mid-90s and the author has apparently given up any thought of more mysteries which is a shame.

Over the course of several weeks, numerous victims of a serial mutilator are found scattered throughout New York City, each succeeding victim more horribly mutilated than his predecessor. Freddy Lopez, the first victim, has had his mouth sewn shut and a blowhole carved in his cheek. As a final insult, his hands have been amputated. A few weeks later, Jerome Lewis is similarly disfigured, only his arms are joined at the wrists to create what the media calls a "hooper" (think about it, it'll come to you). Jerome is found with his newly joined arms encircling the base of a lamp post.

Lieutenant Brent Kramer of the NYPD lands the case. Although he knows the media sideshow will be unbearable, he is thrilled by the prospect of searching for a "mentally disturbed needle in a mentally disturbed haystack". Assisted by his colorful sidekick, forensic chemist and jack of all trades Nigel Atkerson, Kramer uses his considerable wiles to track down the mutilator (who barely avoids being tagged with the ignominious moniker "Dr. Smegma") before he or she can commit another heinous crime.

Mr. Cohen chronicles the resulting mayhem with panache. His characters are quirky and larger than life, their dialogue crisp and laugh-out-loud funny. Cohen's narrative bounces around like a pinball--you never know what's next. The reader is presented with gross out horror, scientific asides, manipulative agents, sympathetic victims, weird suspects, a bizarre villain, a Late Night Top Ten List ("10 Things You Can Do With a Hooper"), a frenzied media, an eccentric botanist and more--it's as outrageous as real life, only a little bit more organized. Even the chapter titles are witty--my personal favorites where "Things Busy People Do Late at Night", "An Afternoon with Zippy", "Pfffffft!" (you'll get this after you've read the book), and "A**wipe".

I enjoyed this book, and I want to read more. Could someone leave more titles by this author in another review? Or how I could find them, for they seem to be out of print? Thanks


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OK, after a decade, I tried to re-read this story. I also got another of this authors books. Tried to read it...

This is one of the first genre books I read. Since then, I have seriously read over 1000 of them. My taste has matured. I wouldn't give this a five star review today.

Offbeat, inventive, and delivered with a delightfully wry sense of humor. This mystery will stand up as a police adventure but it's oh-so-much-more than that. If Joseph Heller's Yossarian had been a cop instead of a soldier he'd have been a lot like this novel's protagonist. The barbed, ironic tone works well to tell the main story, but it is especially fun when the author turns his lens on the foibles of bureaucracy and celebrity.

The fact that the author did his homework and understands his material just adds to the fun, making for a fast-paced book without those little errors that tend to throw some of us out of our focus. Cohen gets the little details as right as he gets the big ones. It's a shame we haven't seen a sequel. Or, for that matter, a movie.

Give this one a shot and have fun with it!

I wasn't expecting much from this book, and was actually surprised. Cohen's sense of humour mixed with his gruesome imagination makes for a successful recipe. The plot kept me reading, which is unusual for a book of this genre. Recommended.

nice, leisure mystery. predictable plot, very interesting medical 'bonding'. touch of horror macabre. redefines 'happy together'. minimal medical parlance. not a dense read. worth buying for the imagination.

While the author has a wild and wonderful imagination he still needs to work on his prose. The characters were fun and the plot was unusual. It shows how crazy the world can be and how the media can effectively create a star. This book is a fun and interesting read - I look forward to seeing where Steve Martin Cohen's career goes from here.