Customer Reviews

Blind Side: an FBI Thriller

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It was very hard for me to follow this book. Suddenly characters developed bonds out of thin air. The characters seem to have ADHD, and talk of completely unrelated events. I've read thick and complicated "thriller/scary" novels like Black House, and zipped right through those books. Blind Side was just a mess. There was no real beginning or ending for these characters. The book is like a puff of smoke. Fading out as quickly as it faded in.

The first 175 pages are pretty good, but after that you can stop reading. To label it a "FBI thriller" is a stretch.

I found two paperbacks at work, both thrillers, both written by women, both part of a series, both having a two word title starting with the word "Blind". After reading five chapters of one, I skimmed to the back to make sure the good guys all survived, and gave up. The other kept me hooked to the end. The one that kept me hooked was Catherine Coulter's "Blind Side."

This book has two major plot lines. In order of appearance, they deal with a serial killer of math teachers, and the abduction of 6 year old Sam Kettering. In reality, there is no balance between the two. The kidnapping takes up the major part of the book. The serial killer story has minimal development, and is solved in a way that I found less than satisfying. (In fact, at one point, I wondered if it would be resolved in this story.)

I am not revealing something that is not hinted at in the plot summary blurb in the paperback, but one villain is a preacher. As an ordained Fundamentalist minister myself, I pay attention to the presentation of fellow preachers. I do wonder if Coulter has the view that all Fundamentalists are to be distrusted, but the characterization of the preacher in this book is such that I am not confusing his belief system with mine. I know of ministers who are as dangerous and fringe as Coulter's Sooner McCamy character.

I did find this book a little predictable, but I realize that it is hard not to be predictable. The epilogue was unpredictable to me, and I found it satisfying. There were a few loose ends left dangling, and one wonders if a future book in this series would deal with it (this is the first book in the series I've read, and I don't know if Miles Kettering had appeared in other stories). But if you want an escape, I would recommend this book, and I would not be surprised if I found myself reading another of her series at a later date.

I am not sure if the other two reviewers were reading the same book, but I thought it was absolutely great! The story bounces back and forth (somewhat) from a kidnapping to the math murders taking place in two different states. The characters remain the same and I thought Coulter did a great job of developing them, giving them a presence, and following through. It was very easy to read, easy to follow, and I always looked forward to what would happen next. There are a few religious things in the book to be on the lookout for, but if you can get past that, I would recommend it!

I've been a fan of some of Coulter's novels for quite some time, but this book belongs collecting dust in the bargain bin. The plot is gossamer and the character development non-existent. Not to mention the loose ends and unexplained happenings that are never wound up at the end. How did this ever make it to publishing?