Blown Away [Paperback]

Shane Gericke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2006

Since joining the force, rookie cop Emily Thompson has had one ambition: to work homicide. Now she's got her chance. A twisted sociopath is turning her safe Chicago suburb into a brutal killing field, and every single one of his grisly clues leads directly to Emily. In 72 hours, on her fortieth birthday, he intends to make her his greatest trophy. If she doesn't stop him before then, Emily's first case will be her last. In a city gripped by terror, and with little more to go on than her instincts, Emily must match wits with a madman bent on chilling revenge. It is an investigation that will lead her into a nightmare world of unimaginable crimes, the dark secrets of her own past - and to a final shocking discovery...

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Financial editor Gericke's rookie cop v. serial killer procedural won't make anyone forget Silence of the Lambs, but his plucky heroine does evoke the spirit of Thomas Harris' Clarese Starling; too bad his brilliant, combat-hardened psycho killer isn't as vivid. Rookie cop Emily Thompson is about to turn 40 when she notices three dead bodies on her morning run: a goose and two ducks, decapitated. When the fowls' heads turn up in her mailbox later that day, it starts a three-day reign of terror by a serial killer with designs on Emily. Gericke gives supporting characters Captain Hercules Branch and Chief of Police Kendall Cross enough attention to bring their gruff veteran act to life, but overuses bland romantic interest Commander Marty Benedetti, who inexplicably melts Emily's hard heart without connecting with the reader. Perhaps that's a symptom of the novel's everyone's-a-suspect plotting-though flashbacks reveal the history between Emily and her stalker, an abused boy who grew up down the street from her, the identity of the killer is kept secret until the over-the-top endgame. Gericke's first act is fresh, and his prologue kicks the story off with a taut, grisly slice of terror; in these you can see the potential for a first-rate cops-and-psychos novelist.
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Product Details

• Paperback: 349 pages
• Publisher: Pinnacle Books; 1st edition (May 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786018135
• ISBN-13: 978-0786018130
• Product Dimensions: 6.4 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #916,165 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Read for the Strong of Stomach, July 30, 2006

By 

Melanie M. Smith "schoolmarm" (Warrenville, Il United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blown Away (Paperback)

I really would have enjoyed the book except the blood and gore were too upsetting. The novel was one you didn't want to put down but the images it left in my mind were very upsetting.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Shows tons of promise for the author, April 9, 2007

By 

Chris C. Ferro "ferro94" (Naperville, IL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blown Away (Paperback)

I live in Naperville and the local Barnes & Noble had this book prominently displayed, since that is where the story takes place. I really enjoyed knowing first-hand all the locations mentioned in the book. I thought the plot, events, twists, and turns of the story were excellent, I didn't ever feel smarter than the characters in the book. I did, however, find a lot of the dialogue to be forced and not quite what I would actually imagine people saying. Everything got better as the story moved along - at the beginning of the book I was underwhelmed, but as I got farther into it I became more and more engrossed in the story. Even the weak point for me, the dialogue, because better towards the second half of the book. Given that this was the only real flaw in my mind and given that this was the author's first novel and I saw definite improvement even over the course of this one book, I am definitely going to check out his next title as soon as I can. He crafted a great, tense story and if his wording evolves like it appears to be, he will just get better and better.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Absurd, farfetched, and bad character dialogue, April 29, 2008

By 

Matt Gilmartin "m_gilmartin" (Castle Rock, CO USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Blown Away (Paperback)

I bought this given all the hype in the Naperville Sun, and the glowing reviews from the other reviewers. I was totally disappointed, although I guess I could see where some people might find this a fun "beach read". The characters in this novel are not the slightest bit unique or interesting. The dialogue between the characters is written like a fiction 101 class, and the conversations between the younger characters are just plain dumb. The whole plot revolves around a serial killer being inspired by board games- my favorite line to laugh at is "You already did Boggle, you bastard!" LOL... Between the murders everywhere in quiant little Naperville and the nuclear bomb at Safety Town, I couldn't believe I wasted money on this book. While I'm sure the author is a nice guy, this book is awful.