Breakneck [Kindle Edition]

Erica Spindler (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Det. Kitt Lundgren and her partner, Mary Catherine Riggio, of the Rockford, Ill., Violent Crimes Bureau pursue a serial killer ripped from Internet urban legend in this unconvincing thriller from bestseller Spindler (Copycat). When Riggios too-good-to-be-true fiancé is caught in the line of fire, the shooting at first appears to be unrelated to the murder spree of Breakneck, who targets computer-savvy 20-somethings. Of course, the connection is immediately obvious to readers, if not the veteran staff of the VCB. Lundgrens preoccupied with mending her broken marriage while ambling toward career burnout, and Riggio doesnt hesitate to throw out the procedural rulebook, eschewing her police training in a desperate search for the truth. Spindler strays from her comfort zone in tackling the mysterious world of cyber crime. Casting disaffected youth as criminal masterminds doesnt ring true, while descriptions of technology and its applications are painstakingly overexplained. (Jan.)
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From Booklist

Rockford, Illinois, homicide detective Mary Catherine Riggio is having a rotten time. Not long after her boyfriend proposes marriage, he’s murdered. Soon after that, MC’s cousin Tommy is also killed. And then there’s the mysterious death of a young computer whiz, whose killer apparently made off with his computer after breaking his neck. Can MC and her partner, Kitt Lundgren, solve the kid’s murder, and can MC find out who’s responsible for the deaths of her cousin and fiancé? Readers of this follow-up to 2006’s Copycat will likely see the plot twists and surprising revelations coming long before the characters do, but that’s OK. The two leads are a likable pair, each with her own personal foibles, and the dramatic element of MC’s unexpected loss of her fiancé gives the novel an emotional layer that will keep readers interested, even if the story itself is rather predictable. This solid-enough mystery suffers from the lack of any real surprises, but it will appeal to the author’s fans, who will appreciate the continuing development of the lead character. --David Pitt

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 585 KB
• Print Length: 433 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0312363915
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1 edition (April 1, 2010)
• Sold by: Macmillan
• Language: English
• ASIN: B002ASFPZK
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (100 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #89,587 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

A New York Times and International bestselling author, Erica Spindler's skill for crafting engrossing plots and compelling characters has earned both critical praise and legions of fans. Published in 25 countries, her stories have been lauded as "thrill-packed page turners, white- knuckle rides and edge-of-your-seat whodunits."

Raised in Rockford, Illinois, Erica had planned on being an artist, earning a BFA from Delta State University and an MFA from the University of New Orleans in the visual arts. In June of 1982, in bed with a cold, she picked up a romance novel for relief from daytime television. She was immediately hooked, and soon decided to try to write one herself. She leaped from romance to suspense in 1996 with her novel Forbidden Fruit, and found her true calling.

Her novel Bone Cold won the prestigious Daphne du Maurier Award for excellence. A Romance Writers of America Honor Roll member, she received a Kiss of Death Award for her novels Forbidden Fruit and Dead Run and was a three-time RITA® Award finalist. Publishers Weekly awarded the audio version of her novel Shocking Pink a Listen Up Award, naming it one of the best audio mystery books of 1998.

Erica lives just outside New Orleans, Louisiana, with her husband and two sons and is busy at work on her next thriller.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good story, bad writing, December 30, 2008

By 

Seven Kitties "7kitties" (Blue Point, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Breakneck (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

Fans of Spindler are going to get and love this book no matter what I say, which falls under that 'to each his own' category. Please allow me to say my opinion, and enjoy the novel! I'll address readers who may not have read any of her earlier MC Riggio novels and are wondering if they should jump in.

You can pick this up and not be utterly lost as to what's going on in the larger arc of the series. Spindler gives plenty of trackback comments that allow you to figure out what had happened in previous cases.

The actual plot is pretty good.

The policework and the writing, however, killed this for me. For a police-procedural, there's almost no understanding of 'procedure' beyond the lame stereotypes--the angry detective lieutenant, the forensic geek with the long memory, and interagency rivalry. Chain of custody? This case would be impossible to try in any court because of the main character's complete inability to follow police procedure.

The heroine lacks any empathy for her friend, who sacrificed her own chance at reconciliation with her husband to help out MC. There's nothing that makes MC stand out from any of a dozen police-detective heroines on bookshelves today, other than the fact that she's completely unlikeable. I cringed as Ed McBain's police characters made dumb moves, but I somehow still liked them. MC is impossible to like. She lies, cheats, throws temper tantrums, and treats her partner unforgivably badly. She witholds evidence due to petty jealousy and the inability to believe that her cousin could be...not so perfect. Corpses keep showing up around her, and yet, she's never even cursorily suspected of the crimes.

Older readers may be familiar with the host of offensive Italian goombah stereotypes that comprise MC's family--newer readers might be dismayed. Yes, every Italian 'big family, mangia mangia, Catholic, overemotional where's my grandbabies' stereotype appeared in this book. All that's missing is the knitting black-clad grandmother. (Aha! Spindler isn't Italian enough to know that one, I guess).

The writing is execrable. We hear three times about a young man that 'he had his whole life before him.' Verbatim, in three successive chapters. Dullsville. And when I came across this little gem, I almost threw the book agains the wall and gave up. From page 97, "You're twenty-one. You're a guy. And you're Italian. Being a screwup is practically a requirement." What?!(This, from our heroine--I told you she was pretty unlikeable, didn't I?)

The murder plot is okay, and peopled with enough twisted and devious types to hold your interest and not be instantly solveable, which I liked. The codebreaking could have been handled better (not just in a more professional, police-like way that could be prosecuted in a court of law), and the climax has plenty of suspense. If you can drag yourself through the thin writing, and summon up any empathy for MC (honestly, I didn't care if she made it out alive or not), it's a decent read. But for readers looking for a compelling detective, accurate police procedure, or any originality whatsoever in character or dialogue, this, you can take a pass on.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not convinced, December 31, 2008

By 

deeper waters (Michigan, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Breakneck (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

This was an OK book that missed the mark. The story started off well with the author making an honest effort to create suspense and complexity. As it progressed however, it was as if Spindler lost her direction. The demise of the characters felt predictable, choppy, implausable and redundant, the interpersonal relationships distracting and lifeless and I simply did not care much about anyone. Too many words were spent on a rather pedantic/technical presentation of cyber-crime and red herrings were awkward rather than genuinely misleading. In short, do not break your neck to read this one.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't break your neck getting this one..but its good!, January 17, 2009

By 

S. McCullough "pacey1927" (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Breakneck (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

This was a really good thriller. The cyber-theft ring was interesting and at least in my reading world, it hasn't been overdone. The killer was interesting and perfectly cold-hearted. Although some people were turned off by the short chapters, I thought it was different and worked ok. I like M.C. best of the two main characters and I think Kitt is okay. I felt horrible watching as the murder victims start to fall, and M.C. knows some of them. I agree with what other reviewers have said about police procedure. I am NOT involved in any aspect of law enforcement but I knew that there was no way some of that would have unfolded that way...but I can see that Spindler had to do things the way she did or her story wouldn't work. I thought this book was very entertaining and I only realized who the killer was a few moments before they did. However much I praise this book, I do acknowledge that this book wasn't nearly as good as Spindler's earlier works. "Forbidden Fruit", "Shocking Pink", "Cause For Alarm" and "Fortune" were just amazing. Those are the books I most recommend that you go and grab.