Customer Reviews

A Breed Apart

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

 

 

A BREED APART is one of the books I enjoyed most this year. As a scientist myself I had came to appreciate Pierre Davis' (aka Pierre Ouellette's) crisp writing, tight plot-lines and cutting-edge science - which is not only well understood but also well explained. This book is an excellent example, although it may not be the author's best.

A disgraced cop with a lot of ex-girlfriend baggage; an escaped dog with a lot of extra genetic baggage; a sadistic assassin with a Mongolian fixation; homeless honor and corporate greed and (lack of) ethics; a reclusive puppet-master billionaire clinging to life; and an ironic twist in the arguments both for and against stem-cell research.

If you are a fan of late Michael Crichton, view this as the baby that JURASSIC PARK and RISING SUN would have had: A real page-turner technothriller with philosophical hooks.

The book could use more subtle location separators within the pages (three stars would be as effective as those thick black lines) and a better cover-art. But one shouldn't judge a book by its cover.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

This book combines mystery, suspense and science in a really novel kind of way. The characters, especially the detective at the center of the story, are vivid and well-defined. But the real hero of the book is the dog, which the author manages to bring to life in a most convincing manner. Throughout the book, he manages to take the most high-flying of concepts and bring them down to earth so that they constantly propel the story along: Advanced stem-cell research, animal intelligence, and various neurological diseases, some of them quite exotic. The pace never falters and the ending provides a very gratifying payoff.

I found this thriller to be completely engrossing; I picked it up at the grocery store for lunch-hour reading and had a hard time putting it down to go back to my desk!

What I found particularly good: characterization; plot; action; and resolution. As the story unfolded, the author provided enough bits of each interwoven story to build into a coherent whole. At first I wondered where he was going with some of the elements, but by the midpoint it was clear where the relationships were. In the meantime, the individual characters (including the dog) were sufficiently interesting and sympathetic (with the exception of the killer - brrrr! - he was interesting but most definitely NOT sympathetic!) to keep me involved and patient for the next clue.

I would disagree with the reviewer who found it slow-paced. It is, however, dense: not for someone who wants a quick, easy read or who is easily distracted. You will miss some good stuff if you don't concentrate. I am a reader who doesn't often try to figure out the endings of mystery novels, and since I don't try, I am a little disappointed if it's too easy to follow and predict what happens. This book definitely did not have that problem.

The resolution of "A Breed Apart" sets up the possibility of a sequel, and I for one would be happy to read it.

Pierre Davis has written a very entertaining and, yes, fast moving suspense novel that is a hybrid of a good medical thriller and a good detective novel (as one of the main critics has pointed out). It has a couple of plot lines that eventually converge in a very satisfactory manner. The first one involves Lt Det Elliot Elliot tracking down to track down a research dog on the loose, and then we have a contract assassin who is also trying to capture the dog. But why is everyone so desperate to get a hold of this animal? As the story races to its course all the other extraneous characters start to fit in, and most importantly we also get a perspective from the dog itself who we begin realize is no ordinary creature.
No this is not Dickens but, as the cliche goes, it sure had me glued to my seat for a few good hours. Recommended for everyone, especially lovers of dogs and suspense novels.

Pierre Davis is actually Pierre Ouellette, author of The Deus Machine and The Third Pandemic.

A real nail biter for dog lovers. Have to name a new genre: mystery/sci-fi/thriller. Looking forward to the sequel.

I would recommend this book to all-even those poor souls not obsessed with all things 'dog'. A different sort of canine story altogether.

I am picky. I like Dashiell Hammett, P.D. James, John Le Carre, Ludlum, Grisham and Ignatius.
But Pierre Davis is Ludlum with a tighter plot line. He has only written four novels. I read "A Breed Apart" and immediately put a reserve in for his next, "Origin Unknown."

If you like what I like I suggest you do the same.

John Culleton
Former Editor, Rowse Reviews

This was an all right book - it certainly wasn't great, but it wasn't terrible either. It was well-plotted and rather unpredictable, but the action was slow-paced, the characters were stuff and unrealistic and the writing was average at best. Still, it was a solid premise - and, really, who can resist a dog story?

An interesting plot and a tolerable hero, but reading it is like slogging through deep mud. It moves very slowly. The POV changes with every chapter, of which there are 75. Apparently the author even distracts himself with this, because he will suddenly be off on another tangent. The basic plot has a disgraced detective searching for a missing scientifically enhanced dog. I'm currently in Chapter 58, and he still has never even seen her, let alone caught her. Not exactly a Sherlock Holmes. The dog seems to be smarter. Less than a hundred pages remain, so I will finish it; but getting through it has been quite a struggle. I understand he's working on a sequel. Based on the good reviews, he will probably find an audience, but I won't be in it. I read fiction for entertainment and don't want to work this hard for it.