Customer Reviews

Comes a Horseman

5 star:		(55)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

FBI Agents Brady Moore, criminal psychologist, and Alicia Wagner are used to grisly scenes of death. They are the ones assigned to the Pelletier Killings. The murderer uses wolf-dogs to restrain his targets as he uses an axe for the killing blow. Though the MO is the same for the victims, no one could find a link to connect them.

Then Alicia located Father Duncan McAfee, a Catholic priest in Manhattan. Father McAfee has published books pertaining to near death experiences. The people who died, went to Hades, and was then granted a second chance at life would tell Father Duncan their stories. As Father Duncan told Alicia their stories, things began to come together.

Meanwhile, in Israel, Luco Scaramuzzi is with a group called the Watchers. Luco and Father Adalberto Randall are trying to convince the Watchers that the prophecies are coming true and that Luco is the Antichrist. Enter a world where right and wrong of religion is a thin line that can kill.

***** Whether you are religious or not, this novel will give you the CHILLS! There is no way I can give a clear synopsis without giving away vital information that would nullify several surprises. This is a thick novel, but the content is so intense the time just seemed to fly by for me. I must have finished reading it in record time! It grabbed me on the first page with an assassination and kept going until the climatic ending. To put it in simple words, "You have GOT to read this book!" *****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

When a novel gallops onto the scene with this much applause, I tend to get suspicious. Few can live up this type of hype. It's unfair to poor Mr. Liparulo.

Fortunately, this book speeds ahead of our expectations and provides a photo-finish with the other top thrillers of 2005. "Comes a Horseman" qualifies for the race with thorough research and likeable--and very unlikeable!--characters. It draws on ancient prophecies and distorted religious schemes to conjure a beastly foe. In a refreshing twist, the female FBI agent (Alicia) is the one who must prop up and prod the male FBI agent (Brady), a man still mourning his wife's death. They have much to fear, considering the horrific crime scenes wrought by the axe of a fearsome Norseman. The assassin is really only a tool in the hands of much more powerful men. Unless Brady and Alicia can unravel the lies, they too will be victims to a malevolent evil.

Are you still suspicious? Still wary of the hype? Don't take my word for it. Go pick up a copy, read the first fifty pages, then see if you disagree. Like me, you may find yourself dragging behind this racehorse, trying to put the pieces together as it thunders toward a clever and satisfying conclusion.

Investigating a series of chilling murders, FBI Agent Brody Moore and his partner, Alicia Wagner, are puzzled by the seeming random choosing of all the victims. While the MO is all the same - bodies bitten by hybrid wolf-dogs, heads sliced off and set away from the body- discovering a motive or the killer has been unsuccessful. However, as the two agents are drawn further into the search for answers, they find there is a larger evil at work.

In Israel, an ancient society of antichrist supporters have raised up Luco Scaramuzzi to power. Claiming he is the Antichrist, Luco has convinced the group to back him up in his crusade to become the ultimate authority - and evil- of the world. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Though the shocking murders and this dangerous sect seem to have nothing in common, the connection is still there - it just has to be discovered.

Comes a Horseman was an intense novel that kept me at the edge of my seat almost the whole time. If you love authors Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti, you'll almost certainly enjoy reading this book. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more from the author, Robert Liparulo.

I'm usually not a thriller reader, so Robert Liparulo had an uphill battle to win me over with his new book, "Comes a Horseman."

He won. I was drawn in by the fresh prose, vivid imagery, and dynamic characters. And then he started weaving an intriguing plotline that had my mind racing as if through a labyrinth in the dark.

FBI agents Brady Moore and Alicia Wagner follow up on a string of bizarre killings, but suddenly the investigators become the investigated. Moore and Wagner become the target of a mystical organization that spans countries and centuries in its quest to find the ultimate power.

The quiet moments between Moore and his young son ring warm and true, and set us up for the moments of raw terror as the killer stalks father and son in their own home. It's clear as the chase takes us from the secret chambers of the Vatican to the shadowy tunnels of the catacombs, that we are in the hands of a master storyteller.

Some scenes are graphically intense, but brief. Liparulo hooked me and had me flipping pages to see what would happen next. It's no wonder Hollywood is already working on the movie version.

"Comes a Horseman" is tightly written and powerfully executed, with twists and turns that keep you guessing. And keep you up at night. Don't miss this one!

COMES A HORSEMAN by Robert Liparulo was definitely a book to rival the writing of Dan Brown. I started the book one evening, then began reading it the next day and did not stop until I had finished all 484 pages in the wee hours of the next morning. This is his first book and just came out recently. I will definitely be on the look out for more from him.The story starts out with a serial killer and his well trained and illegal wolf/dogs. Connecting the murders brings up strange threads that connect these killings to a secret society. The FBI comes into the story because the murders cross state lines. Eventually the case crosses world boundaries, the Vatican, the United Nations, and a secret society of different people who maintain membership because of their wealth, knowledge, and power. It eventually comes to the libraries of the Vatican, and goes to another underground network of cave tunnels and rooms where the future of the world is being influenced, and determined by those who hope to find the Antichrist and plug into his power and wealth to control the world. More realistic than futuristic in the story line of this book! The author claims NO truths in this book, but it is full or truths and real possibilities that adds more mystery/thrills of the book.

In the men's room of a house in Tel Aviv, a security guard checks for intruders. Finding none, he lets his employer use the room alone to attend to his needs. The employer is murdered by a lone assassin.

In a secluded cabin, a woman is putting the finishing touches on her artwork before ending her evening with a cup of tea and a good book. When she hears a noise at the back of the house, she investigates and finds paw prints in her hallway. Within a few minutes, she is dead, murdered by a man who resembles an ancient Viking and his three wolf-dogs.

In a secured chamber under the streets of Jerusalem, twelve men are meeting to discuss the latest signs and portents. These men are the Watchers; a group of wealthy, influential men from a variety of nations and backgrounds with one goal in common-to find the true Antichrist and assure his rise to power.

All of these events were put into motion by one man. That man believes that he is the Antichrist; the man destined to fulfill the prophesies in the book of Revelation.

As they proceed with the investigation, FBI Agents Alicia Wagner and Brady Moore find themselves in a life or death struggle with earthly powers of evil. While Alicia Wagner puts her trust in electronic gadgetry and subversive techniques to solve the case, Brady draws his strength from his basic training, personal moral code and faith. But to solve this case, each of them must face their own personal demons and weaknesses in order to find the well of strength that they need to survive and defeat the man who would be king of evil.

Most books in the suspense genre concentrate on actions and results, with little character
development and even less psychology. Robert Liparulo's book is the exception to the formulaic rule. He allows the reader to see how the world view and beliefs of Agents Wagner and Moore affect their actions on the job. I found this to be a fascinating approach to an often stale genre.

My only criticism of the book is that the author failed to properly express some of the insider's lingo of the Catholic faith. Having been raised Catholic, I was particularly sensitive to this issue and had to struggle to keep some rather minor points from clouding my overall view of the work. While this book was published by WestBow press which specializes in Christian books, Liparulo's novel manages to focus on the plot and characters and only explores the issues of faith when dealing with the motivations of the various players.

There is absolutely no way the Publisher Weekly reviewer even read this book. Shame on them. I brought this book on a trip and was going to just glance at Comes a Horseman in my hotel room one night; before I knew it, it was 4 four in the morning and I had read the whole thing. It is a fascinating, fast, thoroughly entertaining read! Really, it is one of the most original, well-written novels I have ever read. I'm not alone: Click on "See all Editorial Reviews" above and take a look at all the big-time authors who are raving about this book-David Morrell called it "an intense thrill ride" and "a must read!" David Dunn said it is "a riveting thriller." JA Konrath said it's a "ferociously original page-turner." And that's just a few of the glowing praise. Almost everyone I've seen who's endorsed or reviewed this book says how thrilling and suspenseful it is, and how intelligent it is. It was the four pages of advance praise printed at the front of the book that got me to buy it--and they're right. I don't usually go on and on about a book, but this one really deserves to be read! I heard recently that it already sold to the movies. The producer who bought it made all the Tom Clancy movies, so he's no slouch. The guy knows great work when he sees it. Anyway, you don't have to take my word for it. Read the first few chapters-you'll be hooked.

This story has it all: characters I cared about, high stakes, tight pacing, an interesting plot, interwoven history and art and police procedures and technology... yet, at its core, it's an intimate story about people. I'm amazed at how well the author crafted a big and complex plotline into something that feels accessible and personal. When Brady and his son are attacked, I was right there, on the edge of my seat; I marveled at Alicia's ingenuity--especially when she administered truth serum to a Satanist(!), and her tough-guy persona should please everyone who's tired of guys getting to have all the fun in fiction; I even found myself liking (or at least understanding) a pretty awful bad guy. I think it could have been trimmed a little in spots, but that's a minor complaint for a book that had me flipping pages well after I should have turned out the light!

Please, if you're squeamish, consider passing on this thriller.

But if you like Dekker, Peretti, Alcorn, King, or simply feel like taking a walk somewhere a little on the wild side, get your hands on COMES A HORSEMAN. This one is big screen material from the get-go, with diabolical plot twists that make sense, non-stop action, and a visual ride that doesn't slow down.

A fabulous read!

Comes a Horseman is a great read! The story really draws you in and keeps you guessing. The author has a knack for using colorful imagery and interesting phrases, such as "Scaramuzzi took a deep breath and tried not to visualize the people on the opposite side of the massive conference table as a big pile of corpses. As much as he'd like to facilitate that vision, he needed them. He needed their money, their power. For now." This is a welcome departure from those books that always seem to use the same formula (where you know how it'll end half way through the second chapter).
Usually it's easy to think of something to criticize in an author...my only one for Liparulo will be if he doesn't write another book!