Cry for Help [Hardcover]

Steve Mosby (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 15, 2008

Dave Lewis is a man with a history. Haunted by his brother's murder when they were children, and scarred by his parents' grief, he's built a bitter life denying everything they ever stood for. He spends his time working as a magician, running a cynical magazine that derides his parents' New Age beliefs, and drowning his sorrows over his lost love, Tori. He's trying to convince himself the past is the past. A promise he made to Tori has got him into trouble before, and Dave's determined to move on and not let that happen again. Detective Sam Currie is a man with a past. His failure to prevent his son's death has ended his marriage and cast a shadow over his life and career. He's directed his hatred towards the one man he sees as responsible, but he has other priorities right now. A killer is stalking the city, abducting girls and sending texts and emails to their families before he kills them. When Dave Lewis appears to connect both investigations, it's an opportunity Currie can't resist.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. In Mosby's powerful thriller, set in what might be Nottingham, England, the police are baffled by an unknown killer who's been tying up young women and leaving them to die of starvation and thirst. The sadistic murderer uses his victims' mobile phones to send text messages to the victims' friends and relatives to suggest all is well while each woman is, in fact, slowly dying. In one case, the killer sends a message the day the body is found saying, You let her die. The official inquiry, headed by Det. Sam Currie, himself haunted by having discovered his son's decaying corpse, centers on David Lewis, a part-time magician and writer for a magazine debunking psychics and UFOs, who was involved with two of the victims. Lewis, who has something to hide, launches his own search for the killer. Mosby (The 50/50 Killer) intercuts between characters' perspectives brilliantly, setting up a reveal toward the end that's both logical and unexpected. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"[A] powerful thriller."  —Publishers Weekly

"Debut novelist Mosby has packed a complex, sometimes bewildering plot with brilliant ideas. His book is fiercely original, truly intriguing. This is speculative fiction at its reckless best."  —Literary Review

"He writes like the very best American thriller writers—with great focus, excellent plot ideas, and a real feeling for exposing violence and cruelty. And, at the same time, he finds space for descriptive passages that enthrall and enlighten  . . . Cancel all other engagements for the day."  —Guardian

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Orion Publishing (May 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0752874144
• ISBN-13: 978-0752874142
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,067,498 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gripping, March 18, 2009

By 

Helen Simpson (Leeds, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cry for Help (Paperback)

Would you feel guilty if your friend was found dead having been bound to a bed and left to dehydrate? Should you have touched base?
This is scarily realistic because of the age we live in; mobile phones, text messages, e-mail...would you be able to tell if it wasn't your friend who text you back saying that they were busy but would be in touch soon?

Mosby has a knack of making his characters realistic...albeit loners sometimes...and although I liked them, they have a dark tinge to them.
The book is partly written in the first person from the mouth of Dave Lewis who has a history with a few girls and works with his mate Rob on their monthly magazine 'Anonymous Skeptic'. The rest of the time it's a third person account of the action which also worked well and both styles kept me glued to the book, waiting to see what Dave was thinking and going to do next.
All in all a tense read that has you suspecting who the murderer is, only to make you change your mind in the next chapter.