Customer Reviews

The Gingerbread Man

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

In a departure from the fantasy element of earlier novels, Ms. Shayne has delivered one of her best yet, a novel rich with spine-tingling mystery and an abundance of suspense.

Syracuse police detective Vince O'Mally oversteps the bounds of his profession and becomes too involved in his latest case. Two children are found murdered, and the only clue he discovers is an old library edition of THE GINGERBREAD MAN. That one clue leads him to Dilmun, New York, a small town on Cayuga Lake.

There, Vince encounters Holly Newman, last-known borrower of THE GINGERBREAD MAN, and secretary to the Dilmun Chief of Police. Vince and Holly's paths keep crossing, and he senses that she could provide a connection to his recent case. Holly, deftly portrayed as the fragile, yet strong heroine, can't decide whether she is attracted to or disturbed by the very forthright Vince.

Suddenly, many of Holly's old fears return as strange happenings grip the town of Dilmun leaving Holly and Vince in the eye of the storm. With a truly skillful manifestation of clues and possible suspects, the reader is kept guessing as much as any of the players. As Holly and Vince get closer to the truth and to each other, an eerily familiar series of events forces Holly to come to terms with her past. Can they catch the killer before it is too late?

In some novels, the suspense is over long before the book is finished. Not so in this case, as the answer to "who done it?" is made known when it should be, at the novel's conclusion. The nail-biting conclusion will leave readers white-knuckled for some time to come.

True romance readers won't be disappointed, either, as the love scenes become more memorable because they are not overplayed. With sizzling love scenes and suspense that just won't quit, Ms. Shayne has created a praise-worthy novel truly deserving of its classification as romantic suspense.

I'm the gingerbread man!"

After giving a mother false hope for the return of her two children, Bobby and Kara Prague, detective Vince O'Mally becomes quite distraught after discovering them murdered in a old, dilapidated house in Syracuse. Through his search, however, he comes across a broken floorboard with a book called "The Gingerbread Man" hidden underneath it, which was last checked out at the Dilmun library in upstate New York. Thinking that it might be a possible clue to the crime scene at hand, he secretly stashes it away and continues his search for the killer, even after he's been taken off of the Prague case because of an extensive FBI involvement and because of letting himself get too emotionally attached to Sara Prague and her unfortunate mishap.

Vince O'Mally was prepared for just about anything (mainly due to low expectations of uncovering any incriminating evidence) but what he wasn't prepared for was Holly Newman: a young, fragile beauty with a falsified demeanor as her life was based upon daily habits and continual order. It's when he senses a dark secret suppressed within her carefully constructed facade that her step becomes unsteady as her course is thrown off by the unnerving curiousity of the "stranger" in town, whom is welcomed with a cold shoulder by the small town locals. He manages to weave his way into Holly's life however and steadily unearths a ghastly memory that has haunted her for years. A memory that had once pushed her to take numerous pills and seek ample amounts of therapy.

When he learns of Holly's secret (that Holly had witnessed the abduction of her little sister Ivy some twenty years age and was dying inside because of survivor's guilt), he perceives her as being stronger than everyone lets on and starts to lose himself in his determination to make all of the wrong in her life more barable. Then again he also sees Holly as the key; the missing piece to the puzzle, and begins to link the two murders together and suspect that they were done by the same person, and that he may even live here in Dilmun!

"The Gingerbread Man" by Maggie Shayne is different from the other books I've read by her but if you appreciate good writing with hooking suspense and enthralling romance that's real and not sappy than this is a must read for it truly is amazing!

"The Gingerbread Man" by Maggie Shayne is a first-class romantic suspense novel that kept me completely captivated from start to finish. With a thrilling plot full of twists and turns and vivid and sympathetic characters, "The Gingerbread Man" is a book you don't want to miss.

Syracuse Detective Vince O'Mally made a promise he knew was a mistake. When the mother of two missing children made her umpteenth appearance in his office, Vince promised her he would find her son and daughter and bring them home. So when Vince and his partner follow up a tip on a bad smell coming from a run-down house, Vince is shattered when he finds the savaged bodies of little Bobby and Kara Prague. The only clue is a children's book hidden under the floorboards, "The Gingerbread Man", borrowed nearly twenty years ago from a library in a small town called Dilmun in upstate New York.

Vince is haunted by this case day and night, and when the FBI takes the case from the local police, Vince is furious. Concerned with Vince's run-down appearance and obsessive behaviour, the Syracuse Chief of Police orders Vince to either take a month long vacation or see the police psychiatrist for an hour a day until the shrink deems Vince okay. Unable to let this go, Vince takes the forced vacation, traveling to Dilmun to follow up on his only clue.

The small town of Dilmun, located on Cayuga Lake is a close-knit and quiet community. Upon his arrival Vince meets the beautiful and troubled Holly Newman, whose own sister was abducted and murdered twenty years ago while carrying the book "The Gingerbread Man", the very same book found in the house with Bobby and Kara Prague. But the thing is, the man who killed Holly's sister confessed and is currently sitting in prison for the crime. Seems open and shut, right? Vince doesn't think so. In fact, Vince is convinced that the man who killed Holly's sister is the same man who killed Bobby and Kara Prague, and he thinks that person lives right there in Dilmun.

Vince knows that Holly is the key to solving this case, and that the answers he so desperately needs are locked somewhere in her mind. Vince spends more and more time with Holly as he tries to help her uncover the memories she has suppressed for all these years. And though he has told himself over and over that the seemingly fragile and needy Holly isn't any good for him, Vince falls completely and hopelessly in love.

In addition to the two fantastic main characters, "The Gingerbread Man" is filled with intriguing supporting characters too, such as retired and reclusive movie star Reginald D'Voe and his troubled niece Amanda. And when a young girl is kidnapped at Reggie D'Voe's annual Halloween party, Holly finds herself re-living her worst nightmare. But amidst the horror and the fear, Holly finds a core of inner strength she never knew existed, and she and Vince race to find the girl before it's too late.

"The Gingerbread Man" is a fabulous read and I found it extremely hard to put down. Shayne expertly kept me guessing through the whole book - the murderer was a complete mystery to me until the very end! Filled with brilliantly rendered images of raging storms and mysterious autumn nights, this book will provide all the thrills and chills you could ask for. The romance between Holly and Vince is beautifully depicted, and is filled with true to life passion and tenderness. "The Gingerbread Man" is a truly fine example of romantic suspense writing, so buy it today. You won't be disappointed!

Detective Vincent O'Mally has always been the type of police officer that is very calm, rational and objective during the investigation of horrific crimes. He has been decorated for outstanding performance several times by the Syracuse Police Department. But his latest case is taking its toll on him. He can't eat, sleep, or do anything but focus on the kidnapping of two small children. To make matters worse, the mother of the missing children has begun to appear in his office with a picture of her two children wanting to know what the police have discovered. Vince, trying to ease her pain, makes a promise to her he knows he shouldn't. He promises to bring her children home to her. A few days later, he receives a tip on an abandon house. The smell coming out of it is horrible. Vince and his partner investigate only to make a gruesome discovery. Inside the house are the badly decomposed bodies of Sara Prague's children. No clues are found, there is nothing to go on except an old, abandon over due library book called The Gingerbread Man.

The FBI is called in to take over the case. Vince is outraged. He wants to continue on the case even though he is clearly not handling it well. He is ordered to take either a thirty-five day leave of absence to get his act together or spend one hour a day for thirty-five days with the department shrink. Vince walks out determined to continue investigating on his own.

Vince keeps the overdue library book he found at the scene. It's marked as belonging to Dilmun Public Library in Dilmun, New York. He goes there and finds a quiet little town that only comes to life during tourist season. As he begins to try to find out who checked out the book, which he feels, is a valuable clue, he meets Holly Newman. Holly is a fragile young woman with bright red hair whom the town tries to protect and shelter. She witnessed the kidnapping of her young sister whose body was never found. This drove her to a break down and obsessive compulsion disorder. Holly works for the chief of police who quickly finds out who the book was checked out by without telling Vince. Holly checked it out years ago for her younger sister. How could this book resurface after so many years?

Vince and Holly finally team up and begin to discover clues about the kidnapping of several young girls. Someone doesn't want them to be successful. Holly begins to slip into her old pattern of counting things while seeing things that she doesn't know if they are real or a figment of her imagination. Then, at a Halloween party thrown by the town's most famous citizen, tragedy strikes again when a young girl disappears. The host, Reginald D'Voe, is a retired actor who was famous for his horror roles has a secret to hide of his own concerning his niece, Amanda. Soon this quaint little town begins to unravel, as no one can trust anyone.

I have never read anything by Maggie Shayne until I read a short story by her in Out of This World a few months ago. Needless to say, I was impressed enough to buy her new book. It doesn't disappoint. The Gingerbread Man is a nifty little mystery. While my ego likes to pride itself on figuring out who the bad guy is in advance, I had some trouble on this one. I will definitely be looking for more of Ms. Shayne's books.

When Detective Vince O'Mally follows a lead for a pedophile/child killer to a sleepy small town where nothing bad ever happens, he is surprised to find himself in the role of protector for the sister of one of the victims. The two find themselves attracted to one another, and attracting the attention of a killer.

I truly enjoyed this book! It has great plot, some interesting characters, and a surprise ending that I didn't guess! I'm usually pretty good at guessing the whodunnit and the so-called twists in the books, but in this case I was surprised. I definitely recommend it!

Let me begin by saying this book started out slow but gradually became more intense every minute I read on. Any reader who enjoys suspense stories should read this book. The suspense keeps you guessing and the reader will not want to put this book down.
Vince O'Mally is a Syracuse Police detective who gets involved in many horrific crimes but has always been levelheaded until he finds two missing children. Vince is in over his head and is asked to take some time off so the FBI can proceed with the case. Reluctantly, Vince agrees but promises himself that he will find the killer. He travels to Dilmun, New York with the only piece of evidence he has - a book entitled "The Gingerbread Man" - to try and piece together who the killer might be.
At the town's tiny police department, Vince encounters Holly Newman who is a very fragile woman. Vince finds out that Holly's past has caused her a great deal of pain, which led her to seek therapy. Holly's younger sister, Ivy, was abducted and killed twenty years ago just like the previous children that Vince found. Vince is certain that Ivy's death is linked to the killings before and is determined to get Holly to remember her sister's abduction even though Holly has repressed all of her feelings. Vince feels that Holly is not this fragile woman everyone in Dilmun makes her out to be, on the contrary, he feels that Holly is a very strong person and that she is the key to helping determine whom the killer is if she could only remember her past.
Throughout the story, Holly and Vince face major problems together- Holly coming face-to-face with the "supposed" criminal who killed her sister (although the man was not the actual killer of Holly's sister), another local girl being kidnapped, and finding out that her aunt was killed by the same man who took Holly's sister and the local child.
When the local child is kidnapped, Holly feels as if she is experiencing her horrifying ordeal with her sister all over again. But she finds an inner strength she never knew she had, and her and Vince hurry to find the missing child.
This book was very entertaining and kept me on the edge of my seat trying to figure out who the killer was along with Vince and Holly. I like the fact that Maggie Shayne writes a couple pages about what the character is thinking and feeling, then she will go on to describe the scene and what is happening. The only major problem I came across is when Mrs. Shayne will be describing one thing in a paragraph and then she will begin a new paragraph about something totally different, which confused me at times. Mrs. Shayne describes the characters to the point where the reader feels as if they can relate with the character. These characters include a retired horror movie star, the movie star's mysterious young niece, and a Native American physician. But the plot is amazing! It has many different twists and turns. The book goes from a raging storm to a mysterious autumn night. Even though the book is fictional, the characters are very believable. This book is more believable than her vampire stories. The ending is what brings the entire book together.
Once the reader finds out who the killer is, they will kick themselves for not seeing it beforehand. I could not believe who captured the murderer either. This book is a great read. It is very well written and I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in suspense novels and a little bit of romance in the process.

Vince O'Mally is a detective with the Syracuse police who promises the mother of two missing children that he will find them alive and bring them home. He is devastated when, instead, he finds their savaged bodies in an abandoned house. Hidden under a floorboard in the old house is a copy of a childrens' book, The Gingerbread Man, checked out of an upstate library nearly 20 years ago.

Tracking down the book leads O'Mally to the small town of Dilmun and Holly Newman, whose little sister was abducted while carrying the same book and never seen again. Convinced that the answer lies in Dilmun, O'Mally rents a cabin and digs in his heels to hunt down a child killer. There are more than enough suspects to go around, but Holly can provide little help; she's repressed most of her memories of her sister's abduction. But when a local child goes missing at a Halloween party thrown by a reclusive actor and his very strange niece, Holly finds a core of strength she never knew she had and races with O'Mally against time to find the little girl before it is too late.

The suspense, the romantic element, and the surprise ending make this a great novel to kick back with on a lazy afternoon.

I really enjoyed the story except there were many discrepancies. First off, the killer was going to kill and bury Bethany the same day he abducted her; whereas, he kept his other victims for a long time "playing" with them before he murdered them. The sheriff, the doctor and Uncle Marty kept secretly meeting but for what purpose. Nothing ever developed from those meetings. I was a really good story and I enjoyed it.

This book begins with Detective Vince O'Malley finding two missing children dead in an abandoned house. He makes a promise to their mother to solve the case and when his superiors feel he has become too involved they send him on a forced vacation. He has a clue and ends up following it to vacation in Dilmun, a small town in upstate New York, "where nothing bad ever happens". Here he meets Holly Newman who has a connection to the clue and the story unfolds from here.
I particularly liked the human qualities in this book that many main characters often lack. Vince, a seasoned cop, is deeply disturbed and overwhelmed at finding the children's bodies. Holly is a fragile and compulsive woman who has to count steps in her head so her mind doesn't wander to frightening depths.
There is a twist and ,of course, the who done it? part of this book. I knew the twist early on but I didn't figure out the murderer.
There were a few small things that I didn't think worked like why the three townsmen met in private at late hours to have secret meetings.....for what? Why would Reginald D'Voe move back to that town when clearly Amanda had frightening things happen to her near there and bad memories would resurface. However, overall it was an enjoyable read and I will look for others by Maggie Shayne.

Gingerbread Man subject matter is dark and distubing, it brings to mind the horrible things that actually happen to children. Ms. Shayne choose not to delve into the crimes to deeply which left it open for the romance of Vincent and Holly to develop. And there is great satisfaction in the ending of this book as the sicko gets exactly whats coming to him. Its a very good read and a credit to her.