Customer Reviews

The Girls He Adored

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

FBI Agent E.L. Pender has spent 10 years investigating the disappearances of young women, all with something in common...their strawberry blonde hair.

A routine traffic stop ends with the gruesome discovery of a disemboweled woman...she too had strawberry blonde hair.

Court appointed psychiatrist, Irene Cogan, has the task of interviewing the suspect, a man with multiple personalities.

After a staged prison break, Irene is taken hostage in a secluded cabin, there she will have to unravel the twisted past of this young man, and play his sick game...if she wants to come out of this alive.

"The Girls He Adored" is a suspenseful thriller, with enough twists and turns to have readers finish it in one sitting.

Jonathan Nasaw has crafted a superb novel, he handles the multiple personalities carefully, as to not confuse the reader, and his main character (Irene) is one we look forward to seeing in up-coming novels.

Thriller fans should do themselves a favor and READ this book, it is fast-paced, exciting, and thoroughly enjoyable.

A MUST read!

Nick Gonnella

Irene Cogan, psychiatrist and one of the country's leading authorities on dissociative identity disorder (multiple personalities), has been appointed, by the court, to examine a prisoner in the Monterey County jail. The suspect, who gives his name only as Max, was stopped for a simple traffic violation and found sitting next to a disemboweled strawberry blond woman, holding a bloody nine inch boning knife. His arrest sets law enforcement's wheels in motion as the FBI moves in on the case. For the last ten years, a dozen women from across the country have gone missing, last seen with an attractive young man. The only connection between all these missing victims is their strawberry blond hair. The FBI has dubbed this kidnapper, Casey and now, special agent Edgar Lee Pender thinks this guy may be the break they've been waiting for. But, before he can even reopen the case or interview the prisoner, the suspect breaks out of jail, kidnaps Irene Cogan and disappears, leaving a trail of carnage in his wake..... Jonathan Nasaw has written a well paced, compelling, intricately plotted novel that will put you on the edge of your seat and keep you there to the very last page. His writing is crisp, spare and suspenseful, with a wonderful ear for dialogue and his true to life, vivid scenes are graphic and riveting. This is definitely not a novel for the faint of heart. But the real strength of this novel is its characters. Once you get into their heads, you won't be able to put this book down. It is obvious that Mr Nasaw has done his homework on the FBI, psychiatry and dissociative identity disorder and his in-depth knowledge on these subjects add real credibility to the story. The Girls He Adored is a terrific thriller, destined for all the best sellers lists and a novel that shouldn't be missed.

If you liked Silence of the Lambs or Hannibal, you will like The Girls He Adored. Jonathan Nasaw gives alot of insight into his characters and allows you, the reader, to get inside and interact with the characters on a wonderful level. It is a must read. You will enjoy it.

This is a gripping page-turner. For me, it's even more powerful than Silence of the Lambs, my standard to which all similar books were (`till now) held. The Girls He Adored best feature is the way Nasaw deftly switches the personalities of the main character-often several times within a chapter. We see the killer's strikingly different persona from both his own perspective and from other characters points-of-view. Nasaw's superb handling of these often rapid switches is flawless. As an added surprise, the main character tosses around some engaging humor. In the middle of a chilling scene, he says something such as: "Sometimes having a dissociated identity was no frigging picnic." This fast-paced, well-plotted story with depth of character should appeal to thriller fans and mystery readers alike.

As this dark and deeply disturbing tale begins, FBI agent Pender has been investigating the disappearances of a number of women from across the country over the past 10 years. The disappearances appear to be random, with victims of a variety of ages and lifestyles. The only thing they have in common is that they're all strawberry blondes.

A suspect is finally apprehended in California after a routine traffic stop but before Pender can interrogate the man who calls himself Max, Max escapes from jail. Once free, Max abducts Irene Cogan, his court-appointed psychiatrist, and flees to his secluded house of horrors on a ridge in Oregon. Max is a multiple personality who views the strawberry blonde Irene as not only his prisoner but as the only person who can help him integrate his personalities and allow him to function as one entity. Max's Oregon compound is shared by an eerie, disfigured woman and the place is overshadowed by ghosts, literally and figuratively.

The author evinces a certain sympathy for Max, who was the victim of horrific abuse as a child. Still, the wanton barbarity of his crimes would seem to abrogate any hope of redemption. As Irene Cogan tries to survive both by counseling Max and searching desperately for some means of escape, Pender makes his way to Oregon following one obscure clue after another. This book will keep you up all night with the lights on and the door locked as the suspense builds to a shattering conclusion.

In Monterey County, Psychiatrist Dr. Irene Cogan met Max for the first when she interviewed him in jail. Max was arrested after the police found a disemboweled woman occupying the passenger seat of his car. Max knows the psychiatric drill as if he himself is a doctor and is quite the mimic, imitating Irene on first contact as if he knew her all her life. Irene finds the charming Max fascinating even as she recognizes he suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID).

FBI agent Pender believes Max is his "Casey," a serial killer murdering strawberry blondes over the past few years. Max pulls off the impossible and manages to escape from his maximum-security cell, abducting Irene in the process. Pender follows Max to a remote Oregon farm where his worst nightmare begins.

Lector fans will enjoy THE GIRLS HE ADORED a novel that shows how much Jonathan Nasaw adores Hannibal. The story line is exciting and Max engages the audience in a morbid, but appealing way that somehow horrifies the reader for being attracted to a monster. Mr. Nasaw clearly pays tribute to Harris yet fans of serial killers will read this novel on its own merit.

Harriet Klausner

A sensational book about a man with multiple personalities and his court appointed psychiatrist who, unfortunitely for her, is a natural strawberry blond. This story keeps the reader's interest thorough out the book right up to the last page! This book really makes you think a lot and most definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat. There are soooo many twists and turns to see what happens next. You'll hate "Max" but you'll love him too//or at least like him. It's almost understandable why "Max" is the mean cold-hearted person that he has matured to be when the story describes his sexual and mental abuse by his own parents,,,,oh, but he's saved and taken in by a caring person just to be used and adused again. What a magnificent book!!! Do yourself a favor and read this, you will NOT be disappointed....horrified and a bit taken by surprise by some of the goings-on,,,,but definitely NOT disappointed.....It'll keep you turning the pages for sure.
This story is eerie,creepy, and chilling to say the least.
I am most assuredly going to read more of this author's work. Pick this novel up if you're looking for something to read that is gripping and down right spooky.

Mr Nasaw has penned an incredibly chilling and at the same time compelling story about a multiple-personality serial killer that will keep you glued to the pages until the very scary end.

Maxwell is a vicious serial killer that suffers from a multiple-personality disorder. The story opens with Dr. Irene Cogan interviewing him and immediately we meet two the various personalities that is housed in this troubled individiual. This is just the beginning of a rollercoster ride that will leave you struggling to decide who the actual victim really is.

Max decides right away that he is not going to stay behind bars and when he finally makes good his escape he is going to take the very interesting Dr. Cogan with him. Soon she is going to become personally introduced to all of the personalities that make up "Max" and learn his deep dark secrets. Hopefully she will also be max's saving grace if not she can just be added to the other 'Girls He Adored'.

This book offers a twist from the other psychological thrillers out there by introducing the idea of a serial killer that is actually a multiple-personality. Max is a very interesting character that you want to like but at the same time fear. Irene is a gusty smart woman and is a great foil to Max and then lets not forget FBI agent Pender who despite the odds never looses sight of what he is after. For edge of your seat reading that will have you checking doors and windows after you've finished the book Mr. Nasaw is the author for you.

It's 1:00 in the morning and I have to get up in four hours to go to work. I just could not put this book down and finally decided that I would have to finish it before I can fall asleep. This is the best story I've ever read integrating and deeply describing in layman terms the multiple personality...and making each alter a real person with strong personalities. Absolutely fascinating and compelling read. I highly recommend it for lovers of psychological thrillers.

FBI Agent Ed Pender is convinced there's a serial killer on the loose with a penchant for women with strawberry-blond hair. Over the past ten years there have been several similar disappearances, yet no bodies are ever found, and no suspicions are raised.

When Officer Terry Jervis pulls over a car for running a red light, she is horrified to witness the strawberry-blond passenger's bowels spill out into her own lap. The driver makes a desperate bid to escape, leaving terry with terrible injuries, but is eventually captured. Ed Pender hears of what has happened, and the more he learns the more he is convinced that this man, who calls himself Max, is the deadly serial killer he has been searching for.

"Max" claims to have DID (disassociative identity disorder), and the court appoints Dr Irene Cogan to do a psychological evaluation of him. But, this is a job which will end up nearly costing her life, for Irene Cogan has strawberry-blond hair...

Jonathan Nasaw's first foray into the world of the serial killer is a complete success, on every single level. THE GIRLS HE ADORED is a terrific novel; at times frightening, and at times very moving, when the horrifying abuse that created this killer is described. The many personalities within Max are all as developed as individual characters, and as they are so varied we are presented with a killer who can at times be incredibly chilling, and other very charming, even vulnerable. And Ed Pender and Irene Cogan are two of the most likeable and realistic protagonists you are likely to find. The writing itself is of a high standard, and serves the pace and plot well, right up to the exciting conclusion.

This is probably the best serial killer novel I've read recently, the characters, psychology and pace make it horrifyingly compelling. Aspects of the plot are completely original, with some great twists to the accepted formula, although it is clear sometimes that the book does owe a large debt to The Silence of the Lambs. Indeed, many serial killers are compared to the yardstick of that Harris book, but very few deserve the comparison. This is one of those that does. I would recommend it to anyone who likes serial killer novels, especially if they can get over the initial fact that it bears one or two similarities to TSOTL. Brilliant stuff.