Customer Reviews

Hundredth Man

5 star:		(35)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Jack Kerley jumps into his story with all the style and wicked grace of the classic detective novel authors!! The action is fast paced, the dialogue is rapid fire, the characters are twisted and intriguing and the story is gripping!!
A young detective, Carson Ryder, trying to overcome his past, uses unconventional methods to pry into the minds of psychologically damaged criminals and sociopaths. When headless corpses turn up and he and his partner, Harry Nautilus' skills are needed, they run the risk of being derailed by a political circus that has developed in the police department. There is also a young woman working her way towards a promising future as a medical examiner, but ghosts of her past haunt her and she must make some important choices and in the middle of a critical investigation Carson feels an obligation to help her.
The crimes are vicious yet clean, the killer is amazingly calm and cool, yet so totally unhinged you cannot imagine how he manages to function. Allegations swirl like thick fog over everyone who becomes involved with this investigation.
This is an astounding first novel that is both horrifying and intriguing and holds the promise of more great things to come from Jack Kerley, an author to watch (and read!!)

hurrying after the author; breathlessly following him through a truly well-thought out and expertly executed detective mystery-thriller. I found the characters very REAL and the situations gripping.

Ryder,a detective in the newly formed PSIT( a unit which delves into the physchological aspects of a crime) is suberb in his complexity and his detective partner Harry is his perfect match. Together they rummage through the minds of anyone connected to the murders of several men found neatly beheaded...with no head in site.

Fascinating and unpredictable in every situation presented; this is a first novel which is I hope for us readers the first of many from this talented author; gifted not only in spinning a tale; but gifted with a style of prose that will grip you and hold you tightly til the end...and long after you have read the very last thrilling word.

Exceptional, mind-stirring and enjoyable in every way. A great read!

WARNING: This book is not for the squeamish. It contains child abuse, psychotic and perverted acts, multiple murders, detailed descriptions of autopsies, sexual references and crude and offensive language. In fact, since this is a list of all the things that I normally avoid when selecting literature to read, I am amazed that I enjoyed the book so much and was fascinated enough to not only complete it but in fact give it a high rating. While I knew it contained violence from the publisher's descriptive material, the plot and promotional blurbs combined with my attraction to first time authors to pique my interest; by the time I realized the extent of the normally objectionable material I was hooked.

Jack Kerney is a talented wordsmith with a deep understanding of the flawed nature of humankind and the depravity which often results. However, in contrast with the pessimism (indeed fatalism) that Dennis Lehane's writing displays (particularly MYSTIC RIVER) concerning the seemingly inexorably tragic nature of our lives, in the end this is a story about the possibility that redemption is possible and that tomorrow may indeed be better than the past.

The main storyline is incredibly simple. Carson Ryder, a twenty-nine year old with an MA in psychology, is a newly minted detective in the Mobile, AL police force and the first person narrator of the majority of this story. He is teamed with old pro Harry Nautilus as the two newly formed members of the Psychopathological and Sociopathological Investigative Team (PSIT - pronounced piss-it by the other members of the department). As the newly rebuilt city morgue is being dedicated after it had been severely damaged during an autopsy on a booby-trapped body, a headless victim is found in a local park and it appears that Harry and Carson will be investigating their first official case. Departmental politics soon become an issue, and the tension increases as further headless bodies appear. Meanwhile, there are multiple subplots involving Carson's secret past and the reasons for his seeming prescience regarding the actions of the mentally ill and sociopaths. There are additional subplots including the intertwined public and private lives of Dr. Clair Peltier, outstanding pathologist and chief of the Mobile unit of the Alabama as well as her apparently strained relationship with her young associate Dr. Ava Davanelle. There are also very knowledgeable and sensitive segments which are central to the plot including the personal perdition of alcoholism and the necessity of approaching your salvation one day at a time.

Every detail should be noted and remembered, because by the conclusion all the threads in the book come together and have meaning in the same way that the "invisible threads" in the case that bedevil Harry and Carson start to reveal themselves and unravel the mystery (despite their dictum that "memories {of witnesses} are faulty and people lie"). So this is a book about the human condition and a story of multiple personal journeys (several tragic) toward the goals of understanding, grace and redemption. The language and visual imagery which it evokes is often superb, but I would expect noting less from a former advertising writer and creative director. Two examples will suffice. First, Jeremy, Carson's brother and a crucial figure in Carson's life and to this story, at one point speculates that the headless bodies are indeed "postcards from hell" meant to communicate a very specific message from the murderer. (This seems an especially likely possibility since cryptic messages are also written on the bodies.) Second, Clair's husband's fortune (which he brought to their "merger' of convenience) was ante-bellum Southern money, "one of those snowball fortunes that gathered as it rolled" forward in time.

Why not five stars if I thought it was an excellent plot, employed engaging imagery, had fascinating characters, and used frequently captivating language? (This question seems especially since it also has the potential to be an excellent movie.) First, for the reasons articulated in my opening comments, stories with this degree of violence and perversion are never totally enjoyable for me, even if captivating. Second, the author tries to do much. He accomplishes his apparent goal admirably, but it might have been better if the case of Joel Adrian (which Carson solved as a patrolman and the description of which is totally sickening even if only summary in nature) had been a separate book that served as the introduction to Carson and this story. It would have made the flashbacks and explanatory asides less frequent and allowed for more leisurely development of the other elements of this story. Last, while the ending itself (by this I mean literally the last two pages) is both full of hope and extremely clever; the climactic action scene that is the final denouement of the story is too long, too unreal (even for this story), and as other reviewers have aptly described it, simply "over the top" in a way that creates a final impression of unreality. It is almost as if it was written to provide an exciting climax to an action movie, and is eerily parallel in this regard (right down to the raging river) to the final scene in Michael Connelly's new novel THE NARROWS. Despite these reservations, this is definitely a worthwhile read as long as my caveats aren't a major concern to you.

Disclaimer: I was furnished an ARC (Advance Review Copy) of this book by the publisher based on my previous reviews of books of this genre,. I have never met either the author or any representatives of the publisher. I made no representations or promises regarding any review that I might write. However, I have included this disclaimer in the interests of complete disclosure so that the reader may have all significant information concerning any facts that may be viewed as having biased my review.

Tucker Andersen

Young Mobile Police Detective Carson Ryder is the rare man who takes the time to search in dark places to find the necessary answers. He and his partner, Harry Nautilus, are called to the scene when a headless body is found in a park in southwest Mobile.

Both detectives are part of a newly formed Psychopathological Sociological Investigative Team which goes by the acronym PSIT and by a more colorful phrase by the cops.

Captain Terrence Squill is an ambitious autocrat. When he views the body in the park, he dismisses it as a homosexual meeting that turned to murder.

Squill was highly skeptical of the PSIT unit but when a second decapitated body is discovered, he's ordered to incorporate the unit into his investigatory team. Resenting their presence, he does as little as possible to assist them.

There is an interesting subplot when Ryder helps another character who is suffering from alcoholism. The author does an excellent job in describing the horrors of this disease.

Another subplot concerns the childhood events that led to Ryder's brother being incarcerated in a mental health facility. His interaction with the case is reminiscent of Hanibal Lecter.

The narrative is packed with unpredictable action and the characters are different enough to be both interesting and appealing. Carson is a compassionate and engaging character. The story is a great reading experience.

I'd heard about Jack Kerley as he caused a bit of a stir in my local area by getting an unheard of deal for a first novel (over half a million? Gads!!) but the book is worth the hype. It's a rock solid entry in the crime thriller genre with interesting characters (my fav is Harry Nautilus). Best of all, Kerley makes a solid attempt to avoid the typical cliched type of writing that ruins many a book--thriller or otherwise. You can tell he has a real love of language and some of his descriptions are a true delight. For those who like a more literary treatment, then Kerley is the writer to read. In addition to interesting characters, his plotting keeps the pace hurtling so that the book is a quick read that leaves you frankly wanting more. Did I guess who the killer was? Nope, not even close and that wins extra points too because too many thrillers offer predictable plots and easy-to-guess solutions. I look forward to reading more of this guy's work. I just hope we don't have to wait too long for his next novel.

The first 200 pages flew by. They were fairly lean and mean (to use Harry's rhyming). THe characters of Harry and Carson were interesting. Ava had some interesting shadings. Then it became long--even the end was unending--and the everything went to hell. There are more crazies here than are realistic and more plot twists than are believable. The end has the feel of a lame 2 star film that has too many cooks in the broth. Promising characters, but really nutso climax.

See storyline above.

As a first novel I was very impressed. There is suspense and mystery throughout. I was immersed from beginning to end. Great characters and descriptive plotting. This novel should create a nice fan base for Kerley and I certainly look forward to his next.

Highly recommended.

In his debut novel, Jack Kerley has delivered an intense serial killer story and has introduced us to some extremely complex characters. I get the feeling we will be seeing more of many of these characters with THE HUNDREDTH MAN having the feel of the first book in a series.

The story opens with Carson Ryder and his partner Harry Nautilus being called to a murder scene in a park in Mobile. The victim has been decapitated and left where it would be easily spotted, a vicious and bold attack. Ryder and Nautilus are members of the Mobile Police Department's Psychological and Sociopathological Investigative Team (better known as PSIT) whose umbrella this sort of crime appears to fall under.

Before they can progress the case Captain Terrence Squill arrives on the scene and takes over. Squill is obviously not a fan of PSIT and has even bigger issues with Ryder. He is a political figure more suited to dealing with the media than conducting a police investigation, but has risen to his present rank on the back of an earlier case, a case in which Ryder played a major role and also secured his promotion. Squill appears resentful of Ryder's detective abilities and is intent on stymieing any responsibility or role in the investigation, to the point of hindering the investigation.

Jack Kerley has packed the story with a lot of side-stories, hidden agendas, past grudges and skeletons in the closet that he uses to add intrigue and mystery to what is already a compelling thriller. Some of these devices are woven seamlessly into the story giving it greater complexity. I particularly liked the role of Jeremy, Ryder's older brother who is incarcerated in a state mental institution. The way he habitually insinuated himself into Ryder's consciousness - and consequently, ours - added great expectation and curiosity about both him and his role in the investigation.

On the downside, I found the head-to-head battle between Ryder and Captain Squill to be both annoying and distracting. I felt it added little or no real value to the story and would have preferred the case be held without the intrusion of the petty police bureaucracies and personality clashes. Such is the nature of police procedurals, I suppose, but the politics doesn't usually take over the story to the extent that it does here.

Overall, I found THE HUNDREDTH MAN to be an interesting thriller without providing the compelling spark that would otherwise have had me waiting expectantly for the next book in the series to be released.

This is Jack Kerley's first crime novel, and I hope it's not his last. In *The Hundredth Man*, he delivers a socko whodunnit featuring a varied cast of characters and a full spectrum of human foibles, perversions, and frailties.

Stylistically, there is tendency toward the derivative here, something not unexpected for a writer who is still seeking his own literary voice. In his portrayal of the world and world-view of protagonist Carson Ryder, Kerley's writing is reminiscent of Michael Connelly. In his narrative style and particularly his usage of descriptive language, I was reminded of James Lee Burke. On the other hand, certainly the story's geographical setting, Mobile Bay in Alabama, is fresh and different. Overall, the novel's plot line works, being at once absorbing, horrifying, and surprising.

On the down side, Kerley's portrayal of departmental in-fighting is a bit cliched and caricatured, and I don't think that Ryder's alcoholic love interest, Ava Davanelle, was sufficiently alluring (or even interesting) to make Ryder's nearly immediate devotion to her ring true. The psycho-wacko basis for the serial murders that comprise the focus of the novel is certainly imaginative, but perhaps a bit overly contrived. And finally, that Kerley wrote the novel with the "movie rights" firmly in mind is fairly obvious not only in certain features of the story line, but with the inclusion of the almost laughably cliched tough-but-loyal African American sidekick cop.

Kerley didn't get everything right this first time around, but he offers here a highly readable and satisfying novel in his debut effort. He is definitely is a writer to watch as he refines his literary technique in his future novels.

Carson Ryder and Harry Nautilus are partners in newly formed unit (of two) dedicated to crimes that have a psychological bent, but they have a hard time getting validation from their peers when a case crops up. As the headless bodies pile up Ryder and Nautilus have to struggle to work within the bureaucracy of the police department while trying to put together leads. As the leads dry up, Ryder turns to his brother Jeremy, a serial killer ensconced in an institute for "troubled" people who helps in in own way while exacting his pound of flesh.

Now, my problems with this novel center firmly around the editing and certain elements of the flow. I thought the story was good enough, so that wasn't the problem. I just keep noticing editing errors as I was reading or points that didn't belong I couldn't help but wonder after how ever many hands that manuscript had passed through why these things had not been fixed. These things seriously detracted from my opinion of this novel. Yes, I like Ryder and Nautilus, but the there was a lack of skill in working the plot and characters so one can only hope that he gets better.