The Informant (v. 1) [Mass Market Paperback]

James Grippando (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1997

By the author of the bestselling The Pardon, this fast-paced novel teams a resourceful FBI agent and an embattled journalist in a hunt for two men -- a serial killer and his elusive informant.

When an informer chooses Miami Tribune crime reporter Michael Posten as his conduit, giving him information about murders that haven't yet taken place, investigators speculate on whether the killer and informer are the same person. As the newspaper continues to deposit larger sums into the killer's account, FBI agent Victoria Santos and the reluctant journalist join forces to prevent the next gruesome murder. But then dues stop and the murders continue... until a psychopath makes one mistake too many. This gripping, unpredictable story of revenge will not be soon forgotten.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

If you thought The Silence of the Lambs was the last word on how the FBI tracks serial killers, think again. Grippando -- the Miami lawyer who scored with The Pardon -- manages to reveal even more inside information as agent Victoria Santos goes after a particularly nasty murderer/mutilator. Helping in the chase is reporter Mike Posten, getting repeated tips from somebody who reveals the kind of details only the actual killer could know. There's also an exciting, ultra-violent conclusion on a cruise ship just begging for Bruce Willis and Demi Moore. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

The title character of attorney Grippando's second thriller (after The Pardon) is the anonymous man who contacts Miami Tribune reporter Mike Posten and claims that he can predict the next victim of a serial killer who has eluded the FBI's Child Abduction and Serial Killer Unit. The informant wants to be paid in cash for what he says he knows. After a brief debate, Posten and his paper pony up for a series of exclusives. Posten also talks to the FBI, in the form of agent Victoria Santos, who is alone in believing that the informant and the killer are different people. It's an unusually cerebral and low-key beginning to a serial-killer thriller, emphasizing procedure, forensics and professional ethics rather than shock or even suspense; the killings that occur during this set-up take place off page. Soon enough, however, the informer/killer question is resolved and Grippando moves his story into more familiar territory, telling an absorbing tale with cool competence. The murders are given a plausible motive and the climax, which takes place on a hijacked cruise ship, surges with tension; even Posten's marital problems are tied neatly to the plot line. Former FBI agent and veteran serial-killer-stalker John Douglas (Mind Hunter) has blurbed this novel as authentic and "thoroughly convincing"; true?and it's a nail-biter to boot. $60,000 ad/promo; simultaneous HarperAudio release.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Avon (June 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061012203
• ISBN-13: 978-0061012204
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #434,485 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After twelve years as a trial lawyer with Miami's most prestigious law firm, James Grippando is now a national best-selling author of thirteen suspenseful thrillers in as many years, including Lying with Strangers, When Darkness Falls, Got the Look, Hear No Evil, Last to Die, Beyond Suspicion, A King's Ransom, Under Cover of Darkness, Found Money, The Abduction, The Informant and The Pardon. His first novel for young adults, Leapholes, was published in 2006, as well as his first short-story, Operation Northwoods, which appeared in the critically acclaimed Thriller anthology. His novels are enjoyed worldwide in twenty-four languages.

James's first job out of law school plunged him headlong into death penalty cases. That experience was an inspiration for his 1994 debut novel, The Pardon, a legal thriller that critics heralded as a "bona fide blockbuster." Beyond Suspicion (2002) was the long-awaited sequel to that first novel, and it launched an exciting new series that features Miami criminal defense attorney Jack Swyteck and that critics have heralded as "John Grisham meets Robert Ludlum."

As a lawyer, James was an avid writer. His numerous scholarly articles appeared in some of nation's top law reviews, and they are frequently cited with approval by the courts. His trial practice ranged from complex corporate litigation to class actions on behalf of chicken farmers. As a frequent volunteer in Florida's guardian ad litem program, he helped provide legal representation to neglected children in family court proceedings. He was a faculty member with the National Institute of Trial Advocacy and an adjunct professor of trial advocacy at Nova Southeast University. He was named by Florida Trend Magazine as one of Florida's emerging leaders, and in 2006 he received the Distinguished Author Award from Scranton University. His alma mater is the University of Florida, where he graduated second in his undergraduate class and earned his law degree with honors. He now serves Of Counsel to David Boies' law firm, Boies Schiller & Flexner, LLP.

James lives and writes in Coral Gables, Florida, and he is married to Tiffany, who has been his unofficial editor since book one.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great thriller by James Grippando, March 6, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Informant (Hardcover)

James Grippando's second novel, The Informant, is not your average serial killer thriller. A series of murders is taking place across the country, and the only thing that ties them together is the manner in which the killer mutilates his victims. The FBI is baffled, and the agent in charge, Victoria Santos, has few leads until Miami Tribune reporter Mike Posten receives a phone call from a man who claims he can predict the next murder. The informant says he's not the killer, but his mind works like the killer's, enabling him to predict not only the next killing, but the time, place, and victim, too. When the predictions prove true, the FBI must decide whether Mike has been talking to the real killer, an accomplice, or something else.

Fast-paced and suspenseful, The Informant is one of the best thrillers of 1996. In addition to all the action, there's plenty of mystery and surprising plot twists. A perverse killer and a creepy informant who may or may not be one in the same are among the factors that make this story stand out among the crowd. Some of the violence in the book is graphic, reminiscent of James Patterson, but the reader will be rivited to the story. Grippando's first novel, The Pardon, was good, and The Informant proves that his name should be associated with today's best thriller writers.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best Books I've ever read!, February 24, 2001

By 

Henrik Norrgren (Stockholm Sweden) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Informant (v. 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

Overall I think it was a great book, it was very realistic and really held my interest. It was never boring, and it kept a fast pace, the tension keeps getting higher and higher. The book is about a serial killer that murders people all over the US. In the book you follow FBI agent Victoria Santos who teams up with Mike Posten, reporter for the Tribune. Mike Posten is getting calls from a person who says he is an informant. This informant says he can predict the murders before they happen. It is a good book and I recommend it to anybody who like fast paced thrillers.Overall I think it was a great book, it was very realistic and really held my interest. It was never boring, and it kept a fast pace, the tension keeps getting higher and higher. The book is about a serial killer that murders people all over the US. In the book you follow FBI agent Victoria Santos who teams up with Mike Posten, reporter for the Tribune. Mike Posten is getting calls from a person who says he is an informant. This informant says he can predict the murders before they happen. It is a good book and I recommend it to anybody who like fast paced thrillers.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gripping Tale of Forensics & Criminal Profiling, October 19, 2000

By 

Adrienne Miller (Lake County, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Informant (v. 1) (Mass Market Paperback)

On the trail of a serial killer, FBI special agent Victoria Santos eventually teams up with Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Mike Posten when he begins receiving anonymous messages from a caller who claims to be able to predict the name of the next victim BEFORE they're murdered. As the pair reach the crime scenes they discover that the murders appear to be linked by certain physical evidence. Following the trail of victims, they must determine whether the caller is the real killer or an informant. The story follows the action from victim # 1 to the end with interesting sub-plots that add intensity to the overall story. The suspense is nonstop; a thrilling page-turner that keeps you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.