Customer Reviews

The Intruders

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

The wife and teenage son of a Seattle-area scientist are brutally murdered by a stranger claiming to be an FBI agent, and the scientist himself is nowhere to be found. A short time later, a nine-year-old girl named Madison disappears from Oregon's ethereal Cannon Beach while her inattentive mother, despondent over the deteriorating state of her marriage, dozes inside their beach cottage.

But the tale of The Intruders truly begins when Jack Whalen, a former cop with a troubled past who has of late become an accidental author of sorts, gets an out-of-the-blue visit from Gary Fisher, a high school classmate he hasn't seen in two decades, and one to whom he was only mildly acquainted -- making the seemingly impromptu reunion even more suspicious to a been-there-done-that kind of guy like Jack. Fisher, now a lawyer teetering precariously on the brink of something he himself is struggling to understand, has ostensibly come to ask for Jack's opinion on an estate case he's handling, owing to Jack's past in law enforcement and their connection as former classmates. But, as always, there's much more to the story.

Fisher's re-entrance into Jack's life is the catalyst for massive change, and the chaos that has been loitering outside the Whalen home for the last few years has finally found its way inside. Suddenly, everything Jack thinks he knows about his life is being challenged, especially in regard to his ad-executive wife, Amy, whose recent behavior has become increasingly peculiar.

Except for overuse of the words "diffident" and "irresolute" (a nitpick, to be sure), The Intruders succeeds as a thoroughly gripping and surprising creepy tale -- although, in the end, it left me with more questions than answers. I wanted to learn more about the Nine, a secret organization central to the tale's mystery, and was left feeling a bit confused about certain key points to the story (namely a character who goes unidentified until the end). Plus, I wasn't satisfied with the resolution between Jack and Amy, and thought it was a bit anticlimactic. And yet, that aside, The Intruders captivated me from the first horrifying chapter -- so much so, that I read it all in one night.

The Intruders is a tale that will appeal to readers who want an engrossing thriller with other-worldly tones. If you're geeky, as I am, then many of the ideas in the book will resonate with that part of you that believes -- or wants to -- in the things that go bump in the night. Just know that, whereas some books are a veritable feast for the mind that leave you filled to capacity for days, The Intruders is more like a frozen dinner: tasty, but not that satisfying.

The wife and child of a prominent scientist are murdered, and the scientist disappears. A little girl in Oregon goes missing. Troubled ex-cop Jack Whalen is now a writer living a quiet life in a small town in Washington--until his wife goes on a business trip and vanishes.

And that's just the beginning....

Here's a thriller that really thrills. What begins as a reasonably straightforward mystery involving a couple of murders and several missing people in the Pacific Northwest soon escalates into something dark and different and profoundly frightening. If you like your suspense novels to be offbeat and edgy, and you don't mind a few genuine shocks, THE INTRUDERS is the book for you. Highly recommended.

First off... I enjoy reading bad reviews for decent books. The reviews of the previous readers either gave MMS full marks or dropped him down to nothing. It's the complaints that get me. They say they want a believable mystery... then go read some true crime novels.

Michael Marshall tends to meld Harris and King and sometimes Gibson. It works, sometimes brilliantly. I enjoy that he has stepped out of science fiction. No offense.

He is a great a writer, sometimes it seems as if he struggles with direction, but even when misdirection occurs he tells it in a way that draws a reader's attention. His novels are not cut and pasted, this one in particular came off as very.... (please don't stick a spork in my spleen)"organic."

One doesn't know what is coming, or whether the author does either, but it's fun.

That keeps me special ordering his books.

I first stumbled across Michael Marshall in one of those gift shops you find in bigger hotels. I wandered over to the paperback "section" --- it was a wall mounting, containing slots for nine titles --- and I noticed the name "Michael Marshall" on a copy of THE STRAW MEN. I went to grade school with a Michael Marshall, so I picked up the book to see if perhaps it was the same gentleman. They turned out to be different people altogether. But I was so intrigued by the premise of the novel that I bought it, read it and quickly sought out the remainder of the author's bibliography.

THE INTRUDERS is Marshall's latest work, combining his trademark elements of unpredictability, craftsmanship and sterling characterization to provide an addicting, thrilling read that never disappoints.

If you're paranoid at all, you're going to get your instincts jumpstarted within a few pages of reading THE INTRUDERS. The story deals primarily with Jack Whalen, a man who is unsettled by the feeling that his world is slowly, almost imperceptibly, changing. Whalen is an ex-LAPD patrolman who retired from the force, wrote a book of some nominal success and now lives with his wife Amy --- a successful marketing executive --- in a small rural community a few hours removed from Seattle. Their world seems to be financially and emotionally secure. But, as Marshall slowly reveals, there are tiny cracks around the foundation of the Whalen family --- not necessarily fissures or yawning chasms, but cracks nonetheless.

When Amy turns up missing during what would otherwise be a routine business trip to Seattle, Jack immediately begins to investigate, only to discover that her disappearance is more a misunderstanding than anything else. That's not the end of it, however. Jack notices that his wife is doing little things --- acquiring new habits, listening to different music --- that she has never done before. Taken together, they portend the arrival of something far beyond anything that Jack can imagine.

In the meantime, events occurring that appear far removed from Jack's world will jeopardize his very existence. A mysterious stranger breaks into a house, brutally murders a woman and her son, and sets the house on fire. A young girl, walking alone on a beach, is approached by a polite man and shortly thereafter leaves without explanation, even as her demeanor begins to change. And Amy? She just gets more and more bizarre.

As you're reading, you will probably find yourself wondering just how Marshall is going to tie up such apparently disparate elements into a cohesive story, and to what ultimate end. What Marshall does, however, is not only create a chilling tale that will keep you awake at night, but he also provides a possible answer to a question that has puzzled individuals for hundreds of years: What, precisely, makes us what, and who, we are?

Those familiar with Marshall's body of work wish that he would write more frequently. But when he publishes a novel of such quality as THE INTRUDERS, one remembers that any book of his is worth the wait, no matter how long it may be.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

I had read some MMS here and there; just not really getting into any particular piece, but this book had me spellbound!
The author knows how to make the characters come alive--I felt like I was an active observer/participant so easily.
This is slated as a 'crime novel' but it is so much more!

Give Michael Marshall Smith, (sometimes without the Smith), a chance with this book--it is a guaranteed good read!

I could not put Michael Marshall's latest down. He's created a multi-layered thriller involving a likeable protagonist plus a host of remarkable satellite characters who make you cringe & groan with curiosity & anticipation.
Set in the Pacific Northwest, the prologue of THE INTRUDERS starts with an apparently random home invasion, murder & fire. Then we meet Jack Whalen, ex-LA beat cop & a one-book author who's struggling to write another. Instead, he's sitting staring out at the forested panorama & remembering, for some odd reason, a high school classmate & how she didn't quite fit in & who, after trying to get the attention of the handsomest senior jock, committed suicide.
That morning, Jack's wife had driven to Seattle for a meeting at her ad agency. That's why, a couple of years ago, they'd moved up to this idyllic little mountain burg on the eastside of the Cascades from Southern California, where they'd met & married ten years before.
Then that very same jock, now 20 years older, calls Jack, wanting to see him. Gary Fisher brings a strange tale and Jack, with his beat cop instincts slowly coming alert, senses his visitor isn't telling him everything & some of what he's said doesn't ring true. But Jack has no time for Gary as he's just discovered his wife's cell phone has been found in a Seattle taxi.
On Cannon Beach in Oregon, a nine year old girl is struggling with nightmares, her parents' uneasy marriage, & something far more frightening: loss of memory & the arrival of a stranger as she's out on the beach wondering how she got there. When the idea that she's got to go somewhere sets her traveling, the people who help her along the way come to rue it as this nice, little girl with headaches has a killer's instincts.
THE INTRUDERS is a tale well-spun with lashings of deceit & determination, action & clues, body & mind invasions & chases, & other scary stuff. It's a thriller that has you connecting dots like mad, except, are you connecting the right ones? Unto the final page, you won't know!

This book far surpassed my expectations. It was intense and creepy. I really had no idea how the book would end, which kept me turning the pages to find out. I was hooked from the first chapter, and it was a wild ride until the end. Overall, The Intruders is an excellent book. It is well worth your time to read this one.

I didn't like it AS much as some of the other books from Marshall (loved Spares, Only Forward and One Of Us), but still a darn good read. Really hated to see the protagonist slipping in thoughts of not having another book in him, hope that's not allegorical!

I do have a suggestion; if you're a "happy" person and like to read "happy happy" books, Michael Marshall is probably NOT for you. His characters/story lines are dark, the segues can be hard to keep up with, and you'll probably have to read the book at least twice to pick up on nuances you missed.

The Intruders is no different in this regard, but that's why its so much fun to read! If you like to be mentally twisted up in a book, Marshall's writing will accomodate you. He often comes across as being a great deal more about the sidebars/interactions/thoughts/situations than his actual endings.

So, if you are looking for black and white/easy reads, he(and this book) is probably not going to be your cup of tea.

This is coming from someone who likes both, so not slamming one genre over another. However, from reading a few of the reviews it seems like it might be good to say this upfront.

Sometimes paranoia is a good thing, as it can force you to see things that others might miss. That's a key point in Michael Marshall's book. I found his story to be well written, plotted, and paced. It moved quickly, with a great feeling of tension spread throughout the story. My only problem with the book was that the reveal of "The Intruders" themselves is "spoiled" earlier in the book...ie our main character learns about it well after the reader has figured it out.

I'm definitely going to search out other books by this author.

If you ever said, "If I knew then what I know now...," or thought there were those who had that edge, you'll enjoy this book. Heck, you'll like it in any case.

Marshall's work is like a blend of John MacDonald and Stephen King, in his own style. That is, he laces a good mystery plot with supernatural aspects. The result is a page turner.