Middle of Nowhere [Hardcover]

Ridley Pearson (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: New York: Hyperion, 1998, New York (1998)
• ASIN: B002JNE28C
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (101 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,842,206 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ridley Pearson (www.ridleypearson.com), the first American to be awarded the Raymond Chandler/Fulbright Fellowship in Detective Fiction at Wadham College, Oxford University, is the bestselling author of over 35 novels including, Peter And the Starcatchers (co-written with Dave Barry), the young adult novel, The Kingdom Keepers, and two dozen crime novels including: Probable Cause, Beyond Recognition and Killer Weekend (July 2007). His novel The Diary Of Ellen Rimbauer, a prequel to a Stephen King miniseries, was a New York Times #1 bestseller, as was Peter and the Shadow Thieves (#1 for 6 weeks). Ridley adapted The Diary Of Ellen Rimbaurer for ABC Television; it aired in 2003.

Peter and the Starcatchers is to open as a stage play, off-Broadway in March 2011, under Disney Theatrical.

Ridley is a founding member of, and plays bass guitar in, the all-author rock band, The Rockbottom Remainders (www.rockbottomremainders.com), with Dave Barry, Stephen King, Scott Turow, Mitch Albom, Amy Tan and Greg Iles. The band has raised over 2.5 million dollars for charities over its 18 year history.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT, June 19, 2000

By 

Nick G - See all my reviews

This review is from: Middle of Nowhere (Hardcover)

A case of the "blue flu" has struck the Seattle police force, causing a majority of the force to be on an unofficial strike, leaving Detective Lou Boldt to remain (forced actually)on the job.

With the near death of a female officer, and a string of house robberies, Boldt is pushed to the limit to find answers.

Boldt enlists the help of police psychologist Daphne Matthews, and Sergeant John LaMoia to aid in his investigation.

As Boldt struggles with three seemingly seperate situations, he begins to question if they are actually un-related. As things go out of control, resulting in more robberies and "warnings" to Boldt, he refuses to give up, putting his life on line to solve this case.

I will start off by saying...THIS IS AN EXCELLENT NOVEL. I am not going further into detail on the plot, all the fun is finding out the secrets as you go. "Middle Of Nowhere" is a fast-paced, well written novel that entertains as it shocks with new plot twists. Boldt is one of the most interesting and likable hero's in any current fiction series.

Ridley Pearson has written the novel that lives up to his reputation of being the "best thriller writer alive". After the disappointing "The First Victim", fans of the Boldt series get what they expect, a great book. If you are new to the series, start with this book and then go back and read the other Boldt novels, excluding "The First Victim" (not the best entry in the series).

"Middle Of Nowhere" is a great summer read...it's great read in any season.

A MUST read!

Nick Gonnella

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I couldn't put it down!, June 28, 2000

By 

Barbara Hayes (Deerfield Beach, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Middle of Nowhere (Hardcover)

A fast paced thriller from page one, "Middle of Nowhere" doesn't let down for a minute. Ridley Pearson has done it again! Be prepared to loose some sleep until you finish.

With tensions high as a result of a "blue flu" epidemic in the Seattle Police Department how do you know who to trust? Fortunately, lieutenant Lou Boldt knows who his friends are.

With the help of psychologist, and now lieutenant, Daphne Matthews, a string of robberies and assaults are sorted out. Are they connected? Are they being misled? Can they sort it out before Boldt pays the ultimate price for persistence?

As always the story could have been taken from the newspaper as it is amazingly current. It has technical depth without becoming boring, carefully balanced with glimpses of Boldt's personal life, making the characters wonderfully human.

If you've read other books in the series you know nothing's ever easy between Boldt and Matthews. When you add the changes his wife, Liz, has gone through dealing with her illness it would be a wonder if Boldt didn't feel conflicted. Boldt is noble enough to always want to do the right thing, yet human enough to not always be sure just what that is.

If you haven't read the other's, don't worry... this one can stand alone.

I've anxiously awaited the release of this book and wanted to read it slowly so I could savor every word.Pearson, however, had other ideas for me! I couldn't put it down! Having already read all of Pearson's books I should have known as much.

I highly recommend "Middle of Nowhere" to anyone willing to give up a little sleep for a lot of excitement!

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pearson's "Middle of No Where" Absolutely Arresting!, June 21, 2000

By 

Marce T. Hanson (Santee, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Middle of Nowhere (Hardcover)

Pearson transports readers into the inner sanctum of the Seattle Police Department to experience the conflict and drama the "blue flu" unleashes amongst the cops and citizens they protect and serve. Readers are thrust into the psychological and physical aspects of police work as Lt. Lou Boldt and police pyschologist Daphne Matthews attempt to make sense of the scant clues in their case involving brutal assaults on Seattle citizens and a few selected cops. Frustration and pressure envelope them as they struggle to filter out the fraudulent facts being thrown in their paths. They also try to keep the overabundance of sexual tension between them from re-igniting - and creating a threat to his marriage a second time.

Clues that seem obvious one moment, shift to being meaningless the next and little help is being offered by those in the position to do so. The closer Boldt gets to the truth, the more danger he finds himself facing, and those responsible for the string of robberies and brutal attacks plaguing the city have no qualms about permanently ending Boldt's investigating days. Not to be deterred, Boldt choses numerous paths to explore - none of them safe - none of them boring.

A number of writers manage to get an adequate feel for the inner workings of a cop's world, but Pearson hits the bullseye with such precise accuracy, it's tough to believe he's never walked a beat. If he ever decided to quite his day job, I'm willing to bet there's plenty of police departments that would like his name listed on their personnel roster.