No Witnesses [Hardcover]

Ridley Pearson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1994

Entertainment Weekly has called Pearson "a thinking person's Robert Ludlum." In his latest book, Seattle police detective Lou Boldt and police psychologist Daphne Matthews of his previous books return to confront an ingenious, technologically savvy madman who places poisoned food in neighborhood supermarkets and retrieves his ransom electronically. No crime scene. No witnesses.

"Pearson builds a maze around us as he goes along, until we are utterly and brilliantly trapped, and he keeps us constantly making wrong guesses without once cheating us. No Witnesses is a good, solid, expertly-crafted novel." --The Mystery Review

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Ridley Pearson's reputation for smoothly-paced, edgy suspense fiction is unassailable. In this, his eighth novel, a Seattle food company is under siege from an unknown poisoner/extortionist, and innocent consumers are in constant danger. Police sergeant Lou Boldt and psychologist Daphne Matthews -- both too close to the case for comfort -- work furiously to build a profile of the madman, but the police department is cracking under the strain as the lunatic slips away unapprehended from ATM machines one after another. As the manhunt builds to a furious crescendo, Boldt and Matthews are jolted again by the discovery that the man they seek may not be working alone. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

A rare humanism and meticulous attention to procedural detail have marked Pearson's thrillers featuring Seattle cop Lou Boldt (Undercurrents; The Angel Maker). In the mournful detective's third match-up against a maniacal serial killer, Pearson outdoes himself by eschewing scenes from the murderer's point of view (and the pandering to bloodlust inherent in such scenes) in order to focus solely on the terrible toll wrought on victims and cops. Here the villain is tampering with products of Adler Foods, a giant company that he or she blames for a long-ago crime. The bodies of poisoned children and adults turn up everywhere as Boldt and his SPD/FBI task force, including series regular Daphne Matthews, a police psychologist, race to ID and trap the killer. Instead of forensic detail, Pearson this time highlights high-tech procedures: computer warfare against the killer's use of ATMs to collect a ransom; cutting-edge surveillance techniques. A tangled subplot about a possible culprit among the cops drags the suspense slightly but some extraordinarily tense cat-and-mousing between cops and killer more than makes up for it. This is a serial-killer novel that speaks to readers' hearts even as it jangles their nerves-and it's not to be missed. $150,000 ad/promo; Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club alternate selections; author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 365 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Books; 1st edition (October 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786860669
• ISBN-13: 978-0786860661
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,527,238 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

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Tension and Realism, March 20, 2000

By 

Mark Wylie (Spokane, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: No Witnesses (Mass Market Paperback)

No Witnesses is Ridley Pearson's third novel, of 6 to date, featuring Seattle homicide detective Lou Boldt and police department phsychologist Daphne Matthews. It is a superb part of one of the must successful and enjoyable mystery/suspense series going today. I am amazed that Hollywood, ever-starved for good storylines, especially when it comes to action films, has yet to film any of the Boldt/Matthews novels.

Pearson's has two great strengths as a writer. First, he has the ability to weave a complex plot while sustaining tension. Second, he can present the details of police work, especially regarding forensic evidence, in a manner that is both realistic and attention-holding.

No Witnesses does not disappoint in either respect. Someone is blackmailing food conglomerate Adler Foods by threatening deadly contamination of their products. As Matthews (who is romantically linked to Adler's CEO) and Boldt begin a low-profile investigation, it becomes clear that the blackmailer has the means to carry out his deadly threats--he seems to be able to introduce poisoned products right onto grocery store shelves. While Boldt begins to build a chain of evidence that he hopes will lead him to the killer, deaths begin to mount, and some of those who are supposedly on Boldt's side reveal that they have their own agendas.

Pearson creates strong, three-dimensional characters, none more so than Lou Boldt himself. Boldt, along with Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch, ranks among the most interesting fictional cops of the 1990's.

Anyone who enjoys a good mystery, especially one centered on realistic police work, would enjoy No Witnesses. The Boldt/Matthews novels, while a series, can be read out of sequence, so if this one sounds good, don't hesitate to dive right in.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't put it down!, November 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: No Witnesses (Mass Market Paperback)

What a great book! This was my first book by Ridley Pearson - I can't wait to read the rest of them.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW! One word that describes it all!, January 20, 2001

By 

Karen Rhyne - See all my reviews

This review is from: No Witnesses (Mass Market Paperback)

I was so pleased to read this book. This is his third book, but unlike the first 2 books, I found the storyline to be entirely believable and something that could happen today. I got this book on a Friday, and thank goodness, it was Friday, because the next thing I know, I hear the garbage truck that comes at 8 am on Sat! I couldn't put the book down. It has so many twists and turns, really surprising, but yet to the reader's approval. I was especially taken by the scenes at the ATM. I thought I was really watching this happen. Trust me. Get this book. You won't put it down once you read the first page. You'll keep reading and when the end comes, you'll be so satisfied. You can't go wrong with this book.