Customer Reviews

The Other Victim

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I always have reservations about a new book from an author whose previous book I loved, but in this case I have no complaints. Far from it. In some ways this one is even better than his last.

The seting for this book is London - thousands of miles from the New York setting of his first book - but still a bustling metropolis with plenty of scope for thrills and excitement. In fact the story begins in a busy square in the city, where a teenage boy is stalked and stabbed to death after arguing with his brother.

He is involved in some sort of wheeler-dealing with some big time criminals. But that's only half the story. In a parallel story, a rich businessman vanishes and a maverick lawyer Emmett Freeman) is called in to make some discreet inquiries. But the two cases are connected and that's where the fun really starts.

It all centers around an addictive perfume called Gold, made by the missing billionaires company. And of course there's also a beautiful heroine: a female police detective (Karen Rousson) who is the perfect foil for the hero.

What impresses me so much about Kessler's style is the way the author blends law, science, computers and the foibles of human nature in a tale that has you alternately facsinated and amused, perplexed and excited. The author explains arcane concepts in a way that the ordinary reader can understand, but never loses sight of the fact that he is writing about people.

The marvelous thing about the plot of this book is that it provides several surprises along the way as well as the big double whammy at the end! While this book has fewer courtroom scenes than the last one, it is better in some ways and a real joy to read.

If you like surprises and a book that keeps you guessing till the end I have one thing to say: Read this book!

I've always been a great fan of multiple story novels. But it works best when the stories are not just parallel narratives but inter-related storylines that feed off one another until they are hopelessly intertwined. In this case, the stories are more than linked: the are presented as separate narratives but by a third of the way through it is clear that they are really just different facets of the same story. I think I am not giving too much away when I say that something turns up in the Grand Union Canal that links the two cases from then on - but what exactly that is you can only find out by reading the book (it says in the blurb that it is a body, but it is actually more than that).

The reason I enjoyed this book so much is because I liked both the plot AND the style of writing. I have read a lot of Kessler's work and I agree with the reviewer who said that this book lacks the pace of his later books. But it bears all the hallmarks of his first book A Fool for a Client: good descriptive writing, sharp courtroom drama, quiet mood-exploring "downtime" and several good twists leading up to the big one. And unlike his first book, in this one the BIG twist really is surprising - and BIG!!!!!!!

Set in North London, partly against a background of the Jewish community in Golders Green, this book makes some interesting observations about religion - including a teenage boy's rebellion which causes him to turn to wicca and modern paganism as a reaction to his mother's old-fashioned faith. But these are just the human vigenettes that give tone and shading to the characters. What makes the story work is the way these background characters facets flesh out the story without slowing it down. Despite the longer chapters (i.e. longer than his later work) this book has pace and excitement and is well worth reading if you like a good thriller.