Customer Reviews

Parallel Lies

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(24)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I have read most of Ridley Pearson's Boldt/Matthews novels and have thoroughly enjoyed them. They have good character development, realistic dialogue, and a compelling, interesting plot. Unfortunately, this non-Boldt novel has none of those. Though the plot is reasonably entertaining, the characters are among the most uninteresting I have ever encountered and, for the most part, are totally unbelievable. I don't think I've read a sillier love story in my life than the one between Tyler and Priest; it takes a lot to wade through some of the scenes wherein Tyler repeatedly is distracted by Priest's alleged beauty and wants nothing more than to grab her, caress her, and so on...Holy Bad Romance Novel!! Ridley Pearson is a good writer and he can do better than this. Like some other reviewers, I suspect that this may be an older piece of work that he pulled out of the attic and dusted off. It simply doesn't read like some of his more recent (and much better) efforts. I eagerly await the next Boldt/Matthews tale and I suggest that others who like Pearson's work do the same.

I would actually give this book 3.5 stars if I was able to. I am a huge Ridley fan - especially the Lou Boldt series. I was excited to read this book, and it took me a long time to get into it. The first 100 pages didn't turn fast enough, and the only reason I kept going was because I am a fan of the author. But, the end of the book was fast paced, and the book got better the further toward the end I got. The story was interesting, with no clear cut villian. I liked the characters, although I think that both Peter Tyler and Nell Priest could have been better developed. I liked the idea of David vs. Golliath, but the story just didn't have the special spark that Ridley usually has. It's a good summer read for the beach, but it doesn't do the author any justice. If this is your first time reading Ridley, don't start with this book - find his others first!

Ridley Pearson, as always, gives us a fast ride. I had become a bit tired of Lou Boldt and Daphne's clenched teeth platonic relationship, and looked forward to some new characters. I looked in the wrong direction. The plot and the modern day railroad lore are excellent, if a bit too technical at times. The characters are preposterous.

Peter Tyler is a down and out ex-homicide cop with an anxiety disorder that presents as acute claustrophobia. He is fired, in disgrace and facing a civil suit for excessive force against a black child beater. Somehow these qualifications get him temporary employment with the National Transportation Board to investigate a possible homicide involving a major railroad line. In a side-by-side story line, Umberto Alverez is seeking revenge against the railroad company for what he sees as negligence and cover-up in the crossing deaths of his wife and twin daughters. The chase and the chased gradually draw closer and closer together until Tyler and Alverez have a symbiotic relationship.

Reading about the trains was excellent stuff, interesting (hobos aren't "hobos" anymore, they are "riders") and informative. The action was fast paced. But the character's actions and motivations were like a James Bond movie gone bad. A beautiful, ambitious female executive becomes an informer on her own company because she may or may not have an itch for a scruffy, delusional ex-cop. Another fast living cocktail waitress who had a crush on Umberto when she was twelve behaves like a combination of Joan of Arc and whistle blower to save Umberto from --- what? An intelligent, highly placed government administrator misuses government authority against the railroad company because--he is in a pout?

There is a lot to like about "Parallel Lies" if you can just shut your eyes to why anyone is doing anything. The author has clearly done a lot of research on railroads, and the writing is vivid and clear. The enjoyment outweighs the frustration, but not by much.

Can't understand the negative reviews. This thriller about the railroads ran just like a train; eases out at first, picks up speed, rushes to an exciting climax, and slows to a satisfying stop. Unlike the opinion of the some reviewers, the characters were given just enough depth. Pearson does a wonderful job of shifting the reader's sympathies from the good guys to the bad guys; in fact one is never quite sure who is wearing the white hat in this very solid read. This novel is absolutely worth the trip.

What would you do if your world were torn apart? If everything that had meaning were lost? These are questions dealt with by two very different characters in Ridley Pearson's Parallel Lies.

Umberto Alvarez lost his family. His wife and twins were killed when a train hit their van at a crossing. Peter Tyler lost his job. He lost control and beat a suspect he saw severely abusing a baby. As a free-lance investigator for the NTSB, ex-cop Tyler finds himself chasing Alvarez to solve what he believes is a murder. In the course of the chase Tyler discovers a cover-up by the railroads, leading him to an understanding of Alvarez's desperation. Is Alvarez the 'bad guy' or a victim? Will Tyler become a victim again?

As suspense builds towards the trial run of a new high-speed train, F-A-S-T Track all of the players come together for a heart stopping race against time across the tracks.

It's a stand alone story with real characters that are neither all good nor all bad. If you haven't read Pearson's other books this is a good place to start. If you have read him then you know that you're in for an exciting read.

A great book to read if you're flying, but you might not want to take the train for a while!

I have read all of Ridley Pearson's novels that he has written and he is definitely one of my favorite authors. He defintely ranks right up there with James Patterson, John Sandford, and Jonathan Kellerman. I believe that "Parallel Lies" was one of his best novels yet! I received an Advanced Reading Copy of "Parallel Lies" two months ago and I was shocked at how good it was. This novel could definitely be a movie because Ridley paints such a great picture of the setting and the surroundings, especially during the train rides. The plot: A man by the name of Umberto Alvarez holds a grudge against one of the biggest railroad companies because their lights and warning signals around a railroad track crossing failed to warn his wife and children that a train was approaching. His whole family was killed by the train. Umberto feels a need to try and destroy all of this companies railroad cars. Peter Tyler is the investigator called in to try and determine who is wrecking these trains. Peter must try and stop Umberto before he gets to the companies new FAST Train and ruins that one. Unfortunately, Peter discovers some rotten details about the companies' way of running business. The ending of this novel was WONDERFUL! I felt so satisfied at the end. If you are going to read one novel this summer, read "Parallel Lies!" Oh, by the way, you might want to fasten your seatbelts.

I LIKE Amtrak - it's cozy and one can sit back and enjoy the scenery - the segment on the "Empire Builder" between Minneapolis/St. Paul and LaCrosse, Wisconsin along the Mississippi River is especially beautiful. This techno-thriller about terrorism against railroads had the bad timing to have been published this summer - just months before September 11. Nonetheless, it is a good, taut thriller involving a US Bullet-type train; Peter Tyler, an unjustly "fallen" ex-cop; Umberto Alvarez, a science teacher whose family just happened to be at a railroad crossing in Genoa, IL at the wrong time; and (somewhat trite)greedy corporate executives and their sleazy `security" entourage. It's worth the trip!

Ridley Pearson is a newly discovered author for me. I am highly gratified to discover he has written several previous novels which I am already starting to enjoy. Like his previous novels, Parallel Lies is a real page turner. It is one of those novels that makes you tell yourself, "Just one more chapter, then I'll turn the light out and get some sleep!" The protagonists are sympathetic with believable motives. The premise is a bit stale, wronged individual against the evil corporation, but Mr. Pearson handles this artfully.
The relationship that developed between the Fed and the railroad honcho seemed plausable enough, but nothing much was made of it being interracial. In today's social climate, this would be more of an issue.
This is an exciting, fast paces read and he obviously and done extensive research on rail systems of today.I am looking forward to enjoying all of Ridley Pearson's past and future novels.

What can I say?

Well, this book is positively guilty of robbing me of approximately 6 hours of sleep.

I was tired with eyes shutting down when I felt like I wanted to read a book. As I have purchased this novel recently, I felt compelled to try and read it.

Let us F-A-S-T Track 6 hours ahead. I was unable to put the book down. As someone who enjoys interracial relationships and a good dose of technojargon, this book was a perfect catalyst to trigger the insomniac within me. I am aware that I am posting this comment with my real name, but such is my outlook on this lifestyle.

If you would like to enjoy a blistering pace thriller with a rather believable plot, this one should be on your bookshelf.

I did find a couple of weak points mostly in the attempts of erotic fiction which were utterly silly as well as the notion of a computer virus. Everything was OK except when he decided to mention the computer viruses. According to the author, the virus which it technically a worm, would corrupt the NVRAM on the GPS guidance systems. That was, quite frankly, the least believable part of this story. A blanked out GPS guidance system which triggered a faulty failover was more than enough. All it takes is to assume the role of the primary card and the 3rd card is the entirely out of the loop.

I do like how he tries to portray two relationships in parallel, but the absurd attempts at erotic fiction were simply uncalled for.

Again, if you believe that the plot is not technologically believable, I'll lend you my expert opinion of the systems discussed that they are very close to their real counterparts.

Were it not for these two flaws, in my subjective opinion, I would have rated it a 5-star book.

Enjoy!

Parallel Lies by Ridley Pearson is absolutely terrific. It had everything I have come to expect from a Ridley Pearson novel; rich, real and compelling characters, an interesting premise, a fast moving story and just enough high tech detail . The extra twist of having bad good guys and a good bad guy made it an even more enjoyable read. I was reading at 180 miles per hour just to try to keep up. It is great entertainment. Ridley is going to have to write faster. We're going to need a new Tyler/Priest book and a new Boldt/Matthews book every year. His old fans will really enjoy this book and this one will attract many new readers who haven't had this kind of experience before. It's just great.