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268 of 284 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This Guy Makes Me Mad, January 11, 2008
Yeah, you read that right...Steven James really makes me mad. I'll tell you why in a moment, but this is a review of his novel and I'll start with that.
On the surface, "The Pawn" looks to be yet another in a long, somewhat wearying string of serial killer novels. I mean, how many more of these can we read before the genre dies? Pun intended. The reason the genre remains strong, however, is because of well-crafted thrillers such as this, ones that include believable characters and original villains. In fact, I suggest that "The Pawn" elevates and transcends its market niche.
The book's protagonist, Patrick Bowers, is struggling to understand his wife's death from cancer and the resulting estrangement from his step-daughter. He doesn't have much time for such things, though, while trying to track down a ruthless and brilliant games-man, a killer who leaves chess pieces at the site of each murder. These are workable elements for any such novel, yet nothing that new to the market; it's the manner in which James ties them together with larger conspiracy theories and historical mysteries that turns this into a true page-turner. Not only do we care about this killer being stopped, we care about Bowers and his relationships. We care about the future victims. We care about others caught up in the dizzying maze of deception.
So why am I mad? Well, as a published novelist myself, I often wrestle with my own inner editor while reading other novels. This makes it hard to enjoy some of them. In the case of James, I found myself challenged instead to sharpen my craft even more. Not only that, he combines in "The Pawn" some of the elements that it's taken me two or three books to explore--a love of coffee, an eye for chess, and an interest in history. In fact, I've had some readers doubt the history in my novels, and I've told them to go read the facts. I thought, in the case of Mr. James, maybe I'd catch him sleeping on the research, but no...I looked up his underlying historical premise--and it's right on target. Wow! In his debut thriller, he's trumped my books and raised the bar.
Yeah, that really torques me! And I can't wait to read his next, "The Rook."
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50 of 50 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Carianne Carleo-Evangelist, September 7, 2007
The Pawn, a thriller written by Steven James, is at once a book that you want to stop reading so you don't have nightmares, but one you don't want to put down either.
Thriller readers familiar with James Patterson's "Alex Cross" series will find themselves thinking of Alex Cross and his Washington D.C. home, but Special Agent Patrick Bowers is a strong character in his own domain: North Carolina. Further, his specialty in environmental criminology is apt considering the newsworthiness of environmental issues in the present time.
Further complicating Bowers's work is high powered political figures, such as North Carolina's governors and higher ranking bureau officials, including his supervisor. We hear news stories often where police officials are criticized for not doing their job and then when the story comes out, it turns out their ability to do this work is being blocked by other parties. This is very much the case in this story, leading a real world feel to this work of fiction.
Although there are numerous characters that appear in the story, it isn't a challenge to keep them straight, and some such as Tessa, you can't help but grow attached to. Another testament to the author's abilities, the characters come to life and the reader almost expects to meet them when they go to town.
The author's background in storytelling, in which he received his MA from East Tennessee State University, shows clearly throughout the book, allowing the reader to feel as if they are hearing a personal account of the tale. Further, he uses simple words, such as `pawn' with multiple meanings and to keep the readers thinking. In a manner similar to John Grisham writing about the Delta locations he knows best, Steven James brings North Carolina to life in readers' eyes.
This is the first of a planned trilogy, and I look forward to reading more of Patrick Bowers's cases and Steven James's work.
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61 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Well written but Graphic and Gory, August 20, 2008
Both The Pawn (The Patrick Bowers Files, Book 1) and The Rook (The Patrick Bowers Files, Book 2) are very well written with good character development. However, the books are very graphic and gory. A serial killer who gets high on strangling a person and brings them back just so he can do it again and again is troubling. There are many authors who can tell a murder mystery without these disturbing images. I certainly hope that Stephen James will be able to weave future tales without all the terror and erotic gore.
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