Peregrine (Otto Penzler Presents--) [Hardcover]

William Bayer (Author)

Book Description

Series: Otto Penzler Presents-- | Publication Date: May 12, 2005

Circling high over Rockefeller Center is a peregrine falcon, the most awesome of the flying predators. She awaits a signal from her falconer. It is given: the bird attacks, plummeting from the sky at nearly 200 miles an hour, striking a young woman and killing her instantly.

So begins Peregrine, a chilling tale of obsession.

By chance, newscaster Pamela Barrett witnesses the slaying. Her impassioned account of it on television that evening thrills the falconer, a brilliant madman who identifies with his deadly bird. He becomes fascinated with Pam and enmeshes her in a bizarre and deadly scheme even as she finds herself drawn to him by an erotic need she doesn't understand.

As killing follows killing, the police and the media engage in cutthroat competition to find the murderer. Two falcons fight to the death above Central Park. Call girls, rich eccentrics, dealers in the black market for rare birds--all play their roles in this study of secret passion, desire, fulfillment, and ecstasy.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Bayer's original, carefully built thriller almost defies readers to stop at any point, no matter how horrified they may be... The ending is right out of Grand Guignol, after a series of frights in a story most brilliantly characterized."--Publishers Weekly on Peregrine

"Bayer wears not just the clothes, but the laurel that once belonged to Elmore Leonard."--San Francisco Examiner on Peregrine

About the Author

New York Times bestselling author William Bayer, a.k.a. David Hunt, is a noted crime fiction writer. He divides his time between Martha's Vineyard and New York.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; 1st edition (May 12, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765311623
• ISBN-13: 978-0765311627
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,420,319 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars exciting thriller, May 25, 2005

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Peregrine (Otto Penzler Presents--) (Paperback)

The peregrine falcon soars over Manhattan when a falconer signals the bird of prey, which instantly zooms down at incredible speed attacking a female skater in Rockefeller Center while a Japanese tourist films the deadly assault. Her throat is ripped open in a nanosecond. "Lucky" by being at the right place at the right time with evidence to show her viewers the brutal killing, Newscaster Pamela Barrett obtains the film and gives a first hand account on TV.

The falconer enjoys Pam's broadcast and contacts her by mail. Others die as violently as the skater while the psychopath continues to fascinate in a macabre way Pam, who the Falconer is obsessed with owning. However, she sees a pattern to the victims as each is young and looks eerily similar to her. NYPD Detective Frank Janek struggles with stopping this maniac, but Pam believes she is the key as bait to stop an assailant whose weapon is a bird trained to kill upon command.

Otto Penzler brings back one of the most exciting thrillers from 1981, Peregrine. The story line grips the audience from the start as the bird of prey soars at an incredible speed tearing the young woman's throat in a blink and keeps the pace of the falcon throughout the tale. Underlying the chills is the obsession of the three key human players. Pam though appalled also "welcomes" the killings as a chance to make it big as a media star; Janek "appreciates" the case as his opportunity for salvation (and the springboard for his own series); while the falconer keeps bloody score as the sport's champion whose exploits Pam and other broadcast.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars disappointing, August 13, 2006

By 

Donald E. Gilliland (Bangkok, Thailand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Peregrine (Otto Penzler Presents--) (Paperback)

I've read several Bayer novels and enjoyed them very much. After hearing that this novel won an Edgar award I was eager to read it. Well...that must have been a very thin year for Edgar nominees. This book was a severe letdown. Totally unbelievable and it got sillier and more ridiculous the more pages I read. Honestly, I can't believe Bayer would even want this one still in print. His other novels, and the ones he has written as David Hunt, are very good. But this one reads like the work of an amateur by comparison. Give it a miss.