The Pied Piper [Hardcover]

Ridley Pearson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1998

In Seattle, they're calling him "The Pied Piper" because he comes in the night and takes children away. To police lieutenant Lou Boldt and psychologist Daphne Matthews, it's clear this isn't about a single lunatic or random kidnappings: these crimes are well orchestrated, well executed, and, most chilling of all, occurring in cities all over the country.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

A wave of babynappings has terrified parents from San Diego to Portland. And when the Pied Piper--named for the penny flute he leaves in the cribs of his victims--claims his first Seattle infant, the investigation draws in homicide detective Lou Boldt. Assigned temporarily to Intelligence so he can spend more time with his kids while his wife is hospitalized for chemotherapy, Boldt's role is to keep the FBI out of the Seattle Police Department's way. But FBI special agent Gary Flemming is a tough adversary--so tough it almost seems as if he's intentionally sabotaging the SPD's investigation. Then the Pied Piper snatches Boldt's own daughter, promising that unless Boldt throws both the Feds and the SPD off his trail he'll never see his child again. Caught between his professional obligations and his fear for Sarah's life, Boldt launches his own private manhunt with the help of John La Moia, his replacement in homicide, and police psychologist Daphne Matthews, his closest friend in the department. They form a sub rosa task force under the noses of the Feds and the SPD, and soon discover how the Piper has managed to stay a step ahead of the police, elude capture, and find his small victims. The chase moves from Seattle to Portland to New Orleans, culminating in a thrilling denouement in the daffodil fields of Washington's Skagit Valley. Combining strong characterizations with an impressive command of both policing and pacing, Ridley Pearson, author of Chain of Evidence and Beyond Recognition, delivers another sure winner in this outing for Lou Boldt. --Jane Adams

From Publishers Weekly

A serial kidnapper called the Pied Piper?the villain of Pearson's ingenious, fast-moving 11th thriller?has targeted Seattle, and newly promoted Lieutenant Lou Boldt (last seen in Beyond Recognition) is called in on the case by John LaMoia of the Seattle Crimes Against Persons unit. Boldt, whose wife, Liz, is undergoing chemotherapy, soon discovers that the Pied Piper has managed to target families, steal children and vanish from city after city seemingly at will, although the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent Gary Flemming, has been chasing the serial kidnapper across the country for months. And it looks like the same thing will happen in Seattle, especially when vital information is withheld by the FBI in a turf battle with the locals. But just as Boldt starts asking the right questions, the Pied Piper abducts his daughter, Sarah. It's twists like this that fuel the rest of the novel as Pearson tightens the screws on Boldt as he tries to find his daughter and prevent another kidnapping. The plot begins simply and becomes wonderfully complex, stretching from Seattle to New Orleans; while the lucky car accident that helps break the case wide open is somewhat facile, the work of Boldt and an expertly drawn supporting cast of characters will hold the attention of readers. As will be clear even to neophytes, Boldt's relationship with forensic psychologist Daphne Matthews, and the ongoing affair between two members of the task force, point to a lot of history between these characters, none of it confusing for first-timers, who may be tempted to pick up earlier novels to see whether they're all this good. $250,000 ad/promo; Literary Guild, Doubleday Book Club selections; author tour. Agent, Al Zuckerman. (Aug.) FYI: A mass market edition of Beyond Recognition will be published simultaneously.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 497 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Books; 1st edition (August 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786863005
• ISBN-13: 978-0786863006
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.7 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (46 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #399,159 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

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A totally engrossing read, August 19, 2000

By 

Glenn McLeod - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pied Piper (Mass Market Paperback)

The Pied Piper by Ridley Pearson Published by Hyperion, New York

This is the first book I've read by Ridley Pearson but it definitely won't be the last. The book is filled with believable characters with interesting lives outside of their work and relationships that makes the skin tingle with tension.

The plot is skillfully crafted and moves quickly from the kidnaping of young children to the internecine competition between the FBI and the Seattle Police Department. Someone within the two groups is giving the kidnapers inside information and when Lou Boldt's child is kidnaped and he is told to slow down the investigation or he won't see his child again, the tension rises to unimaginable heights. For those who are parents and perhaps even those who arnt, the thought of losing a child to kidnapers brings a dimension and intensity to the plot that is at times unbearable.

This is a well written and carefully crafted book filled with excitement and enough twists and turns of plot to hold anyone. I can't wait for the next one.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Finally another author worth reading...., July 30, 2000

By 

"pnp2000" - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pied Piper (Mass Market Paperback)

About two months ago I read The Coffin Dancer and became hooked on Jeffery Deaver's novels. (As 7 reviews of his novels in under a month and a half will prove) But since I have read most Deaver novels I decided it was time to look for another author worth reading, and I finally found him in Ridley Pearson.

The Pied Piper is a fast paced thriller that touches a very sensitive subject, child abduction. Pearson is able to keep the suspense all throughout the novel and this novel contains many twists that will keep you guessing and thinking all thoughout that the kidnapper is this or that character.

This novel will be sure to keep you on the edge of your seat particularly because you will be able to identify yourself with Lou Boldt and his actions and you will confront yourself asking what would I have done. The modus operandi of the pied piper is very unique and he actually becomes great villain. The only setback I could find in this novel (When compared to Deaver novels) is that we never get a glance at the villains point of view. One of the great things about Deaver is that you get to know what the bad guys are thinking, even if you do not know who the bad guy is. However, setting this small detail aside this novel was a very enjoyable read and I am getting ready to read my second Pearson novel.

Lou Boldt is a great character and I'm glad to find out that there are many more Lou Bold't novels out there because I will certainly read them all.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A PAGE TURNER...., February 21, 2000

By 

karen chiasson - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Pied Piper (Mass Market Paperback)

This was the first book by Ridley Pearson that I have read. I found this book to be a real page turner with a story that keeps you interested all the way through. Children go missing and you don't know who's taking them....Then just when you think you might know who it is and you get closer to figuring out the mystery, the conclusion is nothing what you expected........It was an excellent book!