Customer Reviews

Primal Scream

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A committed Slade fan, I've been a bit disappointed in his last 2. Not quite up to their best, Ripper or Ghoul (my favorite) in terms of depth and pervisity of plot, but well above the average for the genre. I did miss the lack of a teaser or loose threads at the end. I, tho, wouldn't mind putting DeClercq on the back burner and doing more with Zinc or Craven, who were both shortchanged in this one. I must agree with other reviewers that Katt is overdone somewhat obnoxious. The research, as usual, is fascinating and near impeccable. One slip, which surprised me given their normal standards: The AR-15 is the civilian version of the M-16. It is NOT fully automatic. In fact, neither is the M-16 anymore; it fires 3-round bursts. No one's perfect.

Once you've started one of Slade's books, you might give it up if you're not inured to violence and suspense, but otherwise he really keeps you wanting more. Once you've read MANHUNTER you'll want to find out more about LeCLERCQ and his obsession with killers of the past and present. PRIMAL SCREAM completes his voyage into the past, with the violent death of his own daughter a throbbing memory inside his brain compelling him to lead an investigation into a possible copy cat killer. There's even a young girl called KATT, as if to hint at a COPY KATT!!

Is Slade even a real person? I wonder if it isn't the pseudonym behind which a variety or people can make their feelings known on the topic of serial killing. One thing this putative syndicate could do to raise the standard of their books is to get some more imaginative titles. For example, HEADHUNTER and PRIMAL SCREAM. There must be dozens of books and movies already with those names. PRIMAL SCREAM is a psychoanalutical movement, for goodness sakes. The way Slade writes you'd think it was a heavy metal band.

Canada must be proud that for a country with not very many people (compared to the US) Slade has populated it with mad maniacs and determined grim-jawed cops in pursuit. And plenty of victims whose blood is rich with riboflavin.

As a very loyal fan of Michael Slade (the pen name of two writers), I anxiously awaited this book. I have read all the others and was hooked from the very beginning. The writing is always smart and challenging, never insulting anyone's intelligence. It is gory (for fan's of horror), but we are always given a very clear portrait and glimpse into the mind of the killer/s. We also are treated to Canadian and Mountie/police/crime history (which I never believed I'd have any interest in (a testament to the engaging writing)! Primal Scream dips back into a case which constituted a previous novel, Headhunter (not at all necessary to have read any of the previous books to understand this one). This is my favorite Michael Slade book, and I will be eagerly awaiting the next one. The only problem I had with it was with the character Katt, who in the beginning is painted as a precocious teen. She is however, an annoying character in this otherwise intense and smart novel. Her little quips, poems and remarks make you want to vomit and roll your eyes (not necessarily in that order). Thankfully though, we only have to suffer through her at the beginning. At the end, her character becomes more serious and intelligent and real. This book is one in which the energy never dies down. From the very beginning throughout until the last page, we are interested, absorbed, entertained and educated.

Of the 11 Special X books Michael Slade has written I have never told anyone to "read them in order." New comers to the series can start anywhere and become immersed in the wonderful world Michael Slade had given us...

Primal Scream, the sixth Special X books from bestselling author Michael Slade, is the one exception to that rule. This book CAN be read and enjoyed without reading the previous novels, but reading Headhunter first will increase the tension level within Primal Scream by ten fold.

A severed head is delivered to Robert DeClercq at Special X HQ and ten years of questions, guilt, and angst from the case that nearly destroyed him come thundering back to the forefront of DeClercq's life. Now the elite psycho hunters of Special X must race against the clock to catch a killer that should already be dead.

Primal Scream will keep you on the edge of your seat waiting for the next shocking body blow to be delivered, while Michael Slade smiles and taunts you with what might happen next.

Filled with shock and suspense, Primal Scream will have you screaming for more.

Being cooped up in the house during the weather led to a bit more reading time. That, and a two hour commute on light rail. Anyway, I just finished Primal Scream by Michael Slade. A strange and gruesome book that doesn't rank among my favorites. To start with, I think that much of the character development takes place in his earlier book Headhunter (which I haven't read). As a result, there were continual references to people and events that I didn't know anything about but that were important to this story. Next, there are two crime stories going on here that may or may not be interrelated, and it was confusing to figure out what was going on, and why. Third, there are vivid depictions of rape and sexual fetish stuff that is key to the story. Not for the squeamish. The storyline is that there are killings (beheadings, actually) that are going on, and they are similar to a crime spree from the first book. DeClerq is trying to solve the crime and figure out if they perhaps killed the wrong person on the earlier case. Some suspenseful moments to be sure, but very disturbing and somewhat confusing to follow...

I have read all the Slade books and have seen a decline in quality in the last two. "Primal Scream" is more in line with the initial stories in this series, "Headhunter" and "Cutthroat". I was glad to see the loose ends in "Headhunter" brought to conclusion. This is an interesting series of stories that is exciting and engrossing. They do have graphic descriptions of violence and sexual acts so they are not for everyone. This book did not reference the next Slade book as the past titles did. I hope this does not mean there will be no more Declerq stores.

Having read all of 'Michael Slade's' books, I was excited to get a start on this one. I was truly surprised to find that it is actually the wrap-up novel for the story begun in 'Headhunter'. All of Slade's books have a familiar cast of characters that you only begin to know after reading several of his books, and after the jarring surprise ending of Headhunter, and the appearance of the 'headhunter' in subsequent books as a continuing 'sane' character, it was good to see a finale to that episode. I live in Seattle and know Vancouver quite well after visiting for years, but the people that live there and can visualize the city as a living, breathing character in these books have to be satisfied with the image presented. 'Slade' is actually an amalgam of 3 (or is it 2) lawyers from the Vancouver area that truly research the facts for their books and you get a civic and historical background that is valuable in the enjoyment of 'his' novels. The subject matter is not for the squeamish, but the story told is magnificent...

not as gory as other slade books but this one really is one of his most creepy and well written books.

This series of books is not for the squeamish or the faint of heart. I found that after reading a few they became a bit repetative.

I started reading Slade more than ten years ago when Headhunter was first published. That book got me hooked on Slade and I've read them all since then. Admittedly, many of the plots are far-fetched and require leaps of the imagination to make them work. But by and large the stories are gripping and the research impeccable. No change as far as Primal Scream is concerned - it's a helluva page-turner, especially for those who've been waiting for a resolution to the questions left open at the end of Headhunter. For me, Primal Scream represented closure of sorts and I'm grateful for that, as well as for a darn good read.