The Rules of Silence (Lindsey, David) [Kindle Edition]

David Lindsey (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Lindsey is an efficient thriller author who sometimes (as in Mercy) reaches considerable heights of suspense and terror. The present book, however, is no more than just efficient, despite its smooth prose, a Lindsey trademark. It has a workable plot-Titus Cain, a self-made Texas millionaire software developer, is being bled financially by a Latino thug who threatens to kill Cain's nearest and dearest if he fails to pay large sums into a series of front companies-but it soon becomes clear that the plot is all there is to the book. Titus; his wife, Rita; and the outlaw techno-whiz they hire to get them out of their horrible situation are not brought to life for an instant, but remain the ciphers of a mindless action movie. It soon becomes clear that the Cains' would-be savior, Garcia Burden, has his own dark agenda, and that their nemesis is not stockpiling money just for himself but perhaps for a sinister Arab group that could be planning a new terrorist attack. There's a great deal of planting bugs, scrutinizing laptops, dashing around in SUVs and the occasional burst of mayhem, but it's basically an unengaging and mechanical exercise. Lindsey can do much better.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Multimillionaire Titus Cain is approached with a strange proposition: if he doesn't give a certain man $64 million, this same man will kill off some (or perhaps all) of Cain's friends and loved ones. The money has to be given to the extortionist in such a way that no one suspects anything is going on (primarily through deliberately bad investments), and if Cain even tries to seek help, the killings will start instantly. Lindsey's latest novel is thoroughly exhilarating, even if the premise isn't completely fresh: Jon Katzenbach's The Analyst (2001) was also about a man who had to do a specific thing if he didn't want the villain to kill his loved ones. Titus Cain is a sympathetic protagonist, a man forced to make tough decisions in the face of enormous danger; Cayetano Luquin, the powerful extortionist, who apparently does this sort of thing for a living, is vastly evil without being cartoonish; and Garcia Burden, the ex-CIA counterterrorism expert to whom Titus turns for help, is resourceful and inscrutable. Lindsey's novels sometimes suffer from lethargy, as though he's just sort of wandering through his story, but this one moves swiftly to its rousing finale. It's a definite winner. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 485 KB
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing (November 16, 2008)
• Sold by: Hachette Book Group
• Language: English
• ASIN: B001J2UVCK
• Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #227,429 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

More About the Author

David Lindsey has published 14 novels in the mystery, thriller, suspense, and spy genres. He began his writing career in 1983 by publishing two mystery novels in the same year. One of those novels, "A Cold Mind" featuring Houston homicide detective, Stuart Haydon, has been called by reviewers "one of the best suspense novels of all time"; and "a classic of the genre." Lindsey began working closely with the Houston Homicide Division for his research, and by the late 1980s Lindsey had written four Haydon novels.

In 1988 he changed directions and began extensive research for a novel that would become one of the first to be published about a then new criminal phenomenon, the serial killer. Published in 1990, "Mercy" became an international bestseller. In 1992 the German television network Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF), featured Lindsey in an hour-long special program in their "Literature and Culture" series. "Mercy" was optioned for a feature film production, and remained under option for over a decade before it was finally filmed and premiered on HBO in April 2000.

In 1992 "Body of Truth", the fifth and last novel to feature Stuart Haydon, was published and won Germany's Bochumer Krimi Archiv award for the best suspense novel of the year. Lindsey turned to international settings with "Requiem for a Glass Heart" (1996) and "The Color of Night" (1999). The first novel dealt with international crime, while the second was set in the world of spies and international intelligence. "The Rules of Silence", Lindsey's twelfth novel was published in 2003, and was the first to be set in his home city, Austin. It was immediately bought outright by Universal Studios for a feature film production.

After publishing his thirteenth novel, Lindsey spent the next several years pursuing two large teleplay projects before his curiosity brought him back to novels in 2007. He began researching the astonishing rise of the government's outsourcing of national intelligence. Silently, and out of sight, privatized spying had become a multi-billion dollar industry in the years following 9/11. The industry's growth has been so explosive that private contractors now command over 70% of the nation's entire intelligence budget. Some of the corporations have become information industry giants with government contracts in the billions of dollars annually.

Lindsey thought this subject was tailor-made for long form fiction, but he soon realized that the story he wanted to tell was too large to be encompassed in a single volume. In 2011 Lindsey, writing under the pseudonym Paul Harper, published "Pacific Heights", the first volume in a serial novel featuring former intelligence officer Marten Fane. "Sorrow's Spy", the second volume in the Marten Fane Story serial novel will be published in 2012.

Lindsey researches and writes his novels in his library, which is adjacent to his home in Austin, Texas.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lindsey's approach to the "page turner", April 30, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Rules of Silence (Mass Market Paperback)

I've always had the feeling that David Lindsey was the "thinking man's" mystery/thriller writer. The reader was impressed at the writing skill and depth of the writer - the book HAD to be read slowly to appreciate the nuances he brought to the story, however gruesome the topic. Now he goes and writes something completely out of style: a book that grabs you from the first chapter and doesn't let you go until the final page. Great writing, as usual, but much more fast-paced than in the past. Terrific book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars similar in theme to Jon Katzenbach's THE ANALYST, April 11, 2003

By 

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

This review is from: The Rules of Silence (Hardcover)

Cayetano "Tano" Luquin extorts money from millionaires by threatening to kill anyone they cherish if payment fails to be remitted. The professional blackmailer insures nearly impossible tracing even following the money trail by having his victims make losing investments in which he reaps the awards from paper companies "laundering" the cash. His current chosen lamb is software developer guru Titus Cain.

Titus and his wife Rita turn to counterterrorist expert Garcia Burden to help expedite the Cains from this devious plot. If Tano learns that his victims deviated from his script, one by one those close to Titus will be marked for death plus a demand for an increase from the $64 million dollar first offer will occur. A former CIA agent, Garcia starts gathering information on his opponent knowing that if he breaks THE RULES OF SILENCE of this game someone will die.

Though somewhat similar in theme to Jon Katzenbach's THE ANALYST, THE RULES OF SILENCE is an exciting action thriller that never slows down until the final confrontation occurs. The story line moves at a rapid pace so readers need to wear their seat belts at all times. The villain and his opponent each have agendas that make them the lead duo in a deadly game of cat and mouse, and more easily understood than the victims. Not quite as character rounded as David Lindsey's usual novel (see A COLD MIND and MERCY), readers will still appreciate this exhilarating thriller.

Harriet Klausner

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Page-turning...A thriller that actually thrills., April 27, 2003

By 

Nick G - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Rules of Silence (Hardcover)

The plan is always the same...seek out a wealthy victim, kidnap them, and explain the rules. The plan has always worked smoothly, until now...This time the victim fights back!

Titus Cain is a self-made millionaire with the perfect life...a loving wife, a beautiful home, and a very successful software company, but his perfect world is about to be shattered when he is the target of a devious plan.

Tano Luquin is a master thief; a monster who conjures up sick schemes to rob wealthy individuals of their fortunes. Tano has chosen Titus Cain as his new victim.

Tano kidnaps Titus to explain the rules of the latest game, and the rules are simple:
Over the next four days Titus must make a series of "bad investments" totaling 64 million dollars. These payments must be made to Tano, and if any of the payments are missed someone close to Titus will die. Titus gets to go on living his life as usual, but nobody is to know of the kidnapping, and the money being paid must go undiscovered by his financial advisors. If Titus should break any rule, or talk to someone there will be a murder of those closest to him. There will be no warnings, and Tano will not repeat the rules, but if you break one of them you will pay.

Titus decides to fight back, and in the process realizes he is up against a man more ruthless than he imagined, and if he is to come out of this alive he must fight as dirty as Tano.

`The Rules Of Silence' is a smart, well written thriller that actually thrills. A page-turner of the highest order this novel grabs hold from page one and doesn't let go. The action comes fast and furious as the kidnapping plot unfolds, and as the various sub-plots develop the reader will find they can't put the book down.

David Lindsey is a wonderful thriller writer. I have been a fan for many years, and his novels get better, and better. Mr. Lindsey can always be counted upon for an original thriller, one that is smart as well as suspenseful. `The Rules Of Silence' should jump onto bestseller lists everywhere, and place David Lindsey alongside other superstar authors in the genre for he is very deserving of it.

Read this novel, you will not be disappointed!

Nick Gonnella