Customer Reviews

Stalking Susan

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I really enjoyed this couldn't put it down debut book. I liked the character development, feeding you more information about the main character, Riley Spartz bit by bit. It was also surprising the age picked by the author of her main character, 36. Not a young woman out of college, she has experience behind her and a few winkles. It makes the story line have more depth and believablity. The subplot made me laugh as I read it, it added to some of the craziness of the multiple story lines that the news media are working on at the same time. I liked the mixture of the comical line with the heavier murder scenes. It seemed so current, like I was reading about it in today's paper.

Congratulations to Julie Kramer on her first novel. Julie provided me with the opportunity to read her original manuscript before publication to provide her with technical advice on Practical Homcide Investigation®. The revisions and finished product is a fantastic read and captivating thriller involving a serial killer who is stalking women named Susan, who are killed on the same day each year. Is there a pattern here?

The heroine's position as a news reporter provided a unique approach to this genre of writing.What begins with a personal tip from a source, soon develops into a full-fledged murder investigation just in time for the television sweeps month and all the behind the scene dynamics and the types of personalities who dictate television news.

The strong point of the author's writing in this novel is her ability to weave together an exciting story and at the same time reveal through her characters the duplicitous nature of major network news and how stunning careers can obliterated overnight on a vindictive news director's whim.

Her characters are authentic and professionally developed throughout the book. The mystery reader, who likes surprises will not disappointed with Julie's nerve-racking and clever ending. Stalking Susan is a non-stop sequence of exciting of twists and curves that will keep the reader glued to the book.

Julie Kramer's debut novel, Stalking Susan, is a ripping good tale. Her "ear" for what goes on behind the scenes of a TV newsroom is spot on. And while the tension mounts, she employs the comic interlude to let the reader relax before she marches to the really scarey parts. I want to see more of Riley Spartz, her cynical heroine, and look forward to the next book.

What I liked best about the book is the references to my new hometown of Minneapolis and the tidbits about the news business. The book was a good story well told but I put it down for a few days at a time. Not as suspenseful as some of the other mystery writers including a popular author who writes about the news business. Any of her stories about whacky crime stories are true tales told on the local TV news over the past few years. I would read the sequel.

After 25 or so pages of self-conscious constricted writing, the author, Julie Kramer, eases into a confident smoothly flowing writing style. I especially liked her detailed descriptions of the politics and practicalities of TV news broadcasting. Nice plot, but if you're looking for mysteries wrapped in enigmas you won't find them here. The characters are a tad one-dimensional. Definitely better than three stars; not quite five stars.

I'm always looking for a good book to suggest for our Book Club - "The CBB Bad Girl Bookies". I saw Julie Kramer being interviewed when it first came out so I got it out of the library but didn't have time to read it. We need to pick books that are readily available to our whole club, so when I saw that it came out in paperback I gave it another shot and I was pleasantly surprised! The Minneapolis setting and references to the neighborhoods and area are great, and easy to identify with. I had to laugh out loud at the part about trying to catch a cab in downtown Minneapolis! So true! It has a nice story line, is funny in spots, sad in others and has a mystery that I think my group will enjoy! And the fact that it is a first book in a new series is also great! A lot of us in our Book Club love sequels and series! I am highly recommending it for our October read!!!! Maybe Julie can come and speak to us at that meeting! Happy Reading Everyone!

Anyone who has ever wondered about the life of an Investigative Television Reporter will love reading this book. It shares the story of Riley Spartz trying to develop a "40" story - this being a code word for the normal highest possible rating a news story can have. She begins her search with a cold-case set of murders (two Susans murdered on the same date), but simultaneously develops a story her producer sends her on about a vet cheating customers over animal cremains. Both stories develop twists and turns until the book comes to an intense and surprising end.

As I read this story (and the sequel Missing Mark), they both put me in mind of one of my favorite authors - Agatha Christie. Kramer has fully developed and sympathetic characters, with life histories and loves and hates.

I not only enjoyed this book but have recommended it to several of my friends. I hope to see Kramer's future books, but I also hope that we'll be seeing this one in the Movie Theater someday!!! Definitely a great read!

STALKING SUSAN is advertised as a thriller, but it's really more of an old-fashioned mystery told from the perspective of a 36-year old TV reporter, Riley Spartz. While this novel isn't as suspenseful as I would have liked, it is still enjoyable reading.

This novel's serial killer plot is a little on the pedestrian side. STALKING SUSAN deals with a series of "cold cases" that took place over a decade in the past, so there is very little tension or conflict during the first half of the story. This novel doesn't contain a lot of big twists or surprises, and the identity of the killer will be quite predictable to veteran mystery readers.

Still, author Julie Kramer's writing style is both witty and readable, and she provides a lot of interesting insights into the world of television news. Kramer is a freelance television producer herself, so all of descriptions of a TV newsroom have an air of authenticity to them.

All in all, STALKING SUSAN is a fun enough read, the type of book that fans of Janet Evanovich or Lisa Scottoline might enjoy. It's worth a try if you like mysteries with a comedic bent.

This is a fun, smart read. If you're from the Twin Cities you will appreciate all of the local landmarks and history of the area. I heard about this on the Lori & Julia show and gave it a go. It is a page turner and you won't be able to put it down.

Rarely does a debut author get my enthusiasm so completely, but Julie Kramer (author of STALKING SUSAN) has made me a fan from page 1. Her unique voice hit me as decisively as Robert Crais did when I first discovered his Elvis Cole PI series. And that's saying something.

By the title and book summary, you may think this is mainly a serial killer story. And the premise read like a cliché to me at first--TV news reporter draws out a serial killer (not even the police think exists) with the help of her cop friend. We've all seen this type of story before.

But what really stands out in this book is the humanity of the main character. Riley Spartz is a media savvy reporter who can take a mediocre story and turn it into media gold (40-share+ rating) simply by how she filters the facts through her own humanity. The character's cynical humor is a joy to discover, but there is another poignant thread through this book that really resonated and took me by surprise. Without giving too much away, I will say that the "dealing with grief" thread will remain with me long after I've shelved this book with my favorites. Kramer begins and ends her story with it and I'm sure it will haunt me for a long time to come.

If you are reading this book to find a creepy scary story about a serial killer, you may not find what you're looking for. This is a character driven story about a courageous woman doing her job as a news reporter with an endearing circle of friends, co-workers, and quirky neighbors. Other news coverage is just as compelling to watch as the stories unfold and you can see how a TV reporter and a TV station thinks about news. An interesting perspective. And since Julie Kramer is a freelance TV news producer (for NBC's Today show, Nightly News and Dateline), her experience really shows in the behind the scenes look at the "business" of news coverage.

If you keep an open mind when you read STALKING SUSAN, this spunky TV reporter can make you laugh and cry. She felt so real to me that I wanted to know her as a person too. In short, I fell in love with this book and can't wait for the next one in the series. Kudos, Julie Kramer!