State of Mind [Mass Market Paperback]

John Katzenbach (Author)

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine (2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345478762
• ISBN-13: 978-0345478764
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Most uneven to me., April 13, 2000

By 

nobizinfla "nobizinfla" (Windermere, Florida USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: State of Mind (Mass Market Paperback)

After reading the book I can understand the disparity in the customer reviews. "State of Mind" was a disappointment to me as I found Mr. Katzenbach's "Hart's War" & "Shadowman" among the best books I have ever read. Parts of "State of Mind" just flew by and I became quite engrossed...then periods of dull nonaction. Perhaps it was just too long. Were it not for my faith in Mr. Katzenbach's writing there were many times I would have quit this one. Kept figuring it would pick up in the next chapter. Ending is a pretty good payoff, but takes too long to get there and it's a plodding journey. Set in a Blade Runner world the overall plot made sense and the characters were well drawn. Mr. Katzenbach has entertained me before and will again.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars State Of Nervousness, July 16, 2002

By 

Untouchable (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: State of Mind (Mass Market Paperback)

John Katzenbach has created an America of the future where anarchy reigns. It is a violent, dangerous place where employees have to be escorted from the office in groups to ensure their safety, and no-one walks the streets at night for fear of losing their life. Within this grim picture comes a proposed 51st state. A haven where crime will be unheard of. Entry into the state will be closely controlled and stable families will be welcomed with open arms.

But it's here, in the budding crime-free zone that an alarming number of young girls have gone missing with a few of them being found dead. Officially they were reported to have met with an unfortunate accident, but those in the know can see that they are dealing with the work of a serial killer. This is something thought impossible in a crime-free state and is potentially devastating to the chances of the state being accepted into the Union.

The concept of a new state raised a very interesting point. It was created to give people a place to live in safety, when really, all it achieved was the creation of a false sense of security in the minds of the residents. By instilling the thought that the state was crime-free, the residents did not take any precautions against crime. No one locked their doors or took the proper care when walking at night and the police didn't know how to properly process a crime scene. Basically, an environment was created where a criminal could work with virtual impunity.

Although the book starts out with a very clever idea that made me pause for thought about where the world is heading, Katzenbach tended to take the long road to get to the final showdown, which then seemed to pass by with an air of inevitability. Once the concept of the new state was established along with all the differences it would bring, the rest of the book just read as a standard serial killer story, granted, with a couple of twists thrown in for good measure.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Katzenbach delivers again, November 6, 2003

By 

Garry M. Cullen (Randwick, NSW, Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: State of Mind (Mass Market Paperback)

This is the third Katzenbach book I have read after reading "The Analyst" and "Shadowman", whilst I consider the former his best work yet, "State of Mind" was not far behind. I read the book inside of 5 days and found myself consistently pulled through the book by the twists and turns the story took. To me the whole 51st state thing wasn't really needed being a non US citizen, as the characters and the plot really hit a chord with the unique situation the children of the suspected murderer find themselves. The whole story I thought was excellent and the ending was extremely clever and unexpected. I would definitely recommend reading this book.