Storm [Paperback]

Boris Starling (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 3, 2000

Elemental rage, bloody Greek myth, man's greed and capacity for cruelty, the insane imaginings of a killer, all intermingle in this stunning new thriller from the bestselling author of Messiah to create a novel of stunning ferocity. A storm-tossed crossing on the North Sea; a catastrophic ferry accident; hundreds dead. Detective Chief Inspector Kate Beauchamp is one of the survivors but her ferocious fight to stay alive brings with it a high cost: a burden of guilt that she should live while some of her friends died; a terror of water; a frozen inner core that never seems to melt. When the body of a young female journalist is found in Aberdeen soon after the disaster, Kate insists on conducting the investigation -- partly to exorcize her own demons, partly because she feels a strange affinity with the victim. The killing is peculiarly brutal and the murderer has left a unique calling card: attached to the woman's neck is a poisonous snake. Into this emotional cauldron steps the last man on earth Kate wants to see -- her estranged father, Frank, in Aberdeen to conduct the marine inquiry into the sinking. Was the disaster the result of a bomb, as claimed by the ferry-line's chairman, or is he trying to hide something? In a sweltering heatwave, Kate and Frank conduct their highly pressured investigations. But for both of them, danger is approaching fast -- a vortex of violence which will sweep them up and endanger their very lives.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Delving deeper into the mind of a serial killer than he did in his first novel, Messiah, Starling takes readers to the brink of madness with a character who is unrelentingly violent (he tortures his victims prior to killing them by forcing rats to gnaw through their stomachs) yet literate (his victims are chosen based on characters from Aeschylus's complex Greek myth, the Oresteia). The book's unlikely beginnings stem from a suspicious passenger-ferry sinking off the coast of Scotland. Among the survivors is Kate Beauchamp, a chief detective on Scotland's Grampian police force and a member of the Aberdeen Amateur Acting Company, with whom she's traveling. Upon returning to work, Kate is immediately confronted with the grisly murder and dismemberment of pretty Petra Gallacher. Two days later, elderly busybody Elizabeth Hart dies a similar death, and Kate vows to stop at nothing until the dangerous killerDnicknamed Blackadder, after the snake he leaves on each of his victim's bodiesDis apprehended. Starling expertly renders a strong heroine who uncovers no fewer than a half-dozen suspects who were either travelers on the doomed ferry or are somehow connected with its investigation, and he skillfully builds the suspense as he joins various plot lines to the main story and slowly reveals the killer's identity. (Nov. 7)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

Praise for Messiah: 'Fast-paced, gritty! deserves nothing but praise' Esquire 'Grips from the first page and doesn't let go. It's a grimly, frighteningly good read' Val McDermid

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Product Details

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Harper Collins Pb (July 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0006512054
• ISBN-13: 978-0006512059
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,319,536 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's no "Messiah" but I still couldn't put it down..., November 29, 2000

By 

Amy Battis (Beverly, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Storm (Paperback)

If you haven't yet, do yourself a favor and go read Messiah first. And then pick up Storm. You won't be disappointed. (You might also want the background of Messiah that is referred to repeatedly in Storm.)

Boris Starling returns with his second novel. Again, he deals with a deranged serial killer who is quite elusive. This time around, Kate Beauchamp is our detective and Starling gets into her mind smartly. Here, Starling weaves a story with two tragedies, the sinking of a ferry Kate was on, and the serial murders. At first it seems crazy to follow the two so closely, but the many ties, beginning with Kate's father and friends, between the two produce a tightly woven tale. Starling also gets inside the head of this young woman, particularly with her mental and emotional reactions toward the sinking and the killings.

What I like about both this and Messiah is the thought and story behind the serial killers. They are not "run of the mill" psycho stories. Without giving much more away, I will say they are more than thought provoking. In addition, the stories themselves are so addictive that I found myself, like I did with Messiah, wondering which of the many characters the killer could be, and I was stuck with 150 pages left with nothing to do but sit down and hurry through it to find out. I was not disappointed, and absolutely surprised with the many twists this took.

With plot and decent character development like this, who needs much more in a good thriller?

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, November 21, 2000

By 

Kino Espo - See all my reviews

This review is from: Storm (Paperback)

This was truly an excellent book. However, it was not as good as Messiah. If you have never read a Boris Starling book, I recommend you read Messiah first, then Storm. If you like good or should I say extremely captivating endings, then you'll love Boris Starling books. I can't wait for his next novel.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Super Thriller, November 7, 2000

By 

Clint Hunter - See all my reviews

This review is from: Storm (Paperback)

A ferry filled with passengers sinks under mysterious circumstances leaving those who survive, including detective Kate Beauchamp, with nightmares that haunt their lives. A vicious serial killer slays and brutally mutilates his victims. A black adder becomes an enigmatic clue. A Greek myth plays itself out in real life. These disparate events converge to bring Kate and her estranged father, marine accident investigator Frank Beauchamp, together on the streets of Glasgow in an attempt to solve an eerie and baffling case.

Boris Starling has developed a strong and realistic protagonist in Kate Beauchamp and a bizarre, demented, and cunning murderer in the Black Adder. The puzzle of how and why the ferry "Amphitrite" was sunk and the frantic hunt for the identity of the Black Adder move along seemingly parallel paths. The revelation which ties the two together comes as a surprise and a shock. Both investigations are full of tension, suspense, and strange twists. This is a whiz bang thriller which will keep you guessing in anticipation right down to the final pages of the book.

I missed Starling's first book, "Messiah," but that book is going near the top of my must read list. If it has the impact of "Storm," I'm in for another good read.