Customer Reviews

Storm

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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?

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.

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.

If you're in the mood for a book that will keep you glued to the edge of your seat from beginning to end, do yourself a favor and read Boris Starling's latest thriller, Storm. If possible, I would have awarded this book 4 1/2 stars.Only the fact that I felt the very end was a little weaker than the rest of the book kept me from giving it a 5 star rating. Putting this very minor detail aside, Storm has it all -- a slam-bang plot, lots of surprises,and very interesting characters. As good as Storm is, however, it's not as good as Starling's first book, Messiah; which I thought was great. If you haven't read Messiah, do so fast. As a matter of fact, you might want to read Messiah even before reading Storm. Enjoy!

A faulted hero always seems more human and believable, such as Red Metcalfe in "Messiah". Kate Beauchamp in "Storm", however, is untolerably winny and tedius. The storyline with the ferry accident is original but seems lengthy and weakens the story rather than strengthens it. It's still a good read compared to most books out there. Guess it's hard to follow "Messiah".

First off, let me make it clear that I am not panning the book itself. It is a solid thriller. My problem is that "Storm" follows the EXACT SAME STORY ARC as Starling's first book, "Messiah".

I read "Messiah" a couple of weeks ago, and because I liked it, thought I would read the follow-up. Therefore, I was somewhat put-off by the fact that they are essentially the same book. To be fair, I actually liked this one better than "Messiah", but the plot follows the exact same route.

Without giving too much away, both books deal with a flawed police detective going after a serial killer, while at the same time fighting his/her own personal demons. While the lead detective and M.O. of the killer has changed, the conclusion is the exact same (which I don't want to give away, but, come on, the detectives even make the EXACT SAME MISTAKE at the end).

So, I guess in conclusion, I'm saying read one or the other, don't waste your time with both.

Boris Starling, why had I not heard of you? Buying Storm along with other books this past weekend, simply by reading the back jackets, I had no idea of the talent of this writer. I read this book in 2 days but tried to stay up all night to finish it. I won't bother you with the story line since others who reviewed it have given that, just to tell you that he has a wonderful voice and Storm is a welcome addition to this genre. Although I guessed the identity of the killer early on, it was fun to read along checking to see if I had guessed correctly! Red Medcalfe is a fascinating character and I can't wait to read Messiah to learn more about him. And I enjoyed Mr. Starling's metaphors, although we say the expressions a little differently here in the States! Keep writing! I'm going out now to see if I can find Messiah!!

This was an amazing murder mystery(best I've read),I figured it out a little earlier than I wish I would of, but it was great all the way up to and after I figured it out. Boris Starling's Storm ties in with both mythology, cruel torture, and a twisted past in the killer's method to mutilation. The writing style is fantastic,just the right amount of descripition and pretty realistic characters. I have yet to read the first, Messiah by Boris Starling, and have heard it's even better than Storm, so you might want to read this one first and then read the other as a prequal. A definite must read with A GREAT plot and intresting sub plots, I suggest it to anyone who enjoys a good twisted story.

This is not as good as Messiah, but is excellent in its own right. I have only two complaints: one, Starling practically gives you a list of suspects, making it obvious it is one of 4 people. Two: Starling brings Red Metcalfe back and brings Silver Tounge up so much that the book cannot stand on its own. Other than that, an excellent novel. A good thriller which ties two stories together very well. I was surprised how well he got into a woman's head. I didn't expect a whole book about Kate, only a minor character in Messiah. Anyway, read this book definetly, but read Messiah first.

It pays for not only a writer to read widely, it also benefits the reader. In this case, it's enormously amusing to see from whence Boris Starling, a talented but still-developing new novelist, derived his inspiration in STORM.

Readers of John Douglas's and Mark Olshaker's MINDHUNTER will chuckle and recall Edmund Kemper when they read the flashback chapter in which Blackadder kills and dismembers his mother. Down to the larynx popping out of the garbage disposal and Starling commenting that "even in death she still wouldn't shut up", we see just how bereft of inspiration the author was in giving his serial killer some validity.

On a more conspicuous level, even the most cursory reader will see just from the back cover blurbs of how much STORM owes THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (and this parallel is made even more irresistible when one recalls the author's last name): Female detective with a painful relationship to her father in a sequel seeks the advice of a convicted killer, and implausibly springing him from prison, in order to catch another one. A near-irresistible plot device, yes, but one that should not be overdone or perhaps even done again, not even by the great Thomas Harris.

Not being well read in Greek mythology, however, actually benefits the reader, as Blackadder derives *his* inspiration from a trilogy of ancient Greek dramas that uncannily (too much so) parallel his tormented childhood. Only in the last chapters in the book do we see and appreciate how much life is imitating art and recycled back into the twisted art of ritualistic serial murder.

Starling's prose is brilliant, especially in the opening chapter aboard the doomed Amphitrite. The writing is graceful, loaded with ingenious metaphors and similes, marking Starling as a new voice that demands to be heard and respected. The only thing of which I am judge is Starling's insistence on writing in present tense. This does not necessarily give immediacy of action or make him a more unique voice nor more successfully integrate the reader into the story. As it is, the ceaseless present tense is a distraction if not an irritation.

The penultimate chapter redeems the rest of the book and provides the reader with one of the most gut wrenching, visceral denouements in recent thriller fiction. The obligatory red herrings that are a staple to many murder mysteries successfully throw off the reader until the final 20 pages when Starling adroitly lets us know the identity of Blackadder.

There are many knockoffs of THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS and this is one of the better ones. However, the loose ends (Kate's and her beau's relationship, Kate's and her Dad's relationship, Leo freaking out at police HQ), unrealistic resolutions, the improbable connection between the sinking of the ferry and the Blackadder killings, the lack of page space given to Red Metcalf (who strikes me as being vastly more interesting a character than the washed-out Kate Beauchamp), unoriginality, and the overall sluggish pace of STORM makes me rate it with three stars.

Hopefully, Starling will write a standalone thriller next time, one that invigorates him to the point where he doesn't have to raid the annals of true crime for his inspiration. Give Beauchamp a vacation and think of a new hero(ine).