Customer Reviews

Terminated

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What a page-turner this was! I thoroughly enjoyed this story, in which Gwen Farris, Stephen Tarbell's boss at a pharmaceutical corporation, gives him a poor performance evaluation, little realizing how violently and obsessively he would react. As they're both leaving work late that day, he threatens her with a knife in the parking lot, and that's only the beginning. Tarbell is truly fiendish in his plotting to destroy Gwen's life through violence and psychological torment. He even uses his devilish cunning to convince Gwen's bosses, the security company, and the police that Gwen is the aggressor and that it's he who is being persecuted.

As if this weren't enough, Gwen also has to deal with the release from prison on parole of Desmond Parker, who assaulted and knifed her 15 years ago and left her for dead. Further complications in the plot are provided by a private security employee who is pressured into being Tarbell's accomplice, and Tarbell's brutal, sadistic father, who is dying of emphysema and at the mercy of his twisted son.

I liked the way the author conveyed the contrast between the heroine and the villain. Tarbell is a truly pathetic character in his obsessive quest to avenge the wrongs he has convinced himself have been perpetrated on him by an uncaring world, indulging in self-pity, seeing himself as a victim, and believing that everything that has gone wrong for him is entirely the fault of others. Gwen, on the other hand, is an intelligent, strong-minded, likable woman who refuses to act like a victim and courageously stands up to her persecutor.

Like all of Simon Wood's books I've read, this was a real thrill ride, fast-paced and packed with action, twists and turns, well-drawn characters, and suspense, right up to the electrifying conclusion. Highly recommended for all those who enjoy an exciting, well-written thriller.

TERMINATED is a nightmarish tale that begins quietly enough in the office of Gwen Farris, new head of Pace Pharmaceuticals' quality assurance department. She has just given Stephen Tarbell an unsatisfactory work evaluation. Given Tarbell's personality and family background, this is unfortunate. He believes that Farris received promotion to a job that should have been his, and this poor evaluation is the last straw. Tarbell wastes no time opening a campaign to teach Farris a lesson. One would expect him to be quickly fired and manhandled into the nearest jail cell; however, this doesn't happen.

I've read two of Simon Wood's previous thrillers (ACCIDENTS WAITING TO HAPPEN and PAYING THE PIPER), so I know enough about this author to hope that if there is reincarnation, Wood isn't in creative charge. I do not want to come back as a Wood protagonist. Wood's readers catch a whiff of previous trouble in his protagonist's life, even though by the time we meet him or her, warm relationships with a spouse and children and a worthwhile job mean life is pretty darn good. This is obviously not okay with the mischief-making Wood. He grabs this likable and fairly happy protagonist and suddenly kicks the poor schmuck down the stairs, hard. Then, while Wood brings about absolute merry hell with one hand, with the other hand he slowly reveals why what happened in the past will make this particular hell almost impossible to escape. But, there are reasons why Wood's protagonist climbed out of trouble in the first place. Oh man. Wood's ingenuity in these matters is really something.

I wasn't more than a few pages into TERMINATED before I was saying aloud, "Oh no, please don't do this." A book about a man on a campaign to make a woman's life miserable can be very difficult to read. I thought about stopping; then I thought about skip reading; but I didn't do either of these things. For all his inventive deviltry, Wood is a thoughtful and insightful writer who is interested in the psychological makeup of his characters and in themes of redemption and perseverance. I continued to read because I wanted to watch the dance that Tarbell and Farris perform and see what effect this has on all of Wood's characters. TERMINATED is a twisting and maniacal roller coaster thrill ride that offers some interesting portraits in human psychology and shows how a large corporation handles workplace harassment, too.

The next time you're looking for a thriller that makes you hold your breath while you turn the pages, but doesn't insult your intelligence, check out a Wood book. Wood knows how to start a book's engine, and by the time the finish line approaches, he's hurtling along way past overdrive. A writer's ability to take you along with him on this kind of hair-raising ride is something to experience.

Gwen Farris has a good life and appreciates it. She and her husband have a young daughter, who they consider a miracle baby after Gwen's severe injuries inflicted years earlier. She has a new supervising position in a pharmecuticals company and loves her job. Too bad she gave an honest employee evaluation to the office misfit.

Stephen Tarbell is more than irritated. This young Farris woman came to the company, took the job he deserved and gave him a less than steller job performance review. He's done being walked all over. After all, he's the one who really gets the work done. He's the one who the company should reward. He's the one who will get what he deserves.

And so will his new supervisor.

This is the setup to a brilliant new thriller by Simon Wood, newly nominated by the Crime Writers Association for a short story Dagger award. Tarbell first accosts Gwen Farris in the company parking lot one evening after she's worked late, pulling a knife on her. She reports the incident and a private firm is brought in to investigate, promising they will serve her Tarbell's head on a platter as long as she doesn't go to the police and is quiet. Mustn't cause any bad PR for the company, after all.

Wood employs his excellent descriptive ability to keep the story moving, to explain why Gwen doesn't go to the police for starters. There also are plausible reasons why her employer is willing to take these steps to find out exactly what happened and deal with it in this manner. And there's groundwork laid early for why Gwen is even more rattled by the attack. It's a familiar situation. Those injuries that she recovered from happened when a would-be rapist plunged a knife into her stomach years ago.

Everything works together to keep the pages turning and the action believable, because Wood does such a good job setting everything up. So when the action gets twistier and trickier, the reading adrenaline kicks, past actions are portents to the present and everything comes rushing up to an action-packed climax. That the reader will have to choose between cheering the main character on or urging a different course of action is part of the rush.

A thriller about work place conflict are benign words for what are horrific actions in this case. The story also shows what changes a victim can go through, especially one who has gotten up once and who has a lot to fight for -- and whether the end justifies the means.

Wood adds additional layers with the compelling supporting characters, especially a retired cop whose actions play a pivotal role, and scenes showing Tarbell's life away from the office. The latter add to the creep factor in an affective way, avoiding the overused first-person monologues set italics. And Tarbell's line of thinking after a particularly vile act is especially chilling.

Most terrifingly, TERMINATED shows how easy it is for the person being harassed to not be believed, especially if she stands up for herself.

In "Terminated", Simon Wood has created the ultimate thriller. His villain is so evil and the plot so devious that the tension becomes unbearable. There are times I wanted to put the book down because I was afraid of what would come next; but I couldn't stop turning the pages until I reached the conclusion.

I plan to read more of his books if I have courage enough.

Simon Wood never fails to create a story that will keep your eyes riveted to the page and "Terminated" meets that criteria. You will quickly find yourself hitching a ride on an emotional roller coaster with Gwen Farris that proves to be more exciting than sky diving out of a plane. With Gwen's husband Paul out of work, her recent promotion to Quality Assurance Manager after only 18 months with Pace Pharmeceutical Company appears to be a God-send. However, in reality, it ignites a series of events that culminate into more than one murder. What appears to Gwen to be a simple managerial task of evaluating and presenting an unacceptable work performance to employee Stephen Tarbell, it blossoms into a nightmare that envelops her entire life.

Stephen is a disgruntled man who blames everyone but himself for his short-comings. His intense resentment towards Gwen for getting a promotion that he felt was his, mushrooms into a full-blown anger of monstrous proportions. Upon leaving work that day, he leaps out at her in the company parking lot, wielding a knife and threatening to cut her unless she reverses her evaluation to a high performance level. He warns her not to go to the police and although she agrees, she does seek the help of her superior Deborah Langan. Deborah engages Robert Ingram, a Private Security Investigator who creates a night and day surveillance on Tarbell.

Tom Peterson has the night duty shift and unfortunately is discovered by Tarbell and finds himself intimidated into becoming his accomplice. Tarbell targets Tom's wife and while shopping at the local mall, she is shoved down and received physical injuries, unaware that Tarbell is the culprit. Using Peterson to cover his tracks, Tarbell is free to continue his attacks on Gwen and her family. This results in Gwen's case against Tarbell to weaken and she is now considered the aggressor.

Tarbell's anger continues to build until he escalates to the level of a serial killer compelling him to not only dispose of Peterson but his own abusive father as well. In a frenzy he trashes Gwen's house, threatens to kill her daughter and under the ruse of offering her husband a job, attacks him and leaves him for dead.

Each day brings yet another nightmare for Gwen who is not only battling a demon in the present but one from her past. Desmond Parker attacked her during her college days and although she escaped being raped, she carries the scar from his knife on her stomach as a daily reminder of what might have been. Parker is up for parole having served his full sentence and Gwen visits him in prison and in desperation, makes a deal with the devil. She agrees to help him get his parole if he will dispose of Tarbell for good. Unfortunately Tarbell in his crazed state turns the tables on Parker, a seasoned criminal. The climax of this story is so unexpected that you will be unable to put this book down until you reach its conclusion. What is so riveting about this piece of fiction is that it reflects much of the frightening drama that we read about in the daily newspapers and see on TV news. I guarantee that you won't be diappointed in reading "Terminated".

Fair warning: Simon Wood's villain Stephen Tarbell will stay around and haunt you long after you finish this book - and in the meantime, you'll have trouble putting it down to get on with the rest of your life. Tarbell is not diabolical in a supernatural, Stephen King kind of way; he's utterly terrifying, though, precisely because his humanity requires no suspension of disbelief. You just know that there's no reason why a personality like his couldn't be lurking inside some co-worker - or neighbor - of YOURS. And nothing he does to his victim Gwen isn't chillingly possible in a 21st century in which we all have paid for the convenience of computers by exposing almost every last vestige of any privacy we may once have had to anyone unscrupulous, motivated, and skilled enough to go after us.

Readers familiar with the biotech industry, at least as it exists in the San Francisco Bay Area, will find the details ring true and give a realistic sense of place (he does have a mole - his wife Julie works in the industry). And as a Bay Area native, I found not a single embarrassing geographical oversight to tarnish Wood's portrayal of the setting - a precision he attributes to his engineering background.

As the story progresses, Gwen finds herself every bit as trapped as one of King's victims of the supernatural. Just when you think you know everything she's up against, Wood introduces a new wrinkle of evil, even in a character we never thought was a threat. This results in a memorable and satisfying read all the way to the final lines. Highly recommended.

Author Simon Wood, who lives in the Richmond, CA, area, has been a familiar figure to those living in San Joaquin County, particularly Stockton.

For three years, he highlighted the Stockton-San Joaquin County's "Big Read" programs. Now he recently returned to Stockton to speak on "Terminated" for the Philomathean Club, the oldest continuously operating women's group in Stockton.

Simon Wood is an engaging speaker whose books are a pleasure to read. "Terminated" deals with the uneasy topic of "job rage" that has plagued our workplaces. All his books are fast-paced and enjoyable, and to catch Simon on one of his book promotion tours is a true experience, as he has a most intriguing background and a unique approach to writing.

One innocent meaning of the term 'terminated' has to do with losing one's job; as we all know, there is another more ominous one. Those two very different definitions become intertwined as a workplace decision becomes life-threatening in this fast-paced tale of suspense by Simon Wood, who has already shown that he is a master of the genre.

Gwen Farris could have had no idea that her critical performance evaluation of Stephen Tarbell would have the effect it did. Not that poor evaluations are ever expected to be gracefully received, but no one could have predicted the potentially lethal fallout from this one.

Employed by a pharmaceutical company for the last eighteen months, six months ago Gwen was promoted to the position of Manager of Quality Assurance, a promotion Tarbell believes should have been his. Now, his very job may hang in the balance. Not satisfied with threatening Gwen with a knife if she doesn't change the report in his favor, Tarbell determines to take apart Gwen's life as she knows it, and perhaps take her life, literally, as well.

Gwen, happily married and with an adorable three-year-old daughter she adores, has faced mortal danger before. She was the survivor of a violent crime fifteen years prior, the man who kidnapped and attacked her [leaving her for dead] coming up for parole as the tale opens, which only adds to the feeling of vulnerability which threatens to undo Gwen.

The suspense continues to mount, and just when the reader feels the worst of Gwen's ordeal might be behind her, the author manages one twist after another to keep the pages turning. Another winner for Simon Wood, and it is recommended.

"Terminated" is a great thriller about how professional jealousy can lead to violence in the workplace. The only drawback is you may not want to go back to work after reading it!

I particularly liked how Wood created such a strong female protagonist in Gwen Ferris. Gwen is highly intelligent uses these mental skills to survive impossibly dangerous situations. She's even willing to risk her life to save her family.

Stephen Tarbell is a well-written, despicable character who brutalizes Gwen, both mentally and physically. Wood outlines Tarbell's tortured past and illustrates his escalating violence and paranoia to make him believable as a psychopathic killer.

"Terminated" is an excellent read, particularly if you've ever worked for a large corporation that is willing to do just about anything to keep their company image clean. I guarantee you'll enjoy the twists in the plot and will be looking over your shoulder the next time you return to work.

Simon has been to our little library's Mystery Book Club to speak and came again last night to talk about Terminated. He is an active member of the Northern California literary community, and is an all around darling fellow.