Thinning the Predators [Hardcover]

Daina Graziunas (Author), Jim Starlin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1996

FBI agent Ira Levitt finds himself in a chilling alliance with cold-blooded murderer David Vandemark, a deadly serial killer who preys on the dregs of society--drug dealers, child molesters, other serial killers--to find the Latino Killer, a vicious psychopath stalking New York's Hispanic families.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A telepathic serial killer whose victims are serial killers and the FBI agent who has been tracking him for seven years mix it up in this energetic but derivative thriller, the authors' third collaboration (after Among Madmen and Lady L). David Vandemark was a lawyer until an elevator accident left him comatose long enough for his wife and kids to be slain by a serial killer known as Mr. Clean. The accident also left Vandemark able to read minds?a trait he put to use as a vigilante to hunt down Mr. Clean, who was the first of his 20 victims, and which has remained hidden from Ira Levitt, the fed who lives to take Vandemark down. Now Vandemark has a new target, the killer behind the so-called Latino Family murders in New York. But once he arrives in Manhattan, Vandemark comes up against a powerful conspiracy and meets a beautiful woman who helps him to remember the man he once was?with both events prompting him to go for help to agent Levitt. Brisk pacing and some slickly wrought violence will keep readers turning the pages. The narrative's reliance on pop psychology (love as the cure for obsessive split personality, for instance) takes the edge off the chills, however, and the authors' twist ending won't surprise too many readers; ultimately, despite its nifty premise, this is an exercise in formula. Film rights optioned by Amblin Entertainment; foreign rights sold to 10 countries.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Garziunas and Starlin (Lady El, Dutton, 1992) begin their latest in the shadow of Silence of the Lambs. A young FBI agent, Vida Johnson, is assigned to help another agent whose last seven years have been a fruitless hunt for a vigilante killer. The story forks here as the reader learns that the vigilante, David Vandemark, has been using telepathic powers to track and kill serial murderers who were eluding justice, beginning with the one who murdered his wife and child. The story follows Vandemark as he goes to New York City to hunt the "Latino Family Killer"; he and his FBI pursuers discover that this last serial killer is part of a secret government project. The story's start is taut and mysterious, the finish with the CIA a bit cliched, and there is plenty of violence. It expertly keeps the reader in suspense. Although Thinning the Predators falls short of the Thomas Harris classic, public libraries will still want to stock a few copies as the story is well told. With the film rights already sold to Spielberg, this book is virtually guaranteed a trip to the big screen.
-?Robert Moore, Dupont Merck Info. Svcs., North Billerica, Mass.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 326 pages
• Publisher: Mysterious Pr (February 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446519855
• ISBN-13: 978-0446519854
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,122,715 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Non stop action payback, February 9, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Thinning the Predators (Hardcover)

I thought this was an excellent book packed full of excitement and with a great premise. The ideas and concepts were conveyed very creatively. I would recommend it to anyone.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One of the best thrillers I have ever read!, July 31, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Thinning the Predators (Hardcover)

I finished this book in record time. I was unable to put it down. It is non-stop action with extream situations that are believable. This book kept me half scared & half intrigued the whole way through.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and exciting from start to finish!, September 12, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Thinning the Predators (Hardcover)

What an Adventure! David Vandemark does what many vicarious readers wish they could do to stop the evil characters that live in our world! The fact that Vandemark can read minds, shoot any gun he chooses with deadly accuracy, and deal out more black-belt blows then the best Steven Seagal movie adds to the excitement surrounding this character. Even when the authors let him see himself for what he truly is, you stay intrigued, because you're never quite sure what will happen next or what new way his hunt will take him.

The writing is descriptive and vivid and the author's clearly have fun with this character. This makes it easy for the reader to spend time in Vandemark's world.

For readers who like to get the bad guys and the monsters of the world with little or no remorse, this book is definitely for you