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Torn Apart

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"Torn Apart" is the latest novel written by Shane Gericke. Shane throws the reader in the driver's seat with no brakes from page one. The setting of the book is divided up into two areas, central Wisconsin and Naperville, Illinois.

Four killers, who name themselves after zodiac signs, begin the crime spree by working with a man called Cash Maxximus. The zodiac quartet kills a young girl and dumps her body in central Wisconsin, but not before they have a shoot out with a local officer. Cash Maxximus is a child porn/slavery runner and drug dealer, that gets his victims hooked on a new, designer drug called Katrina.

Detective Emily Thompson lives in the quiet Chicago suburb of Naperville, IL where violent crime is non-existent. Emily is tracking a serial killer named "Hacksaw" who is sending her body parts in the mail. Police Officer Robert Hawkins (Hawk) is a father in desperate need of raising four million dollars to save his daughters life and will do anything to get the money.

Shane brings all these storylines into one gripping climax. "Torn Apart" is not just a fast-paced thriller; Shane takes the book into light speed. He does an outstanding job of weaving many different subplots into one, all while breathing life into his characters. With a hint of romance and a no nonsense thrill ride, "Torn Apart" should be considered one of the best books to hit the shelves in 2010.

Reviewed by Suspense Magazine

[...]

Four thugs working for child pornographer, white slaver and drug dealer Cash Maxximus kidnap a teen and have sex with her. They give her a designer drug named Katrina, which takes only one dose to make someone addicted. The foursome plays too rough and kills their victim. Without a thought they dispose of the corpse off a bridge in Wisconsin. When they stop to change a tire, local Sheriff Spencer Abbott checks them out; they kill him and dump his body into the river before leaving for Naperville, Illinois.

The Hawkman serial killer is sending body parts to Naperville Detective Emily Thompson Even though she is afraid she persuades her husband Marty to go hunting. . The leader of the crooks Karl Dittmer kidnaps the two children of Emily's partner; she rescues one of the kids, but the killer gets away with the other. NPD is on full search and rescue while detective Robert Hawkins needs one million dollars to save the life of his little girl through experimental therapy. He finesses the Katrina from Dittmer and sells it back to Maxximus. Marty finds Abbott who gives him the names of the killers while Emily is trapped by the Hawkman leading to another NPD officer rescue attempt.

Putting aside Naperville being the murder capital, the third police procedural (see Cut to the Bone and Blown Away) is a complicated thriller with several subplots that Shane Gericke effortlessly blends into a strong story line. The villains are perverts who have no qualms about molesting little girls before giving them to a sexual slave trader to sell to other psycho sex predators. Emily is a dedicated cop who will work outside of legal limitations if the case like these required extraordinary rendition.

Harriet Klausner

Prepare yourself for a gritty ride only an experienced journalist can conceive. TORN APART strikes like a viper at a bullet's velocity. You'll have a hard time putting this one down. -- Mark W. Danielson, Writer's Block

There are three elements to a good thriller: pace, suspense and high stakes. And with the great thrillers we also get a depth of character and point-of-view. Shane Gericke gives us all of these and more. Torn Apart is a complex, yet lightning-fast plot weaving together related subplots and characters with breathtaking momentum leading up to an explosive climax.

Strong female detective Emily being teased by a serial murderer who's sending her body parts; four white trash killers kidnapping young girls for porn and slavery, and couriering drugs; a corrupt cop trying to save his daughter who needs treatment costing $3 million. These and a host of other characters, including a wily old stag (yes, a deer) make the plot buzz along at a pace that any author would be pressed to match. This is a story I carried around until I'd finished it.

I'd say Shane would have to be one of the tightest writers of prose in the business. He constantly surprises with his use of strong verbs. In fact, I'd consider him the Prince of Strong Verbs.

So, if you want a book that is a great example of modern writing style with a fast pace, great plot, suspense and depth of character, this is your next read!

They are books so every review is going to different. Some were great - some were OK. This is what happens when you review books.

This is Gericke's third thriller in the Emily Thompson/Martin Benedetti series. If you're looking for cops against ruthless killers, you can't beat this for action and suspense!

The novel starts with four vicious murderers, named after zodiac signs, who gang rape and kill a hitchhiker in the back of their van, and then search for a place to dump the body. They work for Cash Maxximus, a drug-dealing rap star who sells a highly addictive designer drug called Katrina. Adding elements of child porn and slave-running, Gericke has developed a truly nasty plot--but that's just the beginning!

Detective Emily Thompson receives body parts from a serial killer called Hacksaw, who threatens to kill her at any moment. And then there is a police officer who, forced to raise $4 million for a medical procedure to save his deathly ill daughter, is driven to a desperate act. That Gericke can pull these seemingly disparate plot lines into a gripping, satisfying conclusion is impressive.

I particularly liked Chapter 21, the confrontation scene between a lone police officer and the four zodiac killers on a bridge, minutes after they've dumped the body of the girl in the river below. At first, the cop thinks they are just guys fixing a flat, but something doesn't smell right to him as he talks with them. As he walks back to his patrol car, all hell breaks loose.

I read the chapter several times, just to dissect how Gericke had choreographed the scene. This chapter could easily be used to demonstrate how to structure an action sequence via pacing, changing POV, dialogue, and vivid description. I don't think the chapter could have been written any better.

Torn Apart is a rollercoaster ride of a suspense thriller, and not for the faint of heart. There is a dark underlying humor in the book, which I always enjoy in the novels I read. And, of course, there is plenty of bloody mayhem. The characters are well-defined, the dialogue is dead-on realistic, and the action is nonstop. The intertwining of subplots is expertly orchestrated, and the action scenes are so well choreographed that you feel that you're right there in the middle of the violence, dodging bullets and body parts.

I'll have to find Gericke's two previous books in the series, Cut to the Bone and Blown Away, and keep an eye out for any new material in years to come.

This is an excellent thriller. I read mystery/thrillers almost exclusively and I loved it. Only one problem. I got about 50 pages into it and I was confused by some of the characters - especially what had happened to them in the past. I think Gericke writes great stuff, but did not do a good job of "catching you up" on the characters. I found the first two books used (Blown Away and Cut to the Bone)and they are outstanding. But, I really think you have to read them first...