Customer Reviews

The Traveler

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In an early work, John Katzenbach weaves a tale of sadistic murder and mind control.

Mercedes Barren, a Miami cop who transferred to the forensic division after her traumatic shooting, is called in the middle of the night and told her only niece has been brutally murdered. Thought to be the work of the serial "Campus Killer" Mercedes works with her fellow officers to track down the killer. When a suspect is found, who rambles that Allah told him to kill the evil women, she finds evidence that someone else killed her niece. As her life begins to fall apart, Mercedes takes a medical leave to look for "the real killer"

Midway through the novel, the author reveals ... the killer .... Through the narrative, we finds what drives him to kill. Not satisfied that he has escaped detection, the murderer's ego needs to have someone to document his murders and thinking. He kidnaps a Florida co-ed who he nicknames Boswell and brutualizes and tortures her until she is brainwashed and frightened to displease him or try to escape.

Barren picks up Jeffries' trail, finding his psychiatrist brother along the way and enlisting him in the chase.

The unique aspect of this novel was the mind control the killer had over his kidnapped victim, so much so she could not ask a state trooper for help when she saw him. He lectures her on his experiences and takes her on a "sentimental journey" of childhood sites and murders that meant a lot to him....

My advice to you if you have not read any of Katzenbach's work, is to try a more recent work, such as the Analyst. While the Traveler is a suspenseful story, it lacks the fast pace, character development and satisfying ending of his later works.

Although Katzenbach has become one of my favorite authors, you can tell that The Traveler is only his second book.While the story is interesting, his dialogue is weak and he doesn't move the story along at a fast enough pace. He's come a long way since The Traveler. If you like really good thrillers, try these books by Katzenbach--Hart's War (his latest), The Shadow Man and Just Cause.

I've read a lot of books in this genre. The concept was original and gave me a good week of reading. Not for the reader with a weak stomach.

Patrick Anderson from the Washington Post in 2004 called this one of the best serial killer books ever. It is hard to disagree. Years after finishing it, one can recall how well Katzenbach builds the story to a shocking conclusion. This is psychologically and emotionally draining, yet the pay-off is really rewarding. It is a classic!