Customer Reviews

Velocity (Karen Vail Series)

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This novel comes at the reader with "Velocity". This is the third installment in the Karen Vail series. Vail is a forensic artist working for the FBI for whom trouble always seems to find.

The reader should be warned that this story starts to unfold two thirds of the way through the second book "Crush" but Jacobson gives the reader enough of the back story in Velocity in the first couple chapters so that reading Crush isn't necessary but I highly recommend it because Crush is a good read and gives the reader a good feel for the two main characters going into Velocity. The reader is re introduced the many of the characters that were introduced in the first book "The 7th victim" but were largely absent from "Crush".

In Velocity Author Alan Jackson has Vail looking for her boy friend Robby Hernandez who has disappeared while on vacation with Karen in the Napa Valley. Vail finds herself in many situations that force to her buck authority in search of the greater truth about what has happened to Robby.

Jacobson uses Vail to take the reader on a fast paced journey through several States and harrowing situations involving the DEA, FBI and Mexican drug cartels. Jacobson takes the reader through the wine country describing the detail of the breath taking scenery and beauty of the Napa Valley. The reader a good insight into the wine making business and the politics of the wine making business. There are many secrets that unfold throughout the story to keep the reader involved and intrigued.

The visions of the scenery along with Jacobson's brilliant story telling make this an outstanding read.

Make no mistake about it, this is a fast paced adventure that moves at the speed of light so fasten your seatbelt and hang on for the ride.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary defines "velocity" as "The speed and direction of motion of a moving body." FBI Profiler Karen Vail is that moving body and she is running to beat the clock with a fiery momentum to find her missing boyfriend who has disappeared into thin air with no clues but a possible connection with a serial killer. Unusual in the mystery/thriller series genre, Velocity picks up right where Crush ended. Literally starting with the next chapter. The plot starts off highly connected with book 2, followed by a resolution, then continues on with book 3's unique plot which always centres on the missing boyfriend, police detective Roberto Hernandez.

I loved this book! Jacobson keeps getting better and better. Velocity takes off in different directions, plot-wise, than either of his previous books making it more than just a serial killer case (not that there's anything wrong with that.) These new directions are surprising and unexpected reveals create a story that is much more than one at first assumes they are reading. Certainly plot is the mainstay of Velocity but, as often happens in mysteries, it has *not* been done so at the expense of characterization. Book 2 took us away from Karen's Quantico colleagues and Velocity continues with the now familiar California characters for whom we've grown fond (or not). But Karen gets sent back to Quantico where we are reintroduced to the characters from Book 1 and Jacobson has done a good job bringing these folks back to the reader's mind, especially giving significant development to Vail's boss, Gifford.

The book ends with the completion of the plot; the unique experience of a two-parter within a series is over but the personal lives of the main characters continue on, ending with a new trajectory for one of said characters and an interesting reveal which we can expect to be explored in the next book. I'm very much looking forward to the next book, which one can only hope is "in the works".

The Karen Vail series was the first books I have read of Mr. Jacobson's. All three were well written and the material was obviously researched extensively. Every book had twist that I was not expecting. All three are well worth reading.

This book seemed promising at the start. The plot is fairly fast-moving and obvious research has gone into the drug smuggling storyline. However...the Karen Vail character is fatally flawed, and not in a good way. This is a vehicle with a poorly-developed female character who is supposed to be a bad-ass FBI agent. I found the unfortunate conflicts in the development of her character to be very distracting to the story. It's a problem sometimes found in female characters conceived by male authors. Sorry Alan Jacobson, you don't "get" what makes strong women tick.

Some examples of issues I had with the character... Karen has a child, but considers her own safety and the potential impact of danger on her child's life in only a very superficial, passing way throughout the book. She is so concerned about her boyfriend's well-being (he's been captured/tortured) that she has no appetite, but slurps down a chocolate milkshake for the sugar rush (how sterotypical is that?). I could go on and on, but why should I? The book speaks for itself. I thought it would never end.

Be advised: Velocity is required reading in order to complete the story line that literally drops off in Crush. After spending time with the first two books in this trilogy - this third book is long in the tooth with chase scenes,dualing government agencies, technological equipment information and what equals to a long tour guide presentation on both the Napa and Vegas areas. I appreciate the research that the author has done on his subjects but found, as in Crush, Velocity does an overkill in describing every imaginable building that the characters pass by. The information regarding the Mexican Drug Cartels is informative however, I found myself fast forwarding the final several chapters as the ending was predictable, even with all of the added "scenery".

Ok, lets get to the haters, its only fair: This is third book in a series by Alan Jacobson. This book is three and a MUST continuation of book two that did not end, you know, left you hanging. This series is a must to read in order, get 7TH VICTIM and get started. IT IS WELL WORTH YOUR TIME.

Karen Vail is quickly becoming one of my favorites in this detective/mystery genre. All three books have been outstanding, with this one the best. This book continues the Napa Valley/Crush Killer investigation but takes it so much further. Local cops, crime task force, FBI, DEA, ATF and even deep covert American agents, all get involved. LOVE IT. While on vacation with Robby Hernandez, Val's love interest, the story begins in CRUSH, but in the book end, Robby disappears and VELOCITY is about trying to find out what happened. For me the two book approach made all the characters deeper and richer. I knew them and felt for their emotions. I sure would like to see more of Roxx Dixon, hint, hint, Alan. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

Velocity by Alan Jacobson (crime)
A Karen Vail novel


Velocity is the latest in a series that revolves around Karen Vail, an FBI profiler, and in this case she's in Napa Valley trying to catch a serial killer. Jacobson captures wine country perfectly, with the descriptions of winery operations, the rural countryside, and the personalities of the nouveau riche jumping into the wine industry. He clearly knows the region. Vail is not a `chick' cop, and fortunately, there are no descriptions of her designer purse or what fashions she may be wearing. She's a clever detective and works well as a consultant with the jurisdictional police; she doesn't pull rank or play mind games.

As the story begins, several key events have already taken place. Vail's boyfriend is missing, a suspect has been shot and is critically injured, and the police are trying to solve a string of murders and abductions. Vail is called away just as things start to look promising. But the search continues and leads across the country and creates a compelling mystery to be solved.

I hated it. No. "Hate" is too strong a word. In fact, I didn't really dislike it either. I was annoyed by it. I might have actually liked it a lot if it weren't for some distractions in the narrative. These made the story very hard to become fully involved in, despite the clever plot twists.

"Got a laptop," Vail said. "It's unplugged." As Dixon joined her, she lifted the lid. The screen remained black. "Looks like it's off." Brilliant deduction!

This happens more than once. "She plucked the disc from the plastic spindle, then placed the DVD in the laptop tray and watched as Windows Media Player loaded." Seriously, I am too wordy, I know it. But I'm also not a published author! Why does the reader have to plod through all that detail? A page later we read that "Windows Media Player closed." Hardly exciting, and it detracted from the pace. Additionally, maybe because my mind was already distracted, there seemed to be a lot of product placement-the brand name of just about everything was noted. Instead of making it more true-to-life, it felt like filler. It occurred to me that fifty years from now-when a reader wouldn't care about a Blackberry-that the book would either feel dated or campy.

The most annoying thing of all, however, was the inclusion of two rather boring characters: "the SIG" and "the Glock". Vail and her partner Dixon carry guns, no surprise. But every time they enter a building, chase a suspect, or sit in their car, we are told the status of their gun. In virtually any scene Dixon appears in, we are told "her SIG drawn" or "SIG in hand". Vail's Glock is similarly noted. Having read other detective stories and seen countless episodes of Law & Order, I don't think I need to be told that as they chase a suspected killer that they'll have their guns out. It's a given. And in this novel, it becomes a huge distraction. Maybe if I had read the previous books in the series I would know the characters better and not be inclined to notice these things. I do think if someone was familiar with the character of Karen Vail, they'd be pleased with this newest novel.
(received from publisher for review; contents of review not affected by receipt of book)

FBI profiler Karen Vail is back in this sequel to the book Crush. I had never really read this author before an I was thrilled with Crush so I was really looking forward to this one.

Velocity is what I happily describe as being the perfect thriller. Vail is working hard at putting the "back" guys away, but in the process she might accidentally have gotten her lover killed - as he is now missing and she is incredibly worried. She decides to do everything she can to find him and put the "guilty" parties away - for good.

What follow is an absolute crazy ride of a thriller. There is literally not one minute of down time- creating a maze of twists and turns and blurring the lines between who the good guys are and who the bad ones are. Everytime I thought I had it all figured out, I discovered that I was wrong.

This is the type of thriller I love - no knowing to the end what is really going on - and wondering how on earth the author could have gotten me there in the first place. Loved it!

After reading Velocity, I no longer consider the ending of Crush a marketing ploy. The scope of Jacobson's plot is too great to be contained in one volume. It was a breathtaking ride as well as an education in the intricate play between the drug cartels and law enforcement.

Velocity, the third installment in the FBI Profiler Karen Vail series, is the first I've read and I'm glad that I did. I got to take a mystery driven trip through several locations, not to mention the daunting situations involving the Mexican drug cartels, DEA, and FBI. And if the mention of Napa Valley gets you excited you're really in for a treat. In the Mystery/Suspense genre, I'd say this story deserves Four Stars. My disclosure is on my book blog at [...]