You Can't Stop Me [Paperback]

Max Allan Collins (Author), Matthew Clemens (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 2010

Small-town sheriff J.C. Harrow made headlines when he apprehended a would-be presidential assassin - only to come home that night and find his wife and son brutally murdered. This tragic twist of fate launched his career as the host of reality TV's smash-hit, "Crime Seen"! But while media star Harrow tracks down dangerous criminals coast to coast - with the help of viewers' tips - a killer with a twisted agenda is making his own bloody path to fame.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"No one can twist through a maze with the intensity and suspense of Max Allan Collins." -- Clive Cussler

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Pinnacle; Original edition (March 2, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786021349
• ISBN-13: 978-0786021345
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #926,817 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Max Allan Collins is a New York Times bestselling author of original mysteries, a Shamus award winner and an experienced author of movie adaptions and tie-in novels. His graphic novel ROAD TO PERDITION was made into a major motion picture by Tom Hank's production company, Playtone.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars terrific cat and mouse thriller, March 5, 2010

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: You Can't Stop Me (Paperback)

Field agent and criminologist for the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation, John Christian Harrow is at the Iowa State Fair helping protect the president of the United States. He sees a suspicious looking male with a hand in his pocket and reacts instantly. He becomes a hero for preventing an assassination of the President. However, he comes home to find his wife and son murdered; blood everywhere.

Six years later Harrow works for UBC's reality show Crime Seen! that has led to the capture of more than a dozen dangerous felons. An ambitious P.A. sees on the internet a crime where the victim's finger was cut off (Harrow's wife had her ring removed) a grain of corn grass found in the Heartland, but the crime took place in Florida.

Harrow gathers a team to track down a killer who is waiting to tell his story and killing will get the attention he wants from the cops and the media. He is killing certain targets and the TV coverage is being used by The Messenger who wants Harrow and the public to find him. Harrow wants this violent guy who has killed wives and children all over the country because his M.O. is identical to what happened to his loved ones and other families..

This is a terrific cat and mouse thriller in which readers anticipate the High Noon showdown even if the plot has been used numerous times before though reality TV refreshes it as ratings supersede justice. Whereas UBC counts viewers, Harrow and his team want to prevent more homicides by bringing the message of justice to the killer. Filled with shockers and twists throughout, fans will enjoy this fast-paced tale with the biggest stunner being pity for the psychopath.

Harriet Klausner

40 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a surprisingly good read, March 3, 2010

By 

Carryit (iowa) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: You Can't Stop Me (J. C. Harrow) (Kindle Edition)

the reason i purchased this book was that it was free from kindle... but its worth the price of a patterson, baldacci or kellerman book... i started reading and it really grabbed me and it wouldnt let loose until i had read it all in almost one sitting. its about a sheriff who saved the president and then came home to find his family murdered and then his pursuit of the murderer who turns out to be a serial killer. it was great... i hope to see more of our hero in future books, i liked him.

the could have been better stuff: the main ending was good enough, the surprise extra ending needed lots more work, it was WAY too contrived, maybe flashed back occasionally building a subplot for more background on the graft and corruption for the ending. some loose ends needed tying up example why -was- the clue found in florida...actually there? the hostage recovered too quick, she was nearly killed after all.

its almost a waste of wonderful ideas characters and subplots. i wanted more information more time spent fleshing out the characters on the team i couldnt get to know them well enough.... the book needed to be about twice as long to be a really great one with all the neat sub plot ideas and characters involved.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not Collins' Best -- Too Formulaic, April 16, 2010

By 

Chuck W - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: You Can't Stop Me (Paperback)

This is Max Allan Collins phoning it in. It reads like an episode of Criminal Minds (which Collins has written) or NCIS. The premise is almost identical to Criminal Minds and so is the team...down to the cute girl computer hacker who can get any information at the drop of a keyboard. The dialog reads as if it was cribbed right off the TV.

I'm a big fan of MAC's Nathan Heller series and the Quarry series and pretty much everything else he's written that is not TV-related. This is TV-related...and not just because of the plot.