Spider Mountain: A Novel (Hardcover)

by P. T. Deutermann (Author) "The uniformed park ranger looked up from his newspaper..." (more)
Key Phrases: clog pack, operational consultant, glass hole, Robbins County, Laurie May, Mary Ellen (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Full of imaginative plotting touches, Deutermann's fast-paced sequel to his acclaimed 2005 suspense novel, The Cat Dancers, finds Cam Richter, formerly a lieutenant with the Manceford County, N.C., sheriff's office, now doing less stressful work as the head of a PI firm staffed with other ex-cops. Park ranger Mary Ellen Goode, Richter's more-than-colleague who was severely traumatized in their last joint inquiry, reaches out to him for help after a probationary ranger is raped and left for dead in a Smoky Mountains national park. Richter's inquiries soon reveal that the crime was tangentially related to a much bigger criminal conspiracy, possibly centered on methamphetamine sales orchestrated by a figure out of a Grimm's fairy tale, the evil Grinny Creigh, and her incestuous clan. The author's impressive ability to bring the remote Appalachian region to life bodes well for the health of this series. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
High in the mountains of North Carolina, a family operated methamphetamine gang has finally, after years of operation outside the law, gone too far. When Cam Richter, a freelance investigative consultant (and formerly a lieutenant in the sheriff's department), discovers that the malevolent Creigh family has branched out into child abuse, he vows to do everything in his power to bring them down, once and for all. But he didn't reckon on Grinny Creigh, matriarch of the clan and an incredibly ruthless, amoral villain. She is also one of the crime genre's more original and memorable creations, a mother-cum-crime-lord with a heart forged out of cold steel. Grinny is a welcome change from the usual sort of thriller villain, and she makes what could have been a ho-hum novel into something altogether different. This is definitely a cut above previous offerings (mainly Clancy-like military thrillers) from retired U.S. Navy captain Deutermann. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1st edition (December 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031233379X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312333799
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #568,167 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read, January 15, 2007

By	Reacher (Mechanicsville, Virginia USA) - See all my reviews

I would have to say, I was disappointed by the reviews that I have read thus far. Yes, there are one or two lapses during the course of the plot, but a reader does not live by plot alone.
The pace of the book, the character interplay and dialog make this one of the more enjoyable novels I have read in recent memory. While it has a very menacing theme, no small amount of violence, and some players right out of "Deliverance", the page by page flow of the conversations and interplay between the main characters (including Frick & Frack) is clever and witty, with a sometimes laugh out loud dry humor through most of the book, except where it is obviously not appropriate.
A serious, yet well drawn and extremely readable piece of work.
I would give it 4 1/2 stars, but your 1/2 button doesn't seem to be working.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unusual plot, May 23, 2007

By	Thomas J. Tucker (Birmingham, Al United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I have purchased all the books this author has published. Each one possesses an interesting plot, taunt action, exciting pace and is well-written. This one involves some of the most sinister villains yet. You have it all: corrupt political figures, dishonest cops, violent rednecks, horrible deaths, pursuit by bloodthirsty huge dogs, drugs, white slavery, sale of little children, evil foreigners, retarded offspring, Western North Carolina Mountain setting, a powerful matriarch, and likeable protagonists. My only quibble is the actions of the principal hero pretty unbelievable, thus the four stars. Still, it's a good read. I recommend it to any reader for a breathless adventure.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spider Mountain Review, March 8, 2007

By	Dale R. Embree "D R Embree" (Sun Valley Nevada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book revisits the Primary Character of Duterman's book, "Cat Dancers". It is a page turner, that I could not put down. The action is continuous and exciting from begininning to end. Buy it and ready it! Matter of fact, if you are not already a P.T. Deuterman fan, you will soon become one. Please read "Cat Dancers" first, just for the story. "Spider Mountain" can stand on it's own, but it just makes more sense if you have already read "Cat Dancers" ("Cat Dancers" is a super exciting and not stop action thriller too!) What more can I say? Get them both, they are great reads!