Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the Wicked should be called One of the Best!, December 1, 2008
Talk show psychologist Mick Callahan can't catch a break. He's in trouble at work, his girlfriend is mad at him and an old friend Bud "Bone" Stone owes money to the Mob. And now Stone wants a big favor. Mick needs to watch Bone's ex-girlfriend for a while, just to keep her safe. But when Bone rips off a drug dealer to pay off the debt, all hell breaks loose, and the third Callahan novel really takes off. Lots of twists and turns, plenty of violence and a big payoff at the end. This is the best of the series. Good stuff, ala Travis McGee. It should be on any thriller lover's Christmas list.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Wicked" Good, November 26, 2008
Radio talk show psychologist Mick Callahan is back and better than ever. In Shannon's follow-up to Eye of the Burning Man, Callahan reunites with an old friend of his from the Navy Seals, Bud "Bone" Stone. Stone is in trouble and asking for a favor--to keep an eye on an old girlfriend who might be a target of some very bad men--and Callahan (who seems to have a nose for trouble) owes him, big time. So he agrees to help, and is quickly pulled into a dizzying web of mob goons, missing money and double-crosses. Bud Stone has angered the wrong men, and as he goes in search of the cash and a mysterious "disk" that everyone in the country seems to want, Callahan is left behind to try to sort out the mess.
It isn't in Callahan's nature to avoid a fight. Embroiled in a complicated love-hate relationship with a policewoman he'd been dating seriously and supported by his regular cast of quirky characters, he sets out on his own to uncover the truth. One set of mob bosses leads to another. Callahan seems to be on the trail of the money and disk, only to have it whisked out from under him. Throw in the unexpected appearance of a family member he never knew he had, the loss of his radio show, and a trail of beaten and murdered suspects, and suddenly nothing in Mick's world seems safe. One thing is certain: the people after this disk are willing to do whatever it takes to ensure its safe return, and Mick Callahan and his friends are expendable parts in a very dirty and dangerous game.
One of the Wicked cements Shannon's ascent to the top of the mystery/thriller genre. His Callahan psychologist series is every bit as good as those from better-known writers such as Kellerman, Evanovich and Grafton. Mick is a flawed and complex hero who readers can't help but love, a man who will do anything to help a friend and, luckily, has many friends who will do the same for him. He grows and changes in interesting ways through each book, something that often cannot be said about other long-running and more well-known series leads. Mick is sure of his strengths, aware of others' motivations, and baffled by his own insecurities and weaknesses, a winning combination indeed.
One of the Wicked marks some of Shannon's best writing as well, particularly early scenes where Callahan is counseling patients. But the novel moves quickly and never bogs down. If anything, the plot is almost too confusing, with enough twists and turns to throw the most seasoned mystery reader for a loop. But Shannon manages to pull it all together in the end.
One of the best mystery-thrillers of the year, and there's still a lot of room for Callahan to breathe. Readers should pray for many more books in the series. Highly recommended.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
No good deed goes unpunished., November 26, 2008
Psychologist Mick Callahna owes an old Navy buddy from way back. When Bud "Bone" Stone somes to collect, it doesn't seem like that6 big a deal. What could be so difficult about keeping an eye on Bone's ex-mistress while Bone takes care of some business? Mick should know better, because these kinds of favors usually turn into a big problem. And so this does.
Bone is trying to find some guys who ripped him off in a drug deal. Somehow, the major players turn out to be way higher up the gfood chain than anyone expects: Russian Mafia, major Mob, and possibly some governments. Mick gets beaten up, the ex-mistress is abducted, and then things get crazy.
Shannon can plot with the best of then, although hard-core readers of the genre will see some of the twists coming. Mick is a psychologist, which doesn't make him any better at dealing with his close relationships than most of us, just better at recognizing that he's being an idiot or a jerk. He's also a recovering alcoholic, trying to keep it together. His love life doesn't contribute to his stability, and neither does his past - both of which come back to kick his butt. Mick is a stand-up guy, trying his best to do the right thing; certainly this is a stock character, but Shannon makes him more interesting than some, more believable than most. ONE OF THE WICKED is the third in the Mick Callahan series, a series for lovers of thrilles.
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