Rating: 
Summary: A PAGE-TURNER-BURNER!
Review: This was a terrifically-written, briskly-paced thriller. I enjoyed it from cover to cover. The characters are an eclectic mix of realistic types of people and the details of the storms and stomr-chasing left me wanting more. This is a high-voltage new author and I eagerly anticipate reading more of her work!!!
Rating:
Summary: Very, very good book.
Review: The Breathtaker is an unusually strong novel built around an intruigingly metaphoric story. Blanchard sees the storm as a manifestation of the killer's rage. But beyond this high concept idea is a literary work full of great writing and emotional, three-dimensional characters. I think this writer feels it in her bones. It's a brilliant study of violence as powerful as the storm itself.
Rating: 
Summary: This is a Today Show selection????
Review: I thought that John Grisham and Clive Cussler were the masters at cranking out books that you know they didn't bother to read; now I can add Alice Blanchard to the list. Was she just in a hurry, or what? This book is ridiculous, and I have to wonder whether the other "reviewers" are Alice's friends, family, and publishers. There are so many holes in the plot, loose ends, out of character actions/responses, etc. that the plot is unworkable. Reading this book did have one benefit, however: it makes the good books look even better.
Rating:
Summary: Great premise, great execution
Review: All too often, today's latest books have a great premise but no real follow through. Not so with this one: THE BREATHTAKER. Finally, a well done book with real characters and an actual plot. And if you think that's a given in today's book market, you haven't been reading lately. The idea of a serial killer that only strikes during tornadoes is just brilliant, and what Blanchard does with this material is excellent. Why isn't this higher up on the bestseller list instead of some of those "other" books out there? Also very much enjoyed two other novels: "A Girl Named Zippy" and "The Bark of the Dogwood"
Rating:
Summary: what a storm!
Review: When THE BREATHTAKER focuses on Police Chief Grover's forensic investigation & tornadoes, the story sings. Is the killer's frenzy escalated by the twisters? Who is he & where will he strike the next time? Will his adored daughter, be the next victim?Tucked inside the wild tension & turbulence of a tornado season, is an age-old battle between child & parent -- between Grover & his drunkard Dad, & Grover & his teenage child. RebeccasReads recommends THE BREATHTAKER as a Mach 4 must read! It will take your breath away, so vivid are the storms -- both Mother Nature's & Man's. Engrossing & satisfying!
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant psychological thriller
Review: Alice Blanchard is one of our most gifted contemporary writers, and her latest book, The Breathtaker, is psychologically complex, thought-provoking, and exquisitely written. The characters are sympathetic and intriguing; the plot is rich, with unexpected complications and revelations, and the book itself is impossible to put down. After you read this book, read Blanchard's first suspense thriller, Darkness Peering, another masterpiece. Then read her extraordinary collection of short stories, The Stuntman's Daughter. I'm waiting with bated breath for Blanchard's next book!
Rating:
Summary: "The new Blanchard is here, the new Blanchard is here!"
Review: At long last ... and well worth the wait. Not only great writing, but fresh and rich with dramatic (and just plain cool) metaphor. Can one say "verisimilitudous"? .. if I can, it would be an apt description about the depth of Alice's character development and description of the world they live (and die) in. Just SO many examples that make me go back and re-read lines and paragraphs .. letting them soak into my head makes my brain smile along with my face: "Rob Pepper's torso was dangling from the ceiling like an upside-down jack-in-the-box." Oy baby, that's good. Please write faster Alice, there is so much literary pablum out there I crave another rich and tasty serving of Blanchard to satisfy my cravings ... "like a tall cool glass of one's favorite libation after too long on the desert". (That line is so bad you know I just made that up.) Oh, and ditto for "Darkness Peering".
Rating:
Summary: Best Suspense Award Winner
Review: This just won the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award for BEST SUSPENSE NOVEL of 2003. To quote: "In a word-wow! Blanchard has outdone herself in this unique and mesmerizing thriller. With both an angry Mother Nature and a deranged serial killer on the loose, THE BREATHTAKER grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go. An astonishing ride!"
Rating: 
Summary: Bore-maker
Review: I am giving this book 2 stars only because it kept me mildly entertained today while I was sitting in the hospital waiting room. Otherwise, this book is terrible. If you really want to read a book by Alice Blanchard, get "Darkness Peering" it is excellent. I don't think the same Alice Blanchard wrote "Breathtaker."
Rating:
Summary: What a great book!!!
Review: I read this on a plane ride across country and couldn't put it down. It's a fast-paced page-turner with great scares, great characters and an outstanding premise that is very well-executed. The hero, sheriff Charlie Grover, is a deeply conflicted character trying to raise his daughter alone in the face of hunting a very smart and crafty serial killer who has managed to cover his tracks for years by making his kills look like the storms did it. Meanwhile, his daughter has fallen in love with a bad kid and gets into trouble because she thinks she knows much more than she actually does about the world - a very believable teenage character. The storm-chasing is well-researched, as is the forensics work. This author is keenly aware of keeping emotional conflict front and center at all times, which effectively adds to the tension being cranked up chapter by chapter from a taut and gripping plotline. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun and entertaining read that is also a quality piece of literature.
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