The Hundredth Man

Rating:
Summary: New author - Great Murder Mystery
Review: "The Hundredth Man" is a well-written murder mystery novel by a first-time author. Yes, it is a "cops and robbers" type of story but the twists and turns make it more than the ordinary type of writing.

Harry Nautilus and Carson Ryder are partners for the PSIT Unit Mobile. PSIT is the Psychopathological and Sociopathological Investigative Team which is a newly formed unit to handle the mindless violence of Mobile. Bodies are turning up without their heads. Each body has been written on in what is thought to be nonsensical words. It is up to Harry and Carson to figure out what is going on.

There is a new coroner's assistant, with a dark secret, who has Carson's attention. She seems to be completely dedicated to her work and puts Carson in his place when he tries to make small talk. Then add Terrence Squill to the mix. He is Chief of Investigative Services and trying to climb the ladder to the next higher position. He doesn't like Carson because of a previous crime Carson solved which brought him into the media notice rather than Squill.

Carson has a family secret that he doesn't want anyone in the department to know about. It isn't an illegal secret, just one that Carson has trouble handling. While trying to solve the murders, this secret keeps getting in the way but in the end, helps him to solve the murders.

Jack Kerley describes the bars and bays of Mobile with great accuracy making you feel like you are actually in these areas. He writes with a vocabulary that makes these characters come alive in the reader's mind. The easy flow of his story was a pleasure to read and follow. I never had to go back to reread a section because I had missed some obtuse part - there just weren't any. Yet, there were twists and turns you didn't expect which kept me from putting the book down. The cast of characters were real and believable.

I hope to see many more books from this new author. He writes one of my favorite genres - murder mysteries. If you like to read new authors, be sure to pick up "The Hundredth Man".

Rating:
Summary: hard-boiled thriller
Review: Carson Ryder is a homicide detective of the Mobile Police force. When headless corpses start to turn up he and his partner Harry Nautilus try to solve the case despite the tremendous opposition provided by an ambitious superior. And in the meantime Carson also tries to save a boozing pathologist from becoming fired. Carson has a secret and it is through this secret that he may (or may not) be capable of solving the murders. But there is no such thing as a free lunch, so Carson will have to pay for the information and how far is one willing to go to find a serial killer?

This is quite an enjoyable read, even though the "hard-boiled" language is now and then quite over the top and it is questionable whether in real life a superior would be willing to oppose the detective work as much as implied in this book and whether one would be willing to transport a knife by sticking it into one's leg... But not at all bad for a debut thriller.

Rating:
Summary: Great debut!
Review: For the first time author this is definitely a great debut. It is clear that Jack Kerley can write. The pace of this thriller is very fast, the characters are mostly very developed, the plot is if not competely original, definitely has a quite a few unusual turns. On the negative side, as it was mentioned in some other reviews, the novel has a few cliches. Some of the plot lines are not always believable. But, overal, it's a very good entertainment. I will definitely read the next book by Jack Kerley.

Rating:
Summary: what a disappointment
Review: Heard really good things about this novel but was very disappointed. Normally can make it through any book no matter how bad but had to give up on this. Concept is there but the writing skills aren't. Not helped by an extraordinarily irritating protagonist - tries to be "interesting" but has opposite effect. Shoot the editor - he/she did a lousy job. New editor and maybe a better sequel.

Rating:
Summary: An Outstanding Debut Novel
Review: It is a point of interest that a number of advertising writers have gravitated toward the suspense fiction genre. James Patterson is probably the best known of these; Don Bruns is another. We can now add Jack Kerley to the list with THE HUNDREDTH MAN. Kerley, a resident of the formerly notorious Newport, Kentucky, has worked on a number of advertising projects throughout the world. It is only fitting, then, that his debut novel is attracting worldwide attention as well.

The voice of THE HUNDREDTH MAN, as well as the subject of the title, is Carson Ryder, a Mobile, Alabama homicide detective who is one-half of a salt and pepper team making up the Psychopathological and Sociopathological Investigative Team, or PSIT. PSIT is a unit created to investigate freakish homicides. Given a choice between groping around for something in the dark or finding it easily in the light, 99 people out of 100 will choose the light; Ryder is the hundredth man. The other half of the team, Harry Nautilus, is the more experienced and, in some areas, the more reasonable of the two. The men balance each other nicely, with Ryder's keen powers of observation and deduction --- and something else --- supplementing Nautilus's ability to pilot the team through the Byzantine-like bureaucracy of the Mobile Police Department.

When a killer begins to leave headless corpses around the Mobile area, it seems to be precisely the situation for which PSIT was brought into existence. However, the team becomes hamstrung early on by Terrence Squill, a Birmingham police captain who never makes a move without checking to see which way the political wind is blowing and who regards PSIT as a public relations window dressing for the police department and nothing else. As Ryder and Nautilus investigate the killings, often clandestinely to avoid insubordination, they soon discover that the trail of bodies seems to lead back to their own police department. Ryder's relationship with Ava Davenelle, a forensic specialist with the Mobile coroner's office, who has a couple of demons riding on her back, doesn't help matters for Ryder, either.

The most bizarre aspect of THE HUNDREDTH MAN is Jeremy, Ryder's older brother. Jeremy took the brunt of their father's sadistic treatment during their childhood; now, damaged irreparably, he is both mentor and tormentor to his younger brother. Jeremy has some unique insight into the PSIT cases since he is himself a serial murderer, and his ability to understand the workings of the depraved mind can be of tremendous benefit to Ryder. There is, however, a terrible price that Ryder must pay.

Kerley writes of the Mobile, Alabama area with great authority, paying some tribute to the sometimes uneasy mix of the rural South and nouveau Cosmopolitan aspects of the area that make it a bit more unique than one who knew the region only by reputation would expect. The basics of the story are all too universal, however. It struck me at one point that Kerley could have set this story anywhere --- somewhere else in the United States, Paris, Moscow, I mean anywhere --- and its interblending of family tragedy, the rough politics of the bureaucracy, and the tentative dance between man and woman would still shine through. This explains, in part, why this fine work is scheduled for eight foreign translations, as well as a film treatment. Let us hope and pray for more from Kerley and Ryder, and more translations.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

Rating:
Summary: Crazy Fast Pace........true "classic" potential
Review: Jack Kerley jumps into his story with all the style and wicked grace of the classic detective novel authors!! The action is fast paced, the dialogue is rapid fire, the characters are twisted and intriguing and the story is gripping!!
A young detective, Carson Ryder, trying to overcome his past, uses unconventional methods to pry into the minds of psychologically damaged criminals and sociopaths. When headless corpses turn up and he and his partner, Harry Nautilus' skills are needed, they run the risk of being derailed by a political circus that has developed in the police department. There is also a young woman working her way towards a promising future as a medical examiner, but ghosts of her past haunt her and she must make some important choices and in the middle of a critical investigation Carson feels an obligation to help her.
The crimes are vicious yet clean, the killer is amazingly calm and cool, yet so totally unhinged you cannot imagine how he manages to function. Allegations swirl like thick fog over everyone who becomes involved with this investigation.
This is an astounding first novel that is both horrifying and intriguing and holds the promise of more great things to come from Jack Kerley, an author to watch (and read!!)

Rating:
Summary: Great Debut!!!
Review: Jack Kerley's debut was exciting!! So exciting that I found it hard to get my homework done and sleep through the night without wanting to know what happened to Carson and Ava. The plot twists were amazing!! I can't wait for the second.

Rating:
Summary: Very Strong, Memorable Debut Novel
Review: My most recent read is _The Hundredth Man_ by Jack Kerley. This was a very strong first novel by a former ad man. It is a police procedural set in Mobile, Alabama, and follows young Carson Ryder and his more seasoned partner Harry Nautilus as they attempt to figure out who is killing and decapitating a series of men who could almost be mirror images of each other, body-wise. Based on his success some years previously in capturing another serial killer, Carson and Harry have been assigned to a new task force, PSIT, which investigates psychologically abnormal crimes.


Carson has his own ace in the hole, a psychotic, serial killer brother whose advice proved invaluable in the earlier case and who he goes to again for help this time. That he has to submit to letting his brother burn his arm with a lighter seems a small price to pay. Plus, Carson is falling for a new doctor in the coroner's office, Ava Davenelle, who is exhibiting all the signs of being an alcoholic. Throw in some police department politics and wrangling for position and you've got a very memorable, very assured first novel. And the Mobile setting is well developed and unusual, too.


Hopefully we'll be seeing more books by Mr. Kerley in the future. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: Outlandish, Outrageous, and a good effort gone astray
Review: The first 200 pages flew by. They were fairly lean and mean (to use Harry's rhyming). THe characters of Harry and Carson were interesting. Ava had some interesting shadings. Then it became long--even the end was unending--and the everything went to hell. There are more crazies here than are realistic and more plot twists than are believable. The end has the feel of a lame 2 star film that has too many cooks in the broth. Promising characters, but really nutso climax.

Rating:
Summary: The Hundredth Man
Review: The Hundredth Man, by Jack Kerley, is a fast paced thriller: Carson Ryder, a detective working serial killer cases in Mobile, Alabama, is challenged to solve the unsolveable. Kerley's debut is a work of art; he toiled to perfect his craft. The twists, turns, and well written prose were crafted as a gift to the reader; Jack Kerley's no slacker. Kerley's talent lies in making the reader feel like a plot participant--can't wait to curl up with another Kerley novel. I caught his short story, "Almost There," featured in the spring 2004 issue of Southern Review, good example of his depth. David Baldacci said it best--Kerley's a writer to watch . . . and read. My vote is five stars for this talented and remarkable debut, keep up the good work!