Rating: 
Summary: Best Book of the Year--No Votes Necessary!
Review: MORTAL FEAR was one of the most concisely written, harrowing, non-stop narratives I have ever come across. Its philosophical beginning turns suddenly into a heart-stopping race against time to find a psychopathic killer of great intelligence, one who selects victims through an online service. As Greg Iles spins the tale through Harper Cole's point of view, we get to experience Cole's life, his memories of his wife's haunting sister Erin, his determination to capture the real killer and clear his name--and his fear. For, to lure the killer into showing himself, he must play the killer's game; he must transform himself into a woman online and use his wits and his inner knowledge to enamor the killer...a plan that poses the greatest of dangers: placing everything he has ever loved into the killer's embrace. For the woman he chooses will be one he has crossed paths with before, a woman with whom he once held a passion for, a woman so hauntingly tragic and beautiful that no man has ever denied the right to her body--his wife's sister. MORTAL FEAR is more than just a heart-stopping account of a man trying to save those he cared, more than just Best Book of the Year to me--it was heartrending too, a no-holds-barred narrative of one man's life, his loves, his stakes in a dangerous game of "being bait"....and most of all, his fear, motivating him to match wits with a killer, to protect those he loved. Greg Iles created the ultimate humanifestation ever in Harper Cole. MORTAL FEAR is without doubt THE best in great reading.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Book for a Long Trip
Review: This was a great trashy novel, and it really is trashy. There were many places in the book where I laughed out loud because of the terribly clichéd dialogue and general stupidity of the characters. For instance, the FBI cannot discover that a quote left by the killer was written by famous author Henry Miller. However, Harper Cole, stockbroker and porn site systems operator, recognizes the quote at a glance. In fact, every law enforcement agency in the country is made out to be a bunch of complete idiots in this book. Harper also feels the need to rehash explicit details of his sexual escapades in the name of therapy...and the reader's voyeurism! A simply summary never suffices in "Mortal Fear." We get to hear every steamy detail, even when it's completely unbelievable that Harper would go into so much detail. But that's really what's great about this book. It doesn't take itself too seriously. It's just a fun, mysterious, gory, sexy read that would be wonderful for a long plane trip. The plot is fast paced. The mystery kept me guessing. The characters aren't necessarily likeable, but they're believable in the context of the world the author creates. Just a note though-if you know anything about computers, most of the complexity attributed to them in this book will seem really silly. EROS is made out to be an amazing creation, when it doesn't seem like much more than a chat room and some message boards. This isn't "War and Peace," but I couldn't finish "War and Peace" anyway, because it got too boring in the middle. "Mortal Fear" is far from boring and I'll happily pick up another book written by Greg Iles.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely amazing thriller - top of any list
Review: Harper Cole, a man with some pretty dark secrets, is a systems operator for an international on-line programme known as EROS, a service that caters for the erotic sexual appetities - be they light or of a slightly darker taste - of a large number of highly-paying clients. Soon, Harper's life - and the lives of those closest to him - will be thrown into immense danger, because there is a killer at work on EROS, a twisted and terrifying serial murderer using the network to find his way into the lives and fantasies of his female victims. All of a sudden, Harper finds himself a possible suspect in the eyes of the FBI, and in an attempt both to prove his innocence and to stop a vicious killer from continuing his morbid harvest, Harper goes into EROS himself, posing as a woman he once had an affair with, in order to try and trap the killer into revealing himself. However, it quickly becomes apparent that everyone has underestimated this brutally intelligent killer, able to detect their every move and remain constantly one step ahead... Mortal Fear is surely going to be Iles' crowning achievement. Most serial killer novels are pretty standard fare, but this is not only far better than almost any other I have read, it almost transends its genre, such is the writing quality and the relentless intelligence that powers the plot and movement of the prose. The brutality of the killer (and his bizarre, if startlingly original, motives) is balanced with some wonderful philosophical examinations of humans and humanity, which give you the impression that Iles really KNOWS people, rather like Stephen King, and a slightly academic, educated feel to it all makes this so much more than just a pop-thriller, but something far greater. Iles is graced with a gift for creating incredibly strong lead male characters that, while often shaded, have the distinct feel that they could easily have been plucked form any street in any town the world over. Harper Cole is such a creation: real, full, and likeable. His conflicts, secrets, problems, are all fascianting andf the reader grows to care quite deepy about their having a sucessful resolution. The plot is incredibly strong, and Iles really does bring something special to the whole notion of a killer using the internet to find his victims. There are some twists that really do shock, events that are unpredictable and come out of the blue, which is very very rare, some deaths that really do make you gasp, and even perhaps have qualms about whether you actually want to continue. But, of course you continue, because, while you cared about the characters, now you care even more that they catch the killer abd, quite frankly, kill him very painfully yet thoroughly. The killer himself is genuinely scary, which again is very rare. His seeming omniscience and intelligence will maybe even strike hints of fear into you as you read. In all truth, "Brahama", as he comes to be known, is probably more than a match for Hannibal Lecter, and I have never said that before. This is the best thriller i have read in ages. Its humanity married with cruelty make it horridly compelling, and the shadows of Eastern mythology that brood behind everything give it that extra special edge. Be sure to read this book. It is fantastic. I cannot understand why people did not rave and shout from the rooftops about this book for years after its publication because, by god, it certainly deserves that.
Rating:
Summary: NOTHING TO FEAR BUT FEAR ITSELF?
Review: This is my first Greg Iles' book, as I have not been a favorite of espionage or spy thrillers. However, this book is one heck of a read! Over 600 pages long, it still maintains interest throughout and is definitely one of the best serial killer books I've read.
With that said, I won't go into the details of the book, as it has been expertly done by other reviewers. What makes this such a stunning novel is the rich characterizations Iles has given to his characters;not just the leads, but even some of the supporting characters, as well.
Of course, the book would have no foundation if not for the main character, Harper Cole. This is not your typical hero, in fact, he's quite an antihero at times. Selfish, childish, sexually confused at times, and a keeper of dark secrets. However, Harper is so well fleshed out, I felt like I was right with him during the entire narrative. His relationship with Drewe, his wife, goes from intermittently shallow, to an incredible depth of emotion. He is intelligent and savvy in his dealings with the on-line killer, but still sweats out any confrontations with him, either on line or off. His response to what happens with his sister-in-law, Erin, is heart-wrenching, and I found a little moisture in my eyes during much of this and his confrontation with Drewe about his secret.
Drewe, likewise, is no usual heroine. Not only is she brilliant, but she is deep in her love for Harper, and proves to be a formidable adversary to the killer in the flinchingly suspenseful climax.
Miles Turner, Harper's friend, also turns out to be quite the antithesis of a true hero. His involvement in the killings is quite surprising, and establishes the many levels this gentleman goes through in the book.
The policemen and FBI characters are quite good, too. Although many books try to portray cops and FBI agents as pretty ineffectual, Iles gives them the depth of human nature we all possess. One of them, Billy, is the freshest depiction of a "Down home" cop on paper. Billy is not quite the typical redneck you expect, although he's not the brightest guy, either. But he possesses a strong sense of justice and takes his job seriously.
Bob Anderson, Drewe and Erin's father, at first appears to be one of those stuffy influentials that everyone in political circles is afraid of. Nonetheless, by the end of the book, we again see a well-developed, complex man, driven by the love for his daughters.
Of course, what would this kind of book be without a superior villain? And we have one of unbelievable cunning; heartless, brilliant, and in a rare accomplishment, Iles actually makes you feel just a pinch--pinch, mind you--of sympathy. The on-line conversations he has with Dr. Lenz, Drewe and Harper are brilliantly written.
The only character we never really fully understand is Erin's husband, Patrick, but I think Iles wanted us to feel isolation from him, as his role is one of mystery as well.
All in all, this book ranks up there with the best, and Iles has won me over!
HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Rating:
Summary: Mortal Fear is a page-turner with depth.
Review: It is rare that I find a book where I think the author has done such an excellent job in entertaining the reader, or scaring the reader in this case, as well as producing believable, complex characters. On top of that this book is extremely well-written. It is descriptive and well-paced. It doesn't rush to the end and simply tell a story but leads the reader into the life of the characters. You can smell the dank tunnel leading out of the house. You can feel the fear the Edwards is outside the house. It's absolutely one of the best books I have read in a long time. Bravo! I can't wait to read his other titles.
Rating:
Summary: I hope real serial killers aren't this smart!
Review: MORTAL FEAR is the second Greg Iles book I have read, after DEAD SLEEP, both in unabridged tape editions. Both books are set in the South, one in Mississippi, and one in New Orleans, both feature sisters who have a sexual rivalry with one man. And FBI profiler Dr. Arthur Lenz makes a re-appearance in MORTAL FEAR. Other than that, no links, but I'm glad I read them sequentially. Harper Cole is a 33-year former rock musician, now a well-to-do futures trader with a hoard of gold in the bomb shelter of his childhood home where he lives with his OB-GYN wife, Drew. He is also a SYS OP for an Internet service called EROS. After a brutal murder of a famous New Orleans writer, he correlates an EROS customer activity pattern and informs the FBI that there may be more killings. The FBI discover more dead women who are EROS customers and promptly begin to suspect Harper and his childhood friend EROS architect Miles Turner of involvement in the killings. The portrait of the killer that gradually appears is chilling, ingenious, repulsive and seductive. The killer is incredibly smart and seemingly impossible to catch because he doesn't have a consistent signature. He manages to outsmart and stay many steps ahead of the FBI. I'm not really a fan of terror-driven suspense but what makes this books special is Iles' deeply drawn main and side characters. Harper Cole is more anti-hero than hero in that Iles doesn't try to make him likable or someone to emulate. A reader must accept Harper's dark and light sides. While remotely operating EROS, he has Internet affairs of a somewhat sleazy nature and avoids sex with his wife Drew. He claims to understand women, that women talk to him as they would another women, but it's telling that there is not one woman in his life who is happy. At the core of the plot is a huge secret he keeps from Drew about a former sexual relationship and current attraction. At times I felt major contempt for Harper for not being a stand-up guy emotionally, which is hard to do and continue to read when the narrative is first person. But eventually over the course of the book I just accepted his very human, fallible voice. This is an excellent book, rather long in tape version, but unabridged is still the way to go. At times I felt the pacing was slow, but it's appropriate because I needed time to accustom myself and accept Cole's voice. Stay with it and enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: sizzling serial killer thriller
Review: Mortal Fear is on a totally different level than Spandau Phoenix (or Black Cross) - it has nothing to do with World War II - but it is just as satisfying suspense. Set in the modern day, the book centers around a programmer for a computer service who suspects that random murder victims are being selected through his service. In the course of investigating his hunch, he gets on the trail of a highly elusive and frightening serial killer whose motivations will bring the two characters ever closer together. The suspense of who the perpetrator is, how the murders are being committed, and how law enforcement's chase is resolved is outstanding; that suspense and Iles' ability to write so effectively on so many different levels demonstrates his considerable talent.
Rating: 
Summary: Could Barely Finish
Review: This book is awful. Apparantly there are a lot of people who have a high tolerance for the unreadable. It is boring and poorly written. You will not care about any of the characters. The 'Big Secret' is so inane that you will be insulted by the fact that you are supposed to care. Trust me...I read lots of books, and this is definitely one to pass on. DO NOT waste your time or money.
Rating:
Summary: Incredibly complex, unique page-turner
Review: This is only my 2nd Iles book, having only read 24 HOURS before, and I am hooked on this author. Like many others, I couldn't put the book down. I'm going to purchase the rest of Greg Iles' books - I love his writing and I loved this book.
Rating:
Summary: Mortal Fear
Review: Greg Iles is an original effective writer that not only grabs your attention on the first page but keeps you enthralled through the entire reading. His charactors have distinct complex lives that revolve around a plot that becomes more complex as each chapter evolves. Until the last few chapters, you are still guessing as to whom the criminal is. Few authors have this ability to twist plots and create believable charactors as Greg Iles does. I consider "Mortal Fear" his best but each of his books are distinctive and enjoyable. I highly suggest reading "The Quiet Game" next. Friends & Family that I have recommended this book to, have been addicted as well and we all look forward to his next.
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