The Treatment : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: Amazing Read!
Review: A few years ago, Mo Hayder shocked readers with her truly amazing debut effort Birdman. Her follow-up, The Treatment, reteams the reader with Jack Caffery, a London DI who once again finds himself on the trail of a sadistic killer. Only this time, the murders hit a little too close to home.

A man kidnaps an entire family and then performs horrible acts on them. Jack needs to find the killer before he takes over another family. But at the same time, Jack has to face his past. When he was younger, his older brother disappeared and was presumably kidnapped by one of Jack's neighbours. When this man dies, Jack is thrown back into his past and forced to come face to face with the demons that have been haunting him ever since his brother disappeared.

This is a very realistic thriller that will shock, excite and trouble you all at once. It is amazingly well written and it is very powerful in its realistic portrayal of human emotions and of violence. Though the book is often gory, the violence is written with tact and skill; the book has enough darkness to shock the reader but never repulses him. The plot is very intricate and full of believable twists and turns. You'll never be able to guess what's coming next.

Mo Hayder is the brightest new voice in the mystery/thriller field. I cannot wait to read her next book. There is no doubt in my mind that The Treatment will be the best mysetery of the year.

Rating:
Summary: Unworthy
Review: I could follow the motives of only the lead character. The others were either sketchy or unbelievable. The motive behind the crimes is not believable. I found the adult male victims' responses to the perpetrator's threats to be ridiculous and could not sympathize. Their responses being a crucial device to this story, I subsequently found no suspense or entertainment in it.
When the chase is over, the perpetrator is many things in one person, too conveniently so. In the end, there is no rationale given as to what the treatment was supposed to have been. The subplot involving the lead character's brother ends undecidedly.
Overall, I found the book unworthy of recommendation. One reads at one's own risk some visuals which may be difficult to erase.

Rating:
Summary: A thrill you won't forget!
Review: I read Birdman first. I couldn't put it down and thought it was a thrill ride through the entire book. Before I finished it, I ordered The Treatment so I could further the ride. I agree with the other reviewers that The Treatment is slow to start. I think it's because Mo Hayder wanted people that hadn't read Birdman to be able to have some background on Jack, so it was a bit lagging to us that wanted to hurry up and get on with the rest of the ride. If you can get through the first half of the book, the rest is just "a loss for words" a non stop heart pounding, emotional ride. I finished The Treatment last night and was so upset I wanted to scream. I surely was touched emotionally through this whole book. I know I will never forget this book or it's story as long as I live. No other book has bothered me as much as these two have. I sure hope Mo Hayder writes a third book. I really felt connected to the people in these books and don't want it to end. I could see their faces and feel their pain and emotions while reading. What a ride.After reading these books, I looked for her website to write her about my reactions and thank her. All I could find was a website that is in the making "mohayder.net" . I hope she gets that site up and running soon with a message board. I'm sure it will be rewarding for her to see how many fans she has out there that are waiting for a THIRD book.
These books will change you. I give them both a 5 even though the second book was slow to start,, the rest of the book, you will never forget!
Thank you Mo Hayder! Please continue onto a THIRD!