The Murder Artist : A Thriller

Rating:
Summary: Soild & Entertaining but a Touch Convoluted
Review:
What do stage magic, the art of Vegas illusion, origami and ghoulish voodoo rituals performed in the swamps of Louisiana have in common? In THE MURDER ARTIST they are all somehow linked to the abduction of Washington TV reporter Alex Callahan's twin six-year-old sons from a gala Renaissance fair in Northern Virginia. Out of these wildly disparate elements, and despite a convoluted plot that in places limps like an arthritic old `coon hound, Case conjures a (generally) gripping story that will keep you entertained right up to its ingenious (albeit somewhat improbable) ending.

Separated from his wife and fighting deadline after deadline at work, Callahan struggles to keep his sons entertained while they are staying with him over their summer vacation. The harried reporter's efforts to bond with his children go horribly awry, however, when the twins - Kevin and Sean - are abducted while on a weekend outing to a medieval festival. Predictably, Alex finds himself to be the police's prime suspect. In fact, Alex is the only suspect. Once his innocence is established, the authorities are back at "square one." On the verge of mental and physical collapse, Alex decides to quit his job and devote all of his time, energy and resources to discovering the whereabouts of his sons.

Alex's training and background as an investigative reporter stand him in good stead as he begins his search. Turning first to the Internet he discovers a string of cases - one more grisly and horrific than the next - involving abducted twins. As his funds and patience begin to leak away, he becomes convinced that the perpetrator of those earlier crimes, an accomplished stage magician with ties to a voodoo priest and whose previous residence was a psychiatric facility, is also responsible for the disappearance of Kevin and Sean.

THE MURDER ARTIST is a big, sprawling thriller replete with atmosphere and local color. The novel is also built upon an intriguing and absolutely diabolical premise. Two problems emerge in the pages of this book, however. First, the plot is overly complex. The author, not to mention the reader, has to work way too hard to make all the necessary connections. And even when those connections have been made, the pieces don't always fit together neatly. Secondly, the character of Alex Callahan is not entirely sympathetic. He comes across as shallow and selfish. Despite the fact that he moves heaven and earth to find his sons, and is thus redeemed somewhat in the eyes of the reader, it is nevertheless still difficult to summon up much genuine concern about Alex's fate.

The bottom line here is that THE MURDER ARTIST is an interesting novel with much to recommend it. It is a book that, as far as it goes, will capture your attention and, at times, have you gripping the edge of your seat. Be that as it may, this is not the kind of book you will want to buy in hardcover; read it by all means, but borrow it from your local library ... or wait till it comes out in paperback instead. (James Clar - MYSTERY NEWS)


Rating:
Summary: Compelling Thriller
Review: Alex Callahan, an investigative television news reporter, is separated from his wife due to the demands of his job. Alex decides to spend some quality with his six-year old twin sons at a Renaissance Fair. It is a beautiful balmy day in May, but it soon turns chilling when after Alex loses track of the twins, he realizes that they have been abducted. The police investigation is at a standstill, so Alex decides to quit his job and search for them himself. Armed with a few clues such as his son's the chicken-blood soaked T-shirt, a row of dimes and an origami rabbit he sets off on his mission with limited resources.

In this fast-paced brilliant thriller by John Case, the heart-pounding emotion does not let up until the end. It is quite a rollercoaster ride. The characters were realistically rendered and Alex Callahan is a very compelling protagonist. This is the first book I have read by John Case, but plan on reading his backlist.


Rating:
Summary: Author Case Uses his Art to Murder and WOW
Review: I devoured each and every page of the "Murder Artist" like a famished survivor stranded on a desolate island. At times, my mind conjured frightening images as the grim events unfolded and put the story's protagonist in dire straits. I could barely contain the visual manifestations that transmogrified from the author's prose especially when I read the novel in a public place or while monitoring my daily study hall. Imagine watching a super charged action packed thriller in a crowded room while the rest of the world watched an episode of "Little House on the Prairie". At times I was left breathless and ravaged even when I was sitting in a calm quiet location. What a thrill ride! Books of this intensity exercise the brain in the same way that barbells condition the biceps of body builders.

The story started simply enough as a divorced father reluctantly took his twin sons to a renaissance festival in Maryland. It didn't take long for the father to get deliriously entangled within the various events of the festival. Hell, he actually managed to have some fun right along with his sons. During the joust, the twins wandered towards a fence in front of the event. Father watched his sons but momentarily detached to watch an action packed joust featuring two competitive knights. Looking back towards his sons, the father realized that his worst nightmare was about to unfold. The boys were gone. The mystery of the abduction was quickly replaced with an unending search for clues pieced together in a heart-pounding format to bring any reader to the verge of a heart-attack. As the hapless father used his career as a reporter to follow every lead no matter how trivial, the story evolved like a Pandora's box frustrating readers with numerous dead-ends and enlightening them with unexpected illuminations. To attain one clue, the desperate Dad even allowed himself to be buried alive in a wooden coffin by a voodoo doctor. Although I read fearfully through the novel (the thought of my sons in a similar predicament was totally disturbing), I was always savoring the amazing plot and pulse-pounding dialog. John Case provided an experience I won't soon forget. If you make it to the climax without passing out, you won't be disappointed.

Jay's Grade: A
December 7, 2004

Rating:
Summary: One of the worst
Review: I have a rule ... once I start a book I have to finish it. This was painful - this book is not bad ... it is horrible. Every page was a chore to get through. I picked up this book because I thought Genesis Code was such a fantastic book - while I read this one - I kept thinking - there is no way this is the same writer. So I went on line and did a search - it turns out that JOHN CASE is actually a husband and wife team.

If a husband and wife team decides to write a book - admit it - hiding behind this pseudonymn is insulting to readers. I regret the two days I wasted on this piece of trash. I will never again pick up a "John Case" book!

Rating:
Summary: Among Case's Best
Review: I wish you could give half-stars here--I'd really go four and a a half.

I don't usually go for thrillers, but a few years back a friend's mom gave us a casette version of "The Genesis Code" for a cross-country drive. We got into it so much that we hardly pulled off the road from Florida to Ohio. Since then, I've been a Case addict.

The Murder Artist is a fairly big departure for Case, as the first four books were all sort of bio-tech thrillers played out on global stages. All were fascinating reads, more for their just real enough premises than for the actual storytelling. This one deals with a parent searching for his abducted kids. The first person narrative works very well and, in many ways, this is the best-written of Case's novels.

As with all of Case's works, the pacing can be deliberate at times, as he takes fascinating detours into subjects as investigative journalism, voodoo and the history of magic. These sidetrips add depth without bogging down the story which has numerous twists and turns and keeps readers guessing most of the way. Unlike Case's two previous books, this one never runs out of steam. Its creepy in the best Case tradition and contains not only a first-rate hero but also an engaging batch of supporting characters.

If there's anything to quibble about its the fact that sometimes the characters miss clues that are a bit obvious to the attentive reader and that the resolution comes abruptly and is a little underwhelming.

Still, the journey's the thing with Case and this is another dependable page-turner. Highly recommended.

NOTE: I actually experienced this via the unabridged cassette version (shame on Brilliance for not offering an unabridged cd). Narrator Dick Hill has voiced several of Case's works. He's outstanding, one of the best fiction voices I've heard and he's in fine form here.



Rating:
Summary: Creepy and Scary - I Couldn't Put it Down
Review: Investigative reporter Alex Callahan misses his children. His wife has moved out and taken his twin six-year-old sons, Sean and Kevin with her. The twins are visiting over a weekend and want to go to the Renaissance Fair. Alex takes them and while watching the knights joust, he turns his head for only an instant and they are kidnapped by a man dressed as the Pied Piper.

Alex frantically searches the fair, then gets a call on his cell phone. According to the caller I.D. the call is coming from his house. He answers.

"Daddy?" it was one of his boys, but when Alex gets home, they aren't there, instead he finds a roll of dimes and an origami rabbit? Are they clues?

And now Alex, who has always been on the other end of a media circus, discovers what it's like to be the media's target and for a while, a suspect. Then, after a month with no progress on the case, the F.B.I. seems to put the kidnapping on the back burner. But Alex doesn't give up, instead he becomes obsessed with getting his kids back and as in investigative reporter, he's amassed conderable skills and he draws on them all.

He finds that there are other kidnappping cases involving twins and he hires Pinky, an albino PI. who uncovers some clues and brings some hope to Alex as they enter the world of the occult where voodoo and magic are the order of the day and Alex learns that he better find his kids fast.

At times this story is creepy and scary and sometimes it seems like it's almost too much to take. But I couldn't put it down. Just imagine Stephen King combined with John Grisham and you have the sense of what I mean. And I gurantee you that if you read this book, you will never turn your eyes away from your children again.

Rating:
Summary: Magic runs amok
Review: John Case's The Murder Artist is a gripping story of a father whose two sons are kidnapped. TV reporter Alex Callahan is separated from his wife and, to spend quality time with his twin sons, he takes them to a Renassisane fairground. While he is mommentarily distracted, his sons disappear. The police are called in and after a search they suspect that Alex has murdered the children himself. Eventually they realize that Alex is not responsible.

Alex is heartbroken at the loss of his sons. Long after the police have moved on to other cases, Alex quits his job and sets out on his own to try to find some trace of his sons. He uses the Internet to try to track down other cases of twins who have been kidnapped. Ultimately he finds similarities between the kidnapping of his sons and a couple of other "twin" kidnappings which the police had dismissed as unrelated.

Alex suspects that the kids have been kidnapped for use in some rather gruesome magic performance. Along the way he meets many experts in magic and learns much about the history of magic.

This is a very well-written novel with a complex but interesting plot. I highly recommend it. This is the first novel I have written by "John Case". I look forward to reading some of their earlier novels.

Rating:
Summary: Agonizingly thrilling
Review: One of the joys of reading is picking up on an author at the point where they go from someone you check out occasionally to your `A' list --- that tattered list that is so old and long that you have it folded over and taped together, that you add to more often than you subtract from. I have the feeling that John Case's latest effort, THE MURDER ARTIST, will put him on a lot of those lists.

Alex Callahan, the protagonist of this agonizingly thrilling work, is the type of guy with whom a lot of the male readership will readily identify. He is an investigative television reporter whose marriage is unable to stand the strain on his job. Estranged from his wife, with the chances of a reconciliation being slim to none, Callahan is settling in for an extended period of visitation with his six-year-old twin sons. An idyllic afternoon at a local Renaissance Fair --- even Callahan is beginning to enjoy himself --- is abruptly and irrevocably shattered when the boys disappear.

Case's handling of the disappearance and the immediate aftermath is marvelous. Callahan's reaction, not only to the disappearance but also to his initial status as a suspect by local law enforcement, is so true to life that it is at once painful and compelling to read. And when local and federal law enforcement reach a dead end, Callahan begins an investigation of his own. His only clues as to the fate of his sons are found in his home: two rows of dimes, a blood-soaked tee shirt, and a mysterious origami figure. Callahan is not without investigative resources, but ultimately he is on his own, knowing that the odds of finding them grow horribly against him with each passing day. As his search leads him back and forth across the country, Callahan realizes that he is chasing a brilliant, elusive and dangerous phantom --- and that time is running out for him and his sons.

Case is quite frankly nothing short of brilliant here. His plotting and pacing, always good in his previous work, is absolutely superb here. He never lets the reader know any more than Callahan does; each page, each paragraph --- heck, at some points each sentence --- is a blind alley. You never know what will or won't happen, or where Callahan's worthy quest will take him. As a result, there are points in THE MURDER ARTIST where literally you'll feel your heart stop. And keep the defibrillator handy: while most matters are resolved, for better or otherwise, one or two plot threads are left hanging that could provide the basis for a sequel, should Case be so inclined.

For now, however, THE MURDER ARTIST is more than enough of a cardiovascular workout. Set aside two nights for it: one for reading, and one for worrying.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

Rating:
Summary: Hard to rate
Review: The first half was gripping, but then it disintegrated,,,,the voodoo stuff was weird and the idea of this middle-aged sedentary man doing all this incredibly physical action is semi-believeable. Also, did anyone else wonder how the hero, who was described earlier as being financially strapped (on leave, had to get a $5,000 advance on his Visa, owes alimony to his ex) managed to fly all over the country, rent cars right and left, stay at hotels and motels, etc??? Just not plausible. Also, I never try to guess what is coming next (like to just go along for the read) but two of the conjurers tricks were so obvious I spotted them at once: woman sawn in half and Indian rope trick. Not up to his usual standard.

Rating:
Summary: Incredible depth and suspense
Review: The Murder Artist is an excellent journey of mystery, suspense, and a whole lot of knowledge. The best thing about all John Case novels is RESEARCH! They go out of their way to develop some really intricate, complex plots that really become a learning experience wrapped in a really great story. The last book by the authors, The Eighth Day, just didn't live up to the realism and thought out plots but The Murder Artist definitely makes up for it.

The story centers around a journalist whose children have been kidnapped. Rather than waiting around and crying daily on TV like other parents he decides to do something about it. Here the Murder Artist takes off and you'll delve into suck topics as magic, origami, voodoo, carnivals, and the mind of evil. It's all there.

Read the Murder Artist and you'll suddenly find yourself not only thrilled and entertained, but you'll learn a LOT of really interesting stuff.