Rating: 
Summary: A Heartpounding Rollercoaster Ride!
Review: "Middle of Nowhere" was one of the best of the bests of Mr. Pearson's writing! From the first chapter, you are pulled into the book just as if you were working the case with Lou and Daphne. With each turn of the story, it is like a rollercoaster making the plunge! This ride was such an experience I had to actually put the book down for a few minutes to catch my breathe and wait for my heart to stop pounding! Ridley Pearson is one of the elite few writers who I will automatically pick up the newest hardbound novel without ever cracking the book open to see what it is about! The characters always hold true and the rollercoaster twists and turns of the story never let me down. I might add in "Middle of Nowhere", I look at my cell phone in a whole new light! Excellent writing both content and characters. I just wish I didn't have to wait so long for the next installment of Lou Boldt and Daphne Matthews to come out! The only other author I feel the same way (in another genre) is the Jan Karon Mitford series! In the crime thriller genre, Ridley would be first in my preferences followed by John Sanford. Well Done!
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT, EXCELLENT
Review: A case of the "blue flu" has struck the Seattle police force, causing a majority of the force to be on an unofficial strike, leaving Detective Lou Boldt to remain (forced actually)on the job. With the near death of a female officer, and a string of house robberies, Boldt is pushed to the limit to find answers. Boldt enlists the help of police psychologist Daphne Matthews, and Sergeant John LaMoia to aid in his investigation. As Boldt struggles with three seemingly seperate situations, he begins to question if they are actually un-related. As things go out of control, resulting in more robberies and "warnings" to Boldt, he refuses to give up, putting his life on line to solve this case. I will start off by saying...THIS IS AN EXCELLENT NOVEL. I am not going further into detail on the plot, all the fun is finding out the secrets as you go. "Middle Of Nowhere" is a fast-paced, well written novel that entertains as it shocks with new plot twists. Boldt is one of the most interesting and likable hero's in any current fiction series. Ridley Pearson has written the novel that lives up to his reputation of being the "best thriller writer alive". After the disappointing "The First Victim", fans of the Boldt series get what they expect, a great book. If you are new to the series, start with this book and then go back and read the other Boldt novels, excluding "The First Victim" (not the best entry in the series). "Middle Of Nowhere" is a great summer read...it's great read in any season. A MUST read! Nick Gonnella
Rating:
Summary: Another Boldt series
Review: I enjoyed all Lou Boldt books including this one with Boldt's same supporting characters who are enjoyable to read. "Blu Flu" situation is unusual in normal life which is something different in the story that makes it interesting to read that we don't see very often in other novels. I'm looking forward to read next series in "The Art of Deception" which I'm reading now.
Rating: 
Summary: Surprisingly slow-paced for a Pearson Book
Review: The plot and characters in this book are great, but it would have been a lot better if the length was cut by about 100 pages. Just one chase sequence goes on for so many pages uneccesarily. The police are following a suspect on foot, and Pearson goes on and on with the suspect getting on a bus; off a bus; in a building; out of building; etc., while the police keep switching off chasing. Rather than being suspenseful, the story comes to a complete halt. This happens repeatedly througout the book. This book just took too darn long to get where it's going. But there's also a lot to like. The recurring character of Lou Boldt is an interesting one, and his relationship to his fellow detective, Daphne Matthews, is interesting. The plot, in which Boldt is trying to solve the brutal attack on a fellow officer, whose neck was broken, is quite good. The attack took place during a "Blue Flu" and pits striking officers against working officers like Boldt. There are clues that suggest cops might have been involved in this and other attacks. The author does a good job of showing us how torn up Boldt is by the tension between him and his fellow officers. I would recommend the book to avid Pearson and Boldt fans, but warn them they'll have to suffer through a lot of extraneous pages to get to the good stuff.
Rating:
Summary: Middle of Nowhere
Review: Ridley Pearson's Middle of Nowhere starts with a shocking incident, steadily builds the tension and ends with two equally satisfying climaxes. You just can't put this one down! Pearson skillfully interweaves 'gumshoe' policework, forensics, technology and current events without sacrificing the complexity of his characters. The investigation of an attack on a police officer quickly plunges Lt. Lou Boldt into an intricate web that could very well end both his professional and personal life. Boldt faces challenges on every level as he seeks to identify and capture the attacker. His loyalty to his fellow police officers is questioned, his marriage is threatened and his closest colleagues are jeopardized. Boldt's determination to 'clear the case' is tempered by his frailties; frailties that make him human, not a 'supercop'. Pearson has written his best Lou Boldt novel to date - a novel that begs to be finshed once the first page is read. And, as usual, once the book is finished, the reader is left thirsting for the next one!
Rating:
Summary: Another Boldt series
Review: I enjoyed all Lou Boldt books including this one with Boldt's same supporting characters who are enjoyable to read. "Blu Flu" situation is unusual in normal life which is something different in the story that makes it interesting to read that we don't see very often in other novels. I'm looking forward to read next series in "The Art of Deception" which I'm reading now.
Rating: 
Summary: Not For Me
Review: When Officer Maria Sanchez is brutally attacked outside her home and left paralyzed Lieutenant Lou Bolt is assigned to investigate her case. Lieutenant Bolt, normally a homicide detective, is now put on this burglary case due to the "Blue Flu" an unofficial strike of the Seattle PD leaving all departments very short handed. Now Bolt must try to figure out if Sanchez's attack was the unfortunate result of one of a string of burglaries or if there is more to this "Blue Flu" than meets the eye. As I said in my introduction this novel was just simply not for me. It's gotten great reviews, so for police drama lovers you may really enjoy this book. However, even though Pearson did try to explain all of the police terminology, I found it to be a little too technical for my taste. I also found 'MIDDLE OF NOWHERE' to be a little slow at times and I found myself drifting off and missing entire scenes. So really it just comes down to 'MIDDLE OF NOWHERE' is not my type of book.
Rating: 
Summary: GOOD BUT TO LONG!!!!
Review: I guess being to long is the only problem I have with the book. I thing some of the chase plus some pages of explaining things could have be shorter. I really like Lou Boldt. Maybe he is slowing down and so am I, I guess that is why I can relate to him. People are being robbed and police people are being hurt and even killed. Who is doing this? Is it a real crook or is it some other policeman who is out with the Blue Flu? (...) I like the characters of Bobbie Gaynes, Daphne Matthews and John LaMoia. I also liked Mama Lu, which was in a previous book. There is a lot of action and suspence. I also like Liz Boldt, I think she adds a degree of calm to Lou and she is a very strong forgiving person. A book that may be a little long but is still pretty good if you like mysteries.
Rating:
Summary: Correction: My review should say Pearson, not Connelly
Review: Oops. My previous review should have said Ridley Pearson, not Michael Connelly; must have had a brain freeze. Sorry.
Rating:
Summary: Ridiculous
Review: ALL the good guys speak alike, and ALL the bad guys speak alike. No one sounds real. The reader probably can overlook one instance of police ignoring safety procedures but there is an accumulation of instances that becomes ludicrous. I'm tired of cops who insist on going it alone sans partner. Its the easy way out for writers. It should be considered just as big a joke as "let's split up" is in horror movies.
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