Rating: 
Summary: Ho Hum
Review: The Blue Flu is a euphimism for a police strike. Not all the police agree with the "sickout" so there is infighting taking place when one of their own is brutally attacked. The story seems to drag from the opening when the assualt takes place and a long way around to finding any workable clues. The hero Lou Boldt is unexciting and moralistic.
Rating: 
Summary: A THRILLING THRILLER
Review: As the author of a recently published first mystery, I have been an admirer of Ridley Pearson's work for years. MIDDLE OF NOWHERE is a strong entry in Pearson's popular Lou Boldt series. A policewoman is assaulted during a blue flue wave, and Lou is determined to discover the identity of Maria Sanchez's attacker. As Pearson continues the sub-plot strands that have made this series so popular, Lou struggles to solve the Sanchez assault as well as a number of other crimes, leading to additional violence. MIDDLE OF NOWHERE is a fine book, and I continue to learn much about mystery writing by observing the way Mr. Pearson develops his plot and handles his characters. MIDDLE OF NOWEHRE is an excellent read.
Rating:
Summary: Unoriginal
Review: This book is about a police officer's union strike in the form of a "sick-out," and how an attack on a police officer still on the job is related.I have heard good things about Ridley Pearson, but this book disappointed me. The plot is unoriginal, and the character of Detective Boldt is a cardboard puzzle pieced together from successful characters from other books.
Rating: 
Summary: a wireless connection
Review: confident, sure handed narration, steady pacing and a meticulously detailed plot are pearson fortes. in this case, the theme is the blue flu and its consequences, a lackluster plot compared to previous efforts. the intricacies of tracing cell phone calls punctuate the climax. the lou boldt series is in a class with emmy winning detective shows like rockford and magnum.
Rating:
Summary: Another Solid Entry in the Lou Boldt series
Review: The Blue Flu has struck Seattle and Lou Boldt and a few others are left to fill the holes in the system. That's why Lou and Daphne Matthews are assigned an assault and robbery case instead of staying with their usual homocides. However this assault has been carried out on a policewoman who's had her neck broken. At first Lou thinks this case ties into a series of assault/robberies that have been committed since the police sickout, but as time goes on he's not so sure. Then he finds that the policewoman was working on an Internal Investigations case just before she was assaulted. And as he pursues this line of reasoning he finds himself first being warned by other police officers and then being assaulted himself. Very good book by Mr. Pearson. As usual his writing, characterization, and dialog are superb. The plot is well constructed and will have you guessing until the end. I can't say enough good things about Mr. Pearson's books, especially his Lou Boldt novels. In a writing world filled with mediocre mysteries Mr. Pearson's books stand out and I recommend them highly.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent from beginning to end!
Review: I absolutely loved this offering from Pearson and I was expecting it to be bad as I really didn't like 'Undercurrents' at all. The opening scene is horrific - young policewoman gets bashed and ends up paralysed, she can only move her eyes. Enter Lou Boldt, excellent cop & detective investigating a string of home robberies and trying to tie them together with the assalt on the young policewoman plus a few other policemen along the way. I love the excellent, believable characters that Pearson has given us. Boldt is in the same league as Alex Cross (James Patterson) and Harry Bosch (Michael Connelly) - excellent detectives that love to make their own rules, but aren't know-it-alls as it still takes a while to piece all of the info together and catch the killer. This is a sensational book from Pearson and I just might have to re-read 'Undercurrents' now... Highly recommended if you like your crime fiction with a twist of suspense and your heart racing!
Rating:
Summary: terrific
Review: Middle of Nowhere opens with a brutal attack on a young woman police officer, in which her neck is broken. The scene is truly disturbing. She is paralyzed and can communicate from her hospital bed only by moving her eyes in response to yes or no questions. Detective Lou Boldt finds himself investigating the case, even though he's normally a homicide detective, because the ranks of the department are decimated by the "Blue Flu" (a collective bargaining ploy where all the cops call in "sick" instead of going on strike). Creepy villains, good procedural details and some solid subplots make this a great read.
Rating: 
Summary: Solid piece of work
Review: Forget the understated mood set by the jacket art. It may show a peaceful scene of a communications tower set against a beautiful sunset sky, but the story inside is anything but understated and peaceful. What you get is a gritty police thriller laced with assaults, burglaries, striking police, and charges of departmental corruption. There IS subtlety, but in the context of a bang-up, rough police adventure. "Middle of Nowhere" isn't groundbreaking, but if you are looking for a solid effort in the police thriller genre, this novel isn't half bad.
Rating:
Summary: Slow-paced thriller (make that 3.5 stars)
Review: Okay, I'll say it up front...this was a good detective story. The focus is on investigative work needed to get to the bottom of some crimes. In that respect, the story was pretty interesting. You're presented with enough character development to carry the plot; but don't expect indepth character development. I give the author credit for the pretty good job he does in describing scenes with sufficient, but not too much detail. That was just right. The story didn't rate higher than 3.5 stars for me because it was a little slow. The story seems to flow at a rather leisurely pace until you get to the last quarter or so of the story. At that point, the action, suspense, and tension picks up. There is some action and suspense earlier in the story, but most of it appears to be at the end. Even though this book lacks the amount of action/excitement I tend to prefer, I'd still recommend it. However, I'd limit my recommendation to persons that don't need a lot of action in their stories. There is some action, and what there is is very good, but action is not the focus of this book. Good detective/investigative work is. So, if you're an armchair detective, I'd say buy it. It's a story you will enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: A writer who deserves a bigger audience
Review: Ridley Pearson's an underrated talent. The truth is, he's better at what he does that John Katzenbach and the huge-selling James Patterson, and it mystifies me that he doesn't have as strong a following. "Middle of Nowhere" is far from his best (try "Undercurrents" or "Beyond Recognition" if you've never read him before) but it gives you a sense of what he's capable of: a strong sense of atmosphere, an eye for the telling detail ( forensic and otherwise), and a knack for memorable characterization.
| 
