Rating: 
Summary: A suspenseful and enjoyable, if ultimately unfulfilling read
Review: Don't get me wrong, The Weatherman is a real page turner. Mr. Thayer tautly strings along his audience from page one right through the conclusion. He expertly foreshadows some great red herrings and some true clues which kept the reader guessing nearly until the very end. I thought, "Oh, it's DEFINATELY him" regarding several different characters, and my opinion flip-flopped back and forth several times. The titular character, Dixon Bell, is particularly well created and fleshed out. In fact, I'd go so far as to say Dixon Bell might be one of the best characters I've read this year. Being from Minnesota, it was especially fun to read about well-described local landmarks (ie: the France Avenue flower shop a friend of mine works at) being destroyed by a gigantic tornado. Mr. Thayer's behind-the-scenes descriptions of local TV news crews, production, and politics were chiefly compelling. Very eye-opening and believable (except for one rediculously over-the-top faux-puritain-esque producer). Unfortunately, the other characters don't get the same star treatment as The Weatherman. The story's main sex-pot, Andrea Labore is cardboard in comparison. Her actions had me asking, "Why would she DO that?" a number of times. The lead investigative reporter, Rick Beanblossom, is better, but still nowhere near the character quality of Dixon Bell. Then there's the aforementioned sex-obsessed-but-repressed TV news producer - he's so cliched it hurts. He really had no point being included in the story except to have somebody for Mr. Thayer to sling mud at. While Mr. Thayer shined so brightly when descriping Dixon Bell, it was disappointing when the other characters fell flat. There was one particular scene I found profoundly disappointing. Mr. Thayer describes an execution by electric chair. (Somewhat unrelated point-of-fact: Minnesota has no Death Penalty.) The overwhelming shortcoming of this scene is that it is a virtual carbon copy of the grizzly, botched execution as seen in the feature film, The Green Mile. I felt like I was reading the screenplay, right down to several key central descriptions. I felt cheated as I read it. This was a good story that culminated in a scene stolen from another great story. A little imagination would have provided acceptable and more compelling alternatives. Ultimately, it's an enjoyable book, but it left this reader feeling empty. The book's resolution left me not caring for any of the characters one way or another, which was disappointing. Maybe that was the point. Still, this book was constructed well enough that I will most likely read future Thayer works.
Rating: 
Summary: This book was hard to put down...
Review: ...in fact, I've never read a book so quickly in my life! The novel starts with a bang and never lets up. Thayer's informal, free-flowing prose guides you through a superb array of twists and turns and relentless suspense. So many of the characters were suspected [of being the serial killer] that I was almost disappointed with the novel's denouement--but at the same time, I was relieved that justice had prevailed.Thayer's obvious knowledge of the state of Minnesota, and his research of TV news stations and meteorology, were an additional treat. I feel like I 'know' what goes on behind the scenes at a news station a little bit now. I'd highly recommend this book as light and fun reading to anyone (but be prepared for some really gruesome execution scenes at the end).
Rating: 
Summary: How did I hate it....let me count the ways
Review: Rant #1: the person who wrote the little summary on the back of the book had obviously *not* read the book! The summary said that "Andrea Labore is a beautiful, ambitious TV newscaster. She's hungry for a story that could make her career. Now is her chance... He's called the Weatherman. And he's going to make Andrea a star. Even if it kills her." ...um...noooooo...Andrea Labore had absolutely nothing to do with finding the Weatherman! That was all Rick Beanblossom! It's simply utterly factually incorrect, which is too annoying for words. Can't the publisher be trusted to read the book? Rant #2: Rick Beanblossom NEVER takes his mask off? Ever? Not even to have sex? Has the guy heard of plastic surgery? So the veteran's administration let him down in that regard, well, here's a newsflash: his insurance would cover reconstructive surgery. Really. He could have enough of a face to at least let him walk around without a mask. Rant #3: No background or character development given for the suspect and why he might have done any of what he did. Pattern? Motive? None. Rant #4: Female news anchors getting their positions by having sex with the boss? Oh, thanks Thayer, thanks so much for promoting the notion of women sleeping their way to the top, that's so very 1950s of you. Rant #5: No suspense. None. Ever. At all. Rant #6: Was this just an anti-dealth penalty argument in disguise? I too am opposed to the death penalty, but what a ham-handed job of it. Rant #7: I was trapped in Michigan with nothing else to read.
Rating: 
Summary: Hauntingly magnificent
Review: This is the kind of book that sticks with you. I finished it three days ago, and I've thought back to it many times since, and even dreamed about it! Thayer does a wonderful job here. He spent five years on this book, and it was well-worth the effort. The depth of the book comes from the depth of the characters...Dixon Graham Bell, Rick Beanblossom, Andrea LeBore...which are finely drawn, intimate portraits of people so real that you feel you can reach out and touch the page and feel their hands pushing back from the other side. The Minnesota weather is another character in the book, and just as finely drawn as the human characters are...obviously, Thayer knows the state well. Another non-human character is the television news business, and Sky-High News in particular. Thayer worked at a TV station in order to research the book, and his knowledge of the ins and outs, highs and lows of the TV news game is obvious. And the plot is full of twists and turns, more than enough for the most adventurous thrill-seekers. And then it comes to an end in such a way that it leaves you breathless, satisfied and yet hungry for more, almost to the point of going back to the beginning to read the whole thing again, in your thoughts and dreams if not in reality. This is a great read. It is my first book by this author, but I will seek out even more of his work.
Rating:
Summary: An interesting and suspenseful mystery that ends slowly.
Review:
The Weatherman is a psychological thriller/murder mystery
based in the Midwest. It centers around a TV newsman
and an unusually accurate TV meteorologist, who have an
adversarial relationship, both professionally and personally.
The character development is excellent; I found the characters
vivid and interesting, without having to suffer through
tedious detail. The background is also quite good; the
information about meteorology and life in a TV newsroom were interesting in their own right, while adding to the story.
The writing style is quite brisk, as a rule. The plot moved
right along until the very end where, unfortunately, the
process of a state execution is described in detail
reminiscent of "The Chamber". The ending left me a bit
flat; I was hoping for something completely unexpected
and didn't get it.
Overall, I enjoyed the book and would read the author again.
A good beach read.
Rating:
Summary: Steve Thayer--The Weatherman (1995)
Review: Author Steve Thayer's first mainsteam success is a drawn out, yet riveting and enthralling tale with excellent characters, good dialogue, and gives great insight into the politics of a newsroom. "The Weatherman" is not only a suspense/mystery thriller, but it is also a forum for Thayer to promote his views on capital punishment, the Vietnam War, the glamorization and exaggeration of the media, and how women can be as deadly as the bitter cold. Dixon Bell is a fairly ordinary meterologist from the south who happens to be working for a Minnesota television newsroom as their weatherman. He claims that he does not predict the weather, but "I read the weather". He struck fame when he boldly warned the twin towns of Minneapolis/St. Paul that a deadly tornado was coming even without the concern of the National Weather Service. Bell not only became a television figure; he was practically psychic. But what Dixon Bell wants most is the new, beautiful reporter Angela Labore. Meanwhile, women are strangled and killed for each weather season, prompting a media storm that Bell's Channel 7 News has never seen before. As circumstantial evidence compounds against Dixon and makes him a prime suspect, masked news producer Rick Beanblossom (he was injured at Vietnam) believes that Dixon is innocent and stops at nothing to prove it, despite the fact that he is obsessed with Angela as well. Thayer does a great job of bringing characters into his story and allowing the story to fully develop them. Because of this; however, "The Weatherman" drags slightly in the first third of the book and may cause some readers to get anxious, but once Dixon Bell's trial begins, it is a rip-roaring suspense tale that will keep you guessing until the very end. Beanblossom is an exceptional character, who hides not only his grotesque face behind a mask, but also his true inner feelings and purpose. Angela Labore is slighly ho-hum, but her dialogue with Beanblossom is fresh and believable. Dixon Bell is a complete enigma throughout the entire novel--he is a sad man so possessed by the weather, his inner demons, and his past failures to allure women that he may have the capacity to commit these awful crimes--but did he? "The Weatherman" is a complex, intriguing tale that was an extreme project for Thayer, taking him nearly five years to fully complete. His research of the newsroom and his experience as a St. Paul native makes this tale very realistic, diving into the politics of what is put on television and why, how people get what they want in show business, and how the weather is an essential ingredient to the lives of all those who live there. A murder mystery that is sure to satisfy if you can get through the first one hundred pages or so. Compelling, informative, and somber.
Rating:
Summary: On my Top Ten list
Review: What a find in Steven Thayer! The Weatherman has it all; suspense, twists, side stories and a pulse that makes you read late into the night. The back story involves the horrors and aftermath of Vietnam and is told in a voice that makes it so real to the reader, you almost can feel the pain. I'm not waxing poetic on this either, this really is a remarkable piece of work. A modern day serial killer is on the loose and yet everything ties back to Vietnam and the men that fought there. You will remember the characters in this story long after you put it down. The ending's a doozy as well! Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent book, but did not steal from Green Mile....
Review: ...The execution scene was actually written BEFORE the Green Mile was published. While Mr. Thayer could, theoretically, lifted the description, it is unlikely. I was not disappointed in the scene, the characters, and certainly not the ending...
Rating:
Summary: "Duh"
Review: If Stephen King reviewed this..catastrophe...it had to be after his accident. As a writer, and teacher, the last thing I would do is to repeat a "main character's" name. To be honest, I made it through 140 pages. That was 100 pages too many (but I did need reading material while on the john). At this point, I wouldn't care if my mother was the murderer. Go back to school, Thayer. Ratings? You didn't offer less than "one". "one star" was a gift.
Rating:
Summary: Good, Fast-Paced Writing, But Ultimately A Total Let Down
Review: This is the only book I've read by Steve Thayer. I loved the writing-- it is wonderfully descriptive, yet concise and to the point. There are genuine spooky moments in the book, but they don't string together to form a compelling mystery/ thriller. It is more of a character study, and a very good one. He throws in too many red herrings that are exciting and yet disapointing because in the end there is no mystery twist-- it ends just as you would expect. It's a really weird book --it is wonderful at examining and juggling a handful of characters and because of that I'd give it five stars if it had not been marketed as a thriller. I liked the writing so much that I plan on seeking other titles by Thayer.
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