Rating: 
Summary: Bad writing overshadows interesting plot
Review: While the author truly kept me in suspense regarding the identity of the serial killer, his writing style left quite a bit to be desired. The book is filled with cliches, particularly weather related ones. One chapter actually starts with the sentence "March came in like a lion". The characters are all exaggerations - Andrea Labore "had the prettiest face in Minnesota", Dixon Bell is an "idiot savant" when it comes to weather, and he is still obsessed with a girl who rejected him in high school, and Rick Beanblossom is a cynical burn victim who surrounds himself with beautiful things to compensate for his scarred face. Another example of Mr. Thayer's poor writing is this sentence about Andrea Labore - "Gliding unimpeded through water shaped her body and mind in a way that became near-spiritual to her, as if she had been baptised in a pool of chlorine". I found the abundant cliches and melodramatic descriptions a distraction from the rather interesting premise. The only reason I finished the book was to find out whether the Weatherman was indeed the killer. As previous reviewers have stated, the final scene is very similar to the execution scene from The Green Mile. I also found it difficult to believe that a state adopting the death penalty in the mid 1990's would actually choose the electric chair over lethal injection.
Rating: 
Summary: Powerful.... riveting... and a bit too graphic at the end.
Review: Man...
This is one of the few books that actually lives up to the creativity of its own cover, I believe. The descriptions of the killer, the victim, the newsroom, and the connection between everything, and also the little hints in the descriptions that lead up to the conclusion were all top touch. I was so relieved and grateful that Thayer even concluded by connecting the main plot to the many flashbacks the main character had in the process. He almost explained enough to understand why the flashbacks were used in the first place.
The thing that bothered be was the details when it came to describing the instances of being killed by electrical execution. And having to wait for it, which is why I am also against the capital punishment. It's the most retarded idea in the history of this country, I have to point out. Those of you who are for it, I don't mean to get political, that's just how I feel.
Also, I agree with the guy who gave this book only one star that the back cover review of hte book is very lacking. It basically tries to get off by telling the least to the reader, not to spoil the ending, and frankly doesn't tell much at all. Andrea really has very little to do with the Weatherman except having his deep admiration.
So, all together, the book is really deep for a murder mystery, and the ending I thought was unfare and cruel. Somewhat inhumane. Which is another reason to read this book, to see if I'm wrong.
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: How did I hate it....let me count the ways
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.
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: Excellent writing
Review: I loved this author's writing style! So many books with great ideas are written without much style - or with so much that it's tedious. The story was good but the writing was excellent and I'll be looking for more of his books.
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