Rating: 
Summary: Terrific thriller and one of the nastiest villains ever.
Review: "Fear Itself," by Jonathan Nasaw, stands out from other serial killer novels. Nasaw combines whimsical humor and terror expertly, without either element throwing the novel out of balance. His villain is an incredibly cold and malicious individual; yet, Nasaw fleshes out the murderer's personality so that we understand how he became so monstrous. All of this is packaged in a fast-moving, incredibly exciting and suspenseful story. An unknown assailant is targeting a group of people who suffer from specific phobia disorders (fear of heights, snakes, drowning and masks are some examples). The killer makes the murders appear to be suicides, but one individual, a phobic herself named Dorrie Bell, suspects that these were no suicides. For example, an acrophobic (a person who fears high places) apparently jumped out of a twelfth-story window. Dorrie doesn't buy it. Two unlikely candidates decide to help Dorrie find the out the truth. One is E. L. Pender, an overweight, fifty-six year old Special Agent of the FBI. Although Pender is on the brink of retirement, he cannot resist getting involved in one more case. The other is Linda Abruzzi, a thirty-five year old woman with a disability. Abruzzi stubbornly refuses to leave the FBI, even though her superiors have made it clear that they no longer value her services. Abruzzi and Pender use their considerable skills to track their adversary, who is clever, ruthless and very dangerous. Nasaw ratchets up the tension almost unbearably as the book progresses. The scenes in which the killer confronts the phobics with what they fear most are not for the faint-hearted. The dialogue and plotting in "Fear Itself" is terrific and the novel is perfectly paced. Nasaw depicts all of the characters, both major and minor, with care and they all contribute to the complex story. The author provides fascinating background information on phobia disorders, which helps the reader to understand and empathize with the plight of the victims. If you have a strong stomach, if you like nasty villains, and if enjoy a dose of both humor and horror with your suspense, pick up "Fear Itself." Just be sure to leave the light on.
Rating:
Summary: BUY THIS TODAY, NO SLEEP TONIGHT!
Review: "Fear Itself" is an excellent book.I read one or two books per week.(that's alot of books)I can easliy say this is now on the top of my favorite list. I haven't read alot by Jonathon Nasaw, but will from now on. The story moves right along and the characters are unforgetable. Each character is unique, not cookie cutter characters that so many books are enguled with today. This novel should be a must read for all mystery/thiller lovers.
Rating:
Summary: A great read!
Review: "There is nothing to fear but fear itself, I'm fear itself," whispers the killer. Dorie Bell is afraid. A year ago she attended a phobia disorders convention in Las Vegas, and since then three other attendees have died...all by ways they feared the most. FBI agent E.L. Pender has decided to hang up his holster, until he receives the letter from Dorie explaining her fear of what has happened, and that she fears she will be the next victim. Pender begins looking into the deaths of the three victims and questions everything surrounding them, such as...How can a man with a fear of heights jump 19 floors? How does a woman with a fear of blood cut her own wrists in her bathtub? Why would a woman with a fear of suffocation drown herself, and why would no water be found in her lungs?
Pender knows someone, somewhere with a connection to the victims is out there, seeking them out, and preying on their worst fears. Can Pender stop the madman, or will Dorie be the next victim? 'Fear Itself' is a fast-paced, shock packed, jolts at every turn of the page thriller that will grab hold and not let go. The creepy plot unfolds on page one, and only gets creepier and more suspenseful with every turn of the page. The killer is twisted and clever, and one of the more original villans in recent novels. The only problem is that the killer's identity is known early on, and while it doesn't ruin the rest of the novel, it would have made a nice additional shock if revealed at the explosive climax. Jonathan Nasaw is making a name for himself in the thriller genre writing scary, twisted, fast-paced thrillers, and with this follow-up to his best-selling novel 'The Girls He Adored' he proves he is going to be around a long time. A great read for thriller fans! Nick Gonnella
Rating: 
Summary: More Fear Please
Review: Fear Itself Jonathan Nasaw
( pg 327 Thriller Carmel & Berkley) Agent Pender is cleaning his office out and handing the reins over to Linda Abruzzi. Just like he was outlawed to the vastland of Liaison Support, Linda has been placed here hoping to force out of the FBI. She has just been diagnosed with MS and instead of her supervisors supporting her and helping her with medical
disability they want her to quit. As she is organizing her new desk she comes across a letter from Dorie who thinks her friends are being murdered by a killer who is using their fears against them. The police reports all point to accidental or suicidal deaths but Linda feels in her gut that this letter is legitimate. After confirming Dorie's story and reviewing the case files it is determined that a stalker is terrorizing people who have phobias. After getting Pender to hang around unofficially on the case and convincing the bosses to set up a task force the story goes south. At this time I get tired of the mini chapters inside each chapter that pulls the plot apart and makes it very difficult to follow the train of thought of the book. Nasaw also compromises the integrity of the case by having too many characters get emotionally attach to the case the ending was forced instead of a smooth conclusion like he did in Girls He Adored.
Rating:
Summary: I'll stick to Jeffery Deaver, thank you.
Review: I had expected a whole lot more. Interesting premise but nothing in the plot was really scary. The villian was just obnoxious and not much more in my opinion. This guy doesn't know scary like Thomas Harris or Jeffery Deaver. The finale was, simply put, disappointing.
Rating: 
Summary: Refreshing
Review: I liked this book just because it was different from every other serial killer/psychological thriller/FBI book out there - and there are a whole lot of those! Our hero was not fresh out of the academy, gorgeous, athletic and brilliant. He was overweight, old and made mistakes. He was feisty enough to become endearing, though. The female lead was not a Clarice Starling clone, she had MS and was deskbound! The book does not have a happy ending and that was just stunning to me after years of reading the same old plots and having them neatly wrapped up at the end, in a manner that surely does not happen in real life. The story unfolds in an unusual manner because the killer is revealed like four minutes into the story, but there's still plenty of book left and it doesn't turn out to be a letdown that you already know whodunnit. In addition, you learn some new things about phobias after reading this book. There are some nasty deaths in here, but not so gory that you have to skip paragraphs to get back to the story. And there's no detailed sex! Could be a drawback for some, but personally, if I wanted to read that, I wouldn't have picked up a novel. The phobia killings were an interesting hook but I only gave it four stars because the book wasn't intriguing enough to keep me running back for more. It's worth a read just to experience something different in fiction for a change.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Idea, But...
Review: I went looking for this book, having been told by a friend who had it on her to read list that it involved a serial killer, targeting phobics, and using their worst fears against them.
Wow, I thought, what a great idea for a plot. And it is, it really is. But that's where the great part ended.
The writing style was pretty much average for this type of novel. The ideas behind some of the characters were really good, original, potentially interesting, but that's again where it ended. In the idea stage. When it came time to develop, things began to unravel, and then, to rather promptly fall flat. With many years of experience behind him, and retirment in the offing, the main? FBI agent character suddenly goes brain dead, and forgets how to behave like a professional. Instead, he nearly gets one of the victims killed. I didn't buy that anyone with that vast a field of experience, attracted to a witness or no, would suddenly get that stupid. It frankly reeked of agism. Oh yes, and poor characterization.
The other partial, Persecuted due to disability, mostly former agent with MS, again, potentially a good character, also continues to hang, fall flat, etc. What she's even doing there is often questionable. Were it not, again, this might also be quite good. The author does have a real sensitivity, on some levels, to the plight of the disabled. Perhaps he should have stayed there.
The sister of the killer has downs syndrome. The Killer, who is far too soon revealed, and long before he could really get down to thinking up ever more horrendous ways in which to off his poor victims, frankly what one would expect, considering the idea, yet again, manages to fall flat.
Of all the characters, the sister is the one I actually liked best. Her ultimate disposition, however, felt so contrived as to be ridiculous, lead-ins for it, or no. Too, within this story line, there are places he started to go, then didn't. Rather a tendency toward tangents, that, indeed, I found running throughout the work.
The other character I liked was the phobic female artist. Having found, only halfway through the book, however, what her fate would be, I set the thing aside. Every now and then, I picked it up, thereafter, to slog on through, having paid full price for the paperback, and hoping it would get better. No such luck. The villain, who goes on the run, looks up old chums, etc., just doesn't manage to overcome the yawning.
Perhaps the author's other works are better. If ever I'd be inclined to find out, I'd do it at the library.
Rating:
Summary: Fear?
Review: I'm being generous with a 2 star rating, gripping this story was not. I had put this book down several times and it was shear stubbornness that I made myself finish it. Revealing the killer in the first quarter of the book lost my interest.
I experimented in reading the remaining chapters by skipping all sections that had reference to the killer 'Simon'and a really obscure section dealing with his sister. This did not present any problems in following the storyline. I have read many thriller stories dealing with FBI investigations and this had to be the sloppiest. Skipping sections of the book sped up the reading considerably and shortened the story, thankfully.
If this killer was using 'fear', it was a poor attempt. Just pick anyone off the street and torture them, you'll get the same results. I really want to give this one star, I'm just sorry that I spent the time finishing it.
Rating:
Summary: chaCHING!
Review: I, too, stumbled upon Girls He Adored quite unlike my typical "I know what I'm looking for; I'm not gonna try a risky unknown--" then, looking at the publisher's logo and reading the backjacket, "oookay, mebbe this once..." Girls was exhiliarating! Thus, Ive been waiting for Fear Itself: A Novel like a child waiting to hear reindeer hooves and bells outside on Christmas Eve! omg-- Nasaw did it! Do not begin this book (Fear Itself) unless you have time to totally immerse yourself. I particularly like how Nasaw cleverly weaves a sense of humor (a very risky endeavor, this) into the dark, complex fabric of his characters; be they friend or foe. Keep 'em coming, Mr. Nasaw!
Rating:
Summary: Solid, but not that scary...
Review: If the first Pender book was by turns revolting, scary, and creepy...this one tries to be, but has a lighter tone. Pender is great fun (I wish we had more of Sid, the wise cracking, dapper best friend to Ed), but we don't get even get as much of him. Linda is a decent character, who is not fleshed out. We get a lot of Simon Childs (not real clever with that name, but oh well), who is fascinating in theory, but only fairly interesting in reality. I would have liked more Pender. The book is good in that it does not dwell too long on any one chase (as the last book did at times). The last one worked for pure scare factor, this was more fun, but there are many better thrillers out there. Oh, and why is Nasaw always trying to show us that he must have scored well on his Verbal SATs? I wonder what he is trying to overcompensate for. Still, I'd welcome another Pender novel, but I hope he enjoys his retirement first.
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