Cold Edge

Rating:
Summary: A seria;l killer novel thatis really fantastic
Review: Detective Lucas Stonecoat feels caught between two worlds as he wants to honor the traditions of his Native American heritage, but follows the procedures of the Houston police department where he works. He drops everything when his first love Tsalie informs him that his beloved grandfather is dying. He needs to say his good-byes to his revered relative.

While Lucas goes on leave, The Scalper, a deadly serial killer, strikes again. Lucas, in charge of the investigation, leaves his grandfather's side to look at the crime scene. At his apartment, Lucas finds police psychiatrist Dr. Meredith Sanger there waiting for him. She knew the victim. Though they share a professional relationship, sexual sparks fly between Meredith and Lucas. Still holding that in abeyance, the two conclude that the last murder is probably not the work of the Scalper, but that of a different sociopath. As the death toll mounts and the city cringes in fear, Lucas and Meredith place themselves at risk in order to stop a deadly perpetrator from killing again.

Readers who walk the COLD EDGE will feel apprehension and near panic as the story line takes the audience into the warped minds of human monsters and the terrified minds of the victims. The maniacal killers relish murder, torture, and rape while the terrified victims welcome death. The police procedural is exciting because Robert W. Walker keeps the audience (and his cops) on edge as to whether there are one or more killers. Sub-genre fans will want to walk along the edge with Mr. Walker's latest chiller.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: I can't believe I even bought this book
Review: I have really not liked the "Edge" series at all from Walker, so why in the world I bought this one, I still can't figure out. It was poorly written, boring and difficult to follow. I finally was able to get through this book unlike the last one, but I am beginning to wonder if Walker has ever been to Houston. At least he got the weather more correct this time, but I work downtown and have been looking for buildings one could jump from one to the other. Most buildings here take up a city block and jumping across five or six lanes of roadway is just too unbelievable. But poetic license aside, I wonder if Walker's students are writing this series because they don't seem to be written by the same person who is writing the "Instinct" series.

Rating:
Summary: I can't believe I even bought this book
Review: I have really not liked the "Edge" series at all from Walker, so why in the world I bought this one, I still can't figure out. It was poorly written, boring and difficult to follow. I finally was able to get through this book unlike the last one, but I am beginning to wonder if Walker has ever been to Houston. At least he got the weather more correct this time, but I work downtown and have been looking for buildings one could jump from one to the other. Most buildings here take up a city block and jumping across five or six lanes of roadway is just too unbelievable. But poetic license aside, I wonder if Walker's students are writing this series because they don't seem to be written by the same person who is writing the "Instinct" series.

Rating:
Summary: I loved it!
Review: I read other reviews about this and Walker's other "Edge" novels, and get a little angry. I really like his novels, and think they are really good. People were saying mean things about how he put that there was snow in Texas, but there is some times when weather can be unpredictable. I mean, it's totally possible. Anyway, I thought it was a great book, and very interesting. I for one, could not put it down. The people who are putting this book down, if you are not satisfied, then go out and you try writing a novel of Mr.Walker's caliber, then you can make fun of it. But until then, try and not be so scathing.

Rating:
Summary: I loved it!
Review: I read other reviews about this and Walker's other "Edge" novels, and get a little angry. I really like his novels, and think they are really good. People were saying mean things about how he put that there was snow in Texas, but there is some times when weather can be unpredictable. I mean, it's totally possible. Anyway, I thought it was a great book, and very interesting. I for one, could not put it down. The people who are putting this book down, if you are not satisfied, then go out and you try writing a novel of Mr.Walker's caliber, then you can make fun of it. But until then, try and not be so scathing.

Rating:
Summary: WOW, WHAT A WINNER FROM WALKER!
Review: I've read all of Robert W. Walker's novels and I was greatly awaiting the release of "Cold Edge." This Edge novel was the third in the series. Lucas Stonecoat and Meredith Sanger are back to solve the murders of the Scalper, a brutal serial killer, who takes off his victims body parts and their scalps, and to solve the murders of the Headless Horseman, who likes to cut heads off after raping them. Lucas starts to suspect a well-known psychiatrist, who treats crazy people after they are released from prison in the Houston area, is the key to these murders. The doctor refuses to give any information about his patients to Stonecoat. Eventually after the doctor, gets murdered himself. Lucas must quickly determine which ones of his patient's is a serial killer before his and Sanger's life are cut short. Also Lucas goes off to visit his grandfather who is dying. This takes you on an interesting trip through the Indian culture. This book was an amazing novel of policework. Add "Cold Edge" to your must read list!

Rating:
Summary: Keeps you guessing so that's a good thing!
Review: If you want believable situations between Native Americans and how a real police department would work then don't read this book. Put that aside and it's quite entertaining as a who done it and how are the bad guys gonna get caught. I think the serial killer angle was different and that gave this book an edge. I picked it up when my flight was delayed at the airport and almost finished it by the time I got home.

This book would have only gotten 2 stars if it hadn't managed to keep me surprised from time to time because as some reviewers claimed it does lose touch with reality from time to time. But fast pacing, viewpoints from all the major characters and a few twist and turns will keep you interested.

Rating:
Summary: Keeps you guessing so that's a good thing!
Review: If you want believable situations between Native Americans and how a real police department would work then don't read this book. Put that aside and it's quite entertaining as a who done it and how are the bad guys gonna get caught. I think the serial killer angle was different and that gave this book an edge. I picked it up when my flight was delayed at the airport and almost finished it by the time I got home.

This book would have only gotten 2 stars if it hadn't managed to keep me surprised from time to time because as some reviewers claimed it does lose touch with reality from time to time. But fast pacing, viewpoints from all the major characters and a few twist and turns will keep you interested.

Rating:
Summary: Cold Edge
Review: This is the worst book I have read in a very long time. The book jacket claims that the author teaches writing in Florida. I find this somewhat surprising given that the storyline in 'Cold Edge' is disjointed, jumping from event to event without clearly delineating a change in time or scenery. Apparently the reader is supposed to just know when Walker has moved on to the next setting. The character development is non-existent, except for the main character Lucas Stonecoat, a Native American detective. Stonecoat is portrayed in a shallow, stereotypical caricature of what Walker obviously believes is an accurate example of a Native American. Finally, the dialogue is difficult to follow; at times, Walker has characters reply to themselves, or doesn't clearly define whom is speaking, making the dialogue very difficult to follow as well as distracting the reader from the story. I would not recommend this book to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable
Review: This was the first book I read by Robert W. Walker, and I have already put him on the list of authors I don't care for too much.

The storyline could have been intriguing: A serial killer called the Scalper (for taking the victims' hands and scalps) paralyzes the city of Houston, TX. Detective Lucas Stonecoat, a Native American, works together with the city's forensic psychologist, Meredith Sanger, to bring the killer to justice.

However, I didn't enjoy the book for the following reasons:

1. Lucas Stonecoat, Native American as mentioned above, stays quite one-dimensional. I couldn't help but feel that the author really didn't know too much about Native Americans and therefore did not create a believable character. There are a few too many cliches on one hand, on the other Stonecoat's character stays rather "blurry"...

2. This detective is quite out of control. He has no problem with violence and breaking the rules big time, which in itself could be believable. What is not so realistic anymore is that his behavior is miraculously endorsed by half of Houston's police force. This makes me think that Robert W. Walker has not had the time or the interest to study real police work. And I personally enjoy thrillers which go the extra mile in this direction, because it makes a book so much more credible.

3. The jacket says Mr. Walker teaches Writing. And I believe it! Throughout the book he has his characters talk to each other as if they were on stage. Or, for that matter, in an ancient Cowboys & Indians movie. I had a really hard time getting into the story because I was distracted by the very "constructed", at times almost "ceremonial" sentences in every-day-life situations.

4. The level of violence was incredible. True overkill. I'm not sure I need to read about that many atrocities in such detail in order to enjoy a good suspenseful thriller.

For those readers who love this genre as much as I do, here is a recommendation: James M. Grippando's 'Under Cover Of Darkness'. Now this guy can write!