A Walk in Harm's Way

Rating:
Summary: An intense, gripping novel -- Very highly recommended
Review: A killer stalks the innocent, leaving a note left in the victim's hand that reads, "There are those who deserve to die." The obtuse note leaves investigators baffled, especially when the killer links the second killer to the name of the detective on the first case. But killer's second victim coincidentally is the brother of retired government agent Maxwell Harmon, nicknamed Harm, drawing him out of his peaceful retirement in Costa Rica.

For years Bobby Mathison's father gave the warning they were "walking in harm's way," as he would begin another abusive spree. Following his mother's death, Bobby and his younger sister were left in their father's care even as his alcoholism worsened. When he was fourteen, Bobby kills his sister and then disappears, assuming a new identity. As his story unfolds, Bobby becomes a surprisingly sympathetic character with a dangerous political agenda. But he's walking in harm's way once again when he directly challenges "Harm" in this deadly game.

Charles Coker brings an insider's knowledge to A WALK IN HARM'S WAY, making it a highly detailed, riveting novel. Coker's background as an Intelligence Analyst for the National Security Agency and his current career as a licensed private investigator enriches this novel as he carefully describes the investigation and motivation of this serial killer. While the narrative describes such gruesome details as autopsies and crime scenes, the humane tone, especially of the Coroner, lightens the reading. As the killer's life unfolds in chapters interspersing the killings and investigation, the reader comes to understand how such a demon is created, admiring his survival of horrible circumstances despite his cruel killing spree. An intense, gripping novel, A WALK IN HARM'S WAY comes very highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: A THRILLER FROM START TO THE END.
Review: READERS BEWARE, when you start reading this powerful thriller, you will not be able to put it down. The story keeps you on your toes all along, and the end would be worth reading the whole story, even if the story was not as good as it is.
Charles Coker has the perfect recipe for success, characters are so well defined that you expect them to walk into the room at any moment. He does what a REAL writer is supposed to do: write about WHAT YOU KNOW, and Charles knows so well what he is talking about, be it the places he describes, or the psychology of each of his high impact characters (can't stress that fact too much).
The story line has no flaws, turning the pages is all you have to do... no complicated half plausible developments you have to go back on previous chapters to understand, his style is clear and neat, without losing the impact of the suspense, and the writing is very elegant, the whole experience is like a ride in first class in the famous "Orient Express" train.
This book would make a FANTASTIC MOVIE. Hopefully, a clever director will notice it and bring this oeuvre d'art to life.
Congratulations Mr. Coker, what a brilliant book. When is the next one coming?
JOHANA SMITH, Author of 9/11/2001.