Michael Bret Hood

Jericho's Walls is a psychological thriller with an interesting premise. With Michael Bret Hood's experience as an FBI agent I was looking forward to an insider perspective in his novel. I think this is evident in his portrayal of Jericho Sampson and Hood's ability to balance the sensationalism often afforded to serial killers with a sense of respect for his victims.While the serial killer is usually a catalyst for the plot and something for the main characters to react against, I felt that Jericho dominated the story. The author has created a chilling antagonist with interesting psychopatholgy. Hood communicates the essence of the character well, giving us a peek in to the mind of a serial killer. Jericho Sampson is suitably creepy with his imposing physicality and disturbed thought processes. While its a fascinating insight into a unbalanced mind, the story suffers from a the lack of a dominant personality to relate to.From the blurb, I had expected Reilly's perspective to be the crucial element in the story but once Reilly is introduced she becomes almost irrelevant until the climax. I think Reilly needed to be more central to the plot to provide a connection and consistent viewpoint for the reader. I wanted to know how Reilly coped with her capture past the initial day or two, why she was so intrigued with writing about serial killers and just in general what she was thinking as she lived in that room and wrote Sampson's story. Reilly's role is further weakened by the involvement of her mentor, and Alan. Though I felt that these men contributed to the story, the links between the four main characters weren't cohesive enough for me. I wasn't sure who to invest my perspective in, as none of the three leads were consistently involved in the storyline, leaving Sampson to dominate.The strength of this novel lies in the opening and closing chapters, Hood establishes the story well and the climax is particularly well told with brutal tension and violence. However the middle felt underdeveloped, I would have liked to see more of Reilly's point of view and more of Alan's investigation exploited to draw out suspense and provide more depth to both the plot and the characters. I found Jericho's Walls a quick read with an accessible style. While I think the storyline had more potential, Jericho's Walls is an engaging read and has the elements of a satisfying psychological thriller. Two and a half stars.… (mehr)

I have not read anything quiet like this before and was amazed at the details and how the story came along. Riley has writers block, she told her best friend and father figure Jim, she would like to be locked away in a room by herself. She thought it would be a great way to get through her writers block. You really should be careful for what you wish for it might really come true. She was kidnapped by a fan of her books, Jericho. He wants Riley to write his story to show the world how great he thinks he is. The things Jericho does amazes me. You get to see what some serial killers go through and their thought process. I thought the author did a great job with the facts and story telling. The book flows with no boring/slow spots, it is a page turner. I wanted to see if Riley was going to start writing again and if she would escape. All the characters in the book are believable. You feel for some of the characters and you hate one of them. There are some crazy things in the book that makes it all come together for a great read. Thank you Michael for asking me to review your book.… (mehr)