This book reads like a poster for WHY WE NEED FEMINISM. It's truly awful.

1/2 star for the brilliant plot laid out in the first couple of chapters.

Negative 4.5 stars for ruining the rest of the book with the repetitive descriptions, one-dimensional characters, the constant deus ex machina, idiotic attempts to make the hero appear "sensitive", the poor execution of jokes to relieve tension, the poor portrayal of drug use while driving and hallucinating (WTF???) and finally, the author's crap ear for dialog. No one talks like that. No one. I'm surprised that the bad guys didn't laugh like "MWAHAHAHA."

But mostly this book is awful for the portrayal of every. single. woman. as the complacent playthings or the servants of men unless they are obese and evil. Reasonable women do not have agency. They are a man's helpmate and will do as they are told. ( )

OK Mystery Police looking for his past. New York ( )

Another great Klavan work. I have to say this is darker than his other recent work, but the same themes are explored: identity, what makes us who we are, mankind's capacity for evil and search for redemption. Very violent and definitely not for the faint-hearted, but a worthy read. ( )

A Killer In The Wind
By
Andrew Klavan

My "in a nutshell" summary...

A creepy good mystery about an outcast weird detective who is after someone called...the Fat Woman.

My thoughts after reading this book...

Oh my goodness...it's a complicated web of intrigue and mystery...I hate to sound so cliche...but that's what this book was to me.

It's the kind of mystery/ thriller that is not relaxing to read...there are illusions that may or may not be drug induced and there is the elusive Fat Woman...the bad evil villain!

At the heart of this novel is Dan Champion...crazy police guy. He takes a drug called Z...he has visions...he is totally off the wall...obsessed with his visions and with the Fat Woman.

Finally...I understood that some of his obsession with all of this was in the past...sometimes I hate flashbacks...but then it was back to the present with it, too.

Ok...here are my thoughts on this novel...it's fast paced. There is a ton of action. There are mysteries and appearances and disappearances. There are weird characters. Dan champion is not an angelic cop...he is a pretty weird one!

The problem for me with a book like this is that...I don't really want to reveal anything...it's a puzzle that the reader should unravel on his/her own.

So...that's where I leave you.

What I loved about this book...

You can't not sort of love Dan Champion...in a weird kind of way. He just wants to get the bad guys and fix the kids. It's fast paced, action filled and thoroughly imaginative. It's an exhausting reading experience but in a good way.

What I did not love...

Hmmm...it's not my favorite kind of book but it was fun to read.

Final thoughts...

If you love off beat well written fast paced sometimes confusing...I had to go back and reread quite a few times...novels...you will truly enjoy this book! ( )

Incredibly intense, at times I was literally holding my breath. Loved the character of Champion, who had done everything he can to forget his past, and Samantha, apparently fragile but tough when she needs to be. Such a heartbreaking subject, but though the violence was at times graphic, the main subject matter was not. The writing was incredible, the pace non stop and the tension maintained throughout the book. Sometimes it was hard to tell what was real or not, what was actually happening or what was being imagined. Not for the faint of heart but an amazing thriller. ARC from publisher. ( )