In the realm of thrillers that revolve around serial killers, it’s all been done before – hasn’t it? After all, a psychopath is a psychopath and the game of wits back and forth between adversaries can only take the reader so far.
Yet once in awhile, a book comes along and brings a bit of a smile to that readers’ face. A bit because the unease beneath the smile brings with it the certainty that one’s reality might be altered somehow. That stranger on the street, the new clerk in the store, a different mailman – any of them could be someone similar to the monsters who walk among us in a human disguise.
Joe Conlan has penned an entry into the thriller genre that signals a new voice, one which belongs among the big names and rises above first novel status. NAMELESS tells the story of a killer that emerges from the ashes and thrives in his own shadow, a killer who pulled himself out of a personal hell and molded himself into something more frightening than his past. FBI Agent Daniel Falcone has traveled a similar path, surviving a tragic path that could have derailed his dreams, and life, but instead he drove onward to a career built on pure ambition to leave the pain behind. Falcone begins in present day as a man still fighting his demons, framed for a crime that nicely sets the stage for a lightning fast plot which illuminates Conlan’s strong writing.
The two parry back and forth in a manner that will keep the tension taut while side-stepping the cliches and forging a solid, yet twisted path. The plot weaves and dodges, quite believably, due to the deft characterization Conlan has burned into the pages. Falcone and the “Nameless” dance their deadly dance while the reader is lured into the minds of both players, a move which is both fascinating and unsettling. The imagery is not for the squeamish, yet the killing is never gratuitous or unfounded. Each scene feels full and loaded with sensory treats, albeit often gruesome in nature.
To say more would ruin what exists between the covers. If you are in the mood for a strong thriller or on the hunt for a new writer who can sear a story into the mind, pick up NAMELESS.
Recommended for any fans of good thrillers, killers, or just a fine story.
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