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The Pawn Click title to read excerpt or buy from CBD.com By Steven James / Baker Reviewed by Karri ComptonFor you suspense lovers out there, this frenetically paced drama will have you drooling for more.First of all, I have to say that I am ruined. You, Mr. James, have totally ruined me. It's like I have just finished off a bar of the best imported German chocolate. How could I ever go back to Nestle? Why would I want to? Will any suspense or thriller ever grab me and shake me and not let me go like this one? Will I ever feel this pulse-pounding, fingernail chewing, sickening, exciting feeling while reading a novel again? I just finished the book today and I think I'm going through withdrawal. I can't believe the last page is turned and it's over. I'm sad. What a shame it had to end. What is all the hoopla about, you ask? Patrick Bowers, an environmental criminologist for the FBI, is consulting on the case of a lifetime. A brilliant serial killer is systematically murdering young women, leaving a chess pawn at each crime scene. But as piece after piece of the puzzle become available, nothing seems to fit. The sicko is always one step ahead of the good guys, taunting them and raising the stakes. Patrick's recent widower status, estrangement from his stepdaughter, and having to work under an unpleasant former acquaintance escalate his stress level and create additional interest to the story. The Pawn has a killer plot-complex and riveting, it had me guessing, reeling, sweating, and hanging on for dear life at the end of every single chapter. There is nothing not to like. My only warning is for the squeamish--the book contains several vivid descriptions of victims' torture as well as post mortem details. The stark realism captured me and brought me totally into the story. I felt as if I was in peril myself, frantic for resolution. And yes, Virginia, there is a spiritual element. The quest for faith and love run deep within the pages, and not only for the main character. At first glance, this may seem a plot-driven novel, since everything that happens is so paramount to the story. But you will definitely root for Pat, his daughter, and the other law enforcement officers. You will discover that even in the midst of certain evil, there is a God who exists and cares. One that will overcome evil, if not in the next few pages, ultimately. For you suspense lovers out there, this frenetically paced drama will have you drooling for more. The Rook is the second book in the series, due out in a few months. |
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About Karri Compton View this review and more at: www.kcreviews.blogspot.com |
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The Pawn Click title to read excerpt or buy from CBD.com By Steven James / Baker Reviewed by Gail WelbornWell-developed characters, brisk pacing and a gripping plot will keep the pages turning.FBI Special Agent-Patrick Bowers is called to Asheville, North Carolina as a police consultant and he's almost relieved to focus on a criminal investigation instead of his recent widowhood, and the challenge of raising his surly seventeen-year-old stepdaughter. The case intrigues him, because the killer calls himself The Illusionist. Author Steven James' debut mystery thriller pits Bowers and his unique criminologist skills against a challenging and elusive serial killer. However what Bowers doesn't know is that The Illusionist has completed his own profile of Bowers and intends to play a kind of chess game with him, with the prize of life going to the winner. But the killer is only one of many challenges Bowers faces. His supervisor in North Carolina is an antagonistic former colleague intent on making him look bad. The governor of North Carolina and his suspected involvement could be devastating to his career; he's also a Republican presidential contender. Add to the puzzle the strange connection to the mass Kool-Aid suicides in Jonestown years ago, and Bowers struggles with a growing list of questions. Why does the killer tie a yellow ribbon in each victim's hair? What does the chess piece found near the crime scene, on the body, or clutched in the victim's hand mean? Why does the killer choose remote, difficult, mountainous terrain, sometimes hidden, treacherous caves for the kill? How does he choose his victims? With more questions than answers, Bowers has to use Sherlock-style deduction with high-tech forensics to unravel the killer's methods and motives. The only thing Bowers knows for sure is he's in a battle of wits with a madman who's outwitted the best in law enforcement. The Pawn, drawing advance rave reviews, is the first in a compelling new mystery trilogy titled, The Bowers Files that exposes the fine line between good and evil. Bowers uses ultra-modern environmental methods to track criminals by the day, time and place of the crime to complete a profile and forecast the killer's next innocent victim. Well-developed characters, brisk pacing and a gripping plot will keep the pages turning. Christian faith is understated, but foundational and will be further developed in book two and three. Already noted for story-telling, James' launch into the mystery genre with his vivid imagination, evocative writing, and intricately plotted tale makes him a writer to watch. |
About Gail Welborn |
Critically acclaimed author Steven James has written more than twenty books, including the bestselling thriller The Pawn. One of the nation's most innovative storytellers, Steven developed his skill as a performer at East Tennessee State University (MA in storytelling). He lives in Tennessee with his wife and three daughters.
Read more about Steven at: www.stevenjames.net
Suspense Books By Steven
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Pawn Click title to read excerpt or buy from CBD.com By Steven James / Baker 
 
Special Agent Patrick Bowers has met only one person he's feared---until now. Working on a North Carolina serial murder case, he's caught in a macabre game of cat-and-mouse with a cunning killer called the Illusionist. The pieces of the puzzle don't add up. Can Bowers unravel the pattern in time to save the next victim? 432 pages, softcover from Revell. |
| The Rook,
The Bowers Files Series #2 Click title to read excerpt or buy from CBD.com By Steven James / Revell
An arsonist has struck a top-secret research facility at a key US naval base. But it's not just a random terrorist attack. These people were after something specific. When Special Agent Patrick Bowers is called in to investigate, he is drawn into a deadly web of intrigue and deception. With his own criminology research being turned against him and one of the world's most deadly devices missing, Bowers is caught up in a race against time to stop an international assassin before it's too late. |
©2006-09
Susan Sleeman
Susan Sleeman
is the author of Nipped in the Bud, available May of 2009 from Heartsong Presents: Mysteries, an imprint of Barbour Publishing.
