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Review – The Rook

January 8, 2011 By
As in The Pawn, The Rook finds FBI geographic profiler Patrick Bowers hot on a serial case, this one seemingly involving only arson. But before long the stakes ratchet up to include kidnapping, suicide, murder, taunting video tapes, a challenging deadline, and a serial killer of surprising identity. And fueling it all is a biotech weapon, one of the world’s most deadly devices and one of the military’s darkest secrets. I want to give you more specifics about the plot, but I am forcing myself to stop here as I don’t want to ruin the page turning surprises you will encounter in this almost five hundred page thrill ride.

Bestselling author, Steven James has mastered the thriller, and with only two fiction books under his belt, has surpassed many of the big name thriller authors. Clearly James understands the concept of the BIG novel as in both The Pawn and The Rook, you couldn’t ask for a more aggressive, big, and I mean really big plot. As a writer I admire his ability to think on such a high level, his unique plot lines, and his diligent research.

Equally important as the race to the end plot are the characters James has richly developed. My favorite parts of the book involve the interplay between Tessa and Patrick. James gave us a glimpse of this tumultuous relationship in The Pawn, but in The Rook, Tessa is more of a starring player. James has captured the wit, sarcasm, and emotions of a teenager, though I have to say, Tessa like everything else in this book is not what she seems on the surface.

I am one of the plethora of readers who loved The Pawn, but before I read The Rook I had the chance to sit down with Steven James for an interview. As the book unfolded and the plot built, I kept remembering what he told me in the interview-all this seemingly thrilleresc technology expertly used in The Rook exists today and is simply waiting for someone to put it together and make the weapon. Wow, did this up the thrill of reading the book for me. And hopefully it will for you as you listen to my interview with Steven James.

The Rook (The Patrick Bowers Files, Book 2)
The Rook (The Patrick Bowers Files, Book 2)
by Steven James
List Price: $19.99
Sale Price: $3.74
Buy from Amazon.com
Review – The Rook
Reviewed by Susan Sleeman
Bestselling author Steven James has mastered the thriller, and with only two fiction books under his belt, has surpassed many of the big name thriller authors.
As in The Pawn, The Rook finds FBI geographic profiler Patrick Bowers hot on a serial case, this one seemingly involving only arson. But before long the stakes ratchet up to include kidnapping, suicide, murder, taunting video tapes, a challenging deadline, and a serial killer of surprising identity. And fueling it all is a biotech weapon, one of the world’s most deadly devices and one of the military’s darkest secrets. I want to give you more specifics about the plot, but I am forcing myself to stop here as I don’t want to ruin the page turning surprises you will encounter in this almost five hundred page thrill ride.

Bestselling author, Steven James has mastered the thriller, and with only two fiction books under his belt, has surpassed many of the big name thriller authors. Clearly James understands the concept of the BIG novel as in both The Pawn and The Rook, you couldn’t ask for a more aggressive, big, and I mean really big plot. As a writer I admire his ability to think on such a high level, his unique plot lines, and his diligent research.

Equally important as the race to the end plot are the characters James has richly developed. My favorite parts of the book involve the interplay between Tessa and Patrick. James gave us a glimpse of this tumultuous relationship in The Pawn, but in The Rook, Tessa is more of a starring player. James has captured the wit, sarcasm, and emotions of a teenager, though I have to say, Tessa like everything else in this book is not what she seems on the surface.

I am one of the plethora of readers who loved The Pawn, but before I read The Rook I had the chance to sit down with Steven James for an interview. As the book unfolded and the plot built, I kept remembering what he told me in the interview-all this seemingly thrilleresc technology expertly used in The Rook exists today and is simply waiting for someone to put it together and make the weapon. Wow, did this up the thrill of reading the book for me. And hopefully it will for you as you listen to my interview with Steven James.
Reviewer Info

Susan Sleeman


Susan Sleeman SUSAN SLEEMAN grew up in a small Wisconsin town where she spent her summers reading Nancy Drew and developing a love of mystery and suspense books. Today, she channels this enthusiasm into hosting the popular internet website TheSuspenseZone.com and writing romantic suspense and mystery novels.

Much to her husband’s chagrin, Susan loves to look at everyday situations and turn them into murder and mayhem scenarios for future novels. If you’ve met Susan, she has probably figured out a plausible way to kill you and get away with it. Don’t worry, she’d never follow through on it.

Her GARDEN GATE MYSTERY series featuring landscape designer Paige Turner, debuted in October 2010 with NIPPED IN THE BUD in Barbour Books Hometown Mysteries line. The second book, READ BETWEEN THE TINES will release in e-book format in the Spyglass Lane Mystery series in February of 2012 An avid gardener, Susan has included gardening tips at the beginning of each chapter brought to you in humorous scenarios.

Her first romantic suspense novel, featuring the Morgan Brothers, released with Ryan’s story in HIGH-STAKES INHERITANCE , Russ’s story in BEHIND THE BADGE and the Reid’s story in THE CHRISTMAS WITNESS.

Coming in 2012 Susan’s latest series about five adopted siblings who leave law enforcement to form a private investigations firm called the Justice Agency will debut with DOUBLE EXPOSURE in June and in November, DEAD WRONG will release.

Susan currently lives in Florida, but has had the pleasure of living in nine states. Her husband is a church music director and they have two beautiful daughters, a very special son-in-law and an adorable grandson. In her spare time, you can find her traveling to Oregon to visit her children and grandson, reading, gardening or working on TheSuspenseZone.com. To learn more about Susan, please visit her website, or follow on Twitter and Facebook.
 
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