"Literature adds to reality, it does not simply describe it. It enriches the necessary competencies that daily life requires and provides; and in this respect, it irrigates the deserts that our lives have already become." -C.S. Lewis |
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The Pawn
by Steven JamesPublished by: Revell (2007) 427 pages Rating: 7/10   Buy it Now:  
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Oh, look. It's another serial killer story.
Or is it?
At first glance, that's what this looks like. FBI Special Agent Patrick Bowers is called in on a special case: a serial killer with a definite pattern and calling cards - including a chess pawn. Based on stories of this type, some things can be immediately assumed, especially once it's revealed that Bowers is the single parent of a teenaged daughter. Everything looks like the standard cop-and-serial-killer cat-and-mouse that'll end in the big showdown.
Except that Steven James knows that's the formula, and he's decided to add something more. Yes, there's a serial killer and he's taunting the cops, etc., leading up to a showdown... but there's another mystery weaving its way through this story, and it leads to something much more sinister, with an historical tie-in that's quite surprising.
As just a serial killer story, this would have been decent, well-done, but nothing spectacular. But with the other storyline melded in, it becomes something much more interesting. This is the first in a series featuring Agent Patrick Bowers. With this as an opening, the succeeding books should be well worth checking out, as well. Recommended.
