Parallel Lies

June 11, 2001
Pearson forsakes his franchise character, Seattle police detective Lou Boldt, for a railroad thriller that wobbles on its tracks. The hero here is Peter Tyler, a former Washington, D.C., homicide cop who was fired—many say unjustly—for beating a child-abuse suspect. Desperate for money, Tyler gets thrown a bone by an old friend who handles investigations for the National Transportation Safety Board. Handed a three-day contract, Tyler is assigned to check out a messy murder aboard a boxcar on a Northern Union Railroad line in rural Illinois. Nothing about the murder makes sense, but more intriguing to Tyler are the persistent rumors about why so many NUR trains have derailed in the past year. When Tyler turns up a suspect not only for the murder but also the derailments, he quickly finds that his services are no longer needed. Helped only by a railroad security officer, the lovely Nell Priest, Tyler follows the trail to New York City. That's where he believes the murderous vandal, who's seeking revenge for the railroad-related deaths of his wife and twin daughters, plans to sabotage the grand opening of NUR's most ambitious project: a bullet train connecting New York with the nation's capital. Pearson (Middle of Nowhere) keeps up his usual breakneck pace, and for excitement alone, his latest is good fun. But the story is marred by several false notes, imponderable plot twists and a clumsily executed love affair giving a squishy feel to an otherwise hard-edged thriller. Of greater concern, however, is Tyler. He simply never emerges as a character of substance or distinction. (July)Forecast:Despite Pearson's bestselling clout, a major/ad promo campaign and an eight-city author tour, tepid reviews and weak word of mouth may limit sales of this lackluster, Boldt-less effort.

Starred review from May 1, 2001
Pearson (No Witnesses, etc.) has written another terrific thriller, this time without Lou Boldt and company. Two years after his family was killed when a train collided with their car, Umberto Alvarez is still grieving. Knowing that the train company is at fault but unable to prove it, he decides to take revenge. Shortly before a new high-speed commuter line is unveiled, derailments start plaguing the railroads. Ex-homicide detective Pete Tyler, who is determined to redeem himself after being dismissed from the force, takes on the case as a temporary hire for the National Transportation Safety Board. As this fabulous novel progresses, the lines of good and evil blur. Another essential acquisition from Pearson, this is highly recommended for all public libraries. Jeff Ayers, Seattle P.L.

Copyright 2001 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2001
One of Pearson's previous stand-alone thrillers, " Hard Fall" (1992), concerned terrorists who target airlines; this time it's railroads. Determined to expose a railroad company's malfeasance in the deaths of his wife and child, Umberto Alvarez has rigged the derailment of multiple freight trains (without loss of life), and now he plans a similar fate for the maiden voyage of the company's new bullet train. Tracking Alvarez is Peter Tyler, a freelance investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board. The two engage in an elaborate cat-and-mouse game that, typical for Pearson, features fascinating forensic detail. Complicating matters is Tyler's dawning realization that he, like Alvarez, is a victim of the railroad's cover-up. Both the thriller plot and the human drama seem just a bit more predictable than in the author's recent Lou Boldt-Daphne Matthews novels, but that is only to say that even Pearson has his hands full meeting the expectations of his previous work. Lesser Pearson remains near the top of the genre and is sure to draw a crowd at the reserve desk.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)