Killer Move

Strange things begin to happen to a real estate developer in Sarasota, Florida, involving him little by little in bizarre goings-on and, ultimately, in multiple murders. If you don't mind being in the dark throughout this book, it's worth listening to just because of Gary Dikeos's captivating performance. On the other hand, if you want story development and ultimate resolution, move on. Even after half a dozen victims are dispatched, some horribly, you really don't know why--and won't know at the end. Realtor Bill Moore is not only a dupe, but also a dope. He makes some amazingly stupid moves in rapid succession that lead him into deeper involvement with a possible conspiracy. On the other hand, Gary Dikeos works well with women's voices and with the drama of the story. He's the reason this listener completed the book. A.L.H. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

March 21, 2011
Marshall, author of the Straw Men trilogy (The Straw Men, The Upright Man, and Blood of Angels), offers a subtle and unnerving story of the little things that can tip the balance of one's life and send it spiraling into chaos. Everything is going well for Bill Moore, a successful, ambitious, happily married realtor in Sarasota, Fla., until the day he finds a card on his desk with a single word on the front: modified printed in white letters and bold type against a black background. In a sort of malicious, Kafkaesque "butterfly effect," a reservation Moore didn't make, a book he didn't order, and an e-mail he didn't send lead to increasing trouble. Meanwhile, a convicted murderer released on parole, John Hunter, sets out on a course of deadly vengeance. Marshall skillfully spins interlocking plot lines as the agents out to ruin Moore and Hunter begin to collide in nightmarish fashion.

May 1, 2011

A Florida realtor targeted by unknown antagonists is suspected of assorted crimes while a parolee returns to his old stomping grounds to avenge the death of the woman he was convicted of murdering.

Bill Moore makes a good living selling units for a condo chain in the Keys off the coast of Sarasota, Fla., and he's happily married to a magazine editor, Stephanie. But he wants to become super-rich. While pursuing the big deal that will enable him to start his own business, he starts receiving mysterious messages and getting packages he didn't order, all tagged with the word "Modified." When his wife walks out on him after discovering convincingly faked photos of him in a tryst with a co-worker, he becomes an odd man out desperate to prove his innocence. Meanwhile, the convict, John Hunter, is carrying out a cold-blooded plan that involves abducting the man whose $8 million house Bill is hoping to make a killing on. When people around him start dying, Bill begins questioning everyone: Is it possible his wife has set him up for a fall? A solid, workmanlike writer, Marshall (The Intruders, 2007, etc.) evokes the Florida setting quite well. Atmosphere is his strong suit. But much of novel seems forced and secondhand. Moore is not particularly likable, and Hunter is one of the less memorable killers in recent crime fiction.

A mildly enjoyable thriller that sets up a sequel on which only committed fans of the author may want to take a flyer.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

May 1, 2011
Florida real-estate salesman Bill Moore is obsessed with living the good life. Although he makes good money, has a beautiful home, and is happily married, hes always trying to suss out the next big deal, hoping to be accepted into the elite circle of Sarasotas movers and shakers. Thats why hes more than a little annoyed when he finds out someone is hacking into his e-mail account, sending inappropriate jokes to his clients, and ordering pornography under his name. Hes even more puzzled when he receives a series of cards with a one-word message, Modified. Meanwhile, John Hunter has long known that someone is seriously messing with his life. When he gets out of prison after serving 16 years for a murder he didnt commit, he has only one thing on his mind, vengeance. As Moores and Hunters paths converge, serious mayhem ensues. Marshall ratchets up the stakes of his deftly written suspense novel by injecting telling if somewhat paranoid commentary on how regular people can be manipulated by those with the means and ways.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)