Mortal Fear

February 2, 1997
Yet another serial killer stalks the Internet, this one courtesy of the talented Iles (Black Cross; Spandau Phoenix). When futures trader Harper Cole, who moonlights as the systems operator of an erotic online services called EROS, contacts the New Orleans police with information about the murder of celebrated author-and EROS subscriber-Karin Wheat, he immediately becomes the prime suspect in six other murders of EROS subscribers across the country. Also on the FBI's short list is Cole's eccentric friend and EROS colleague Miles Turner, who has dubbed the killer "Brahma." When Cole learns that the man he thought was Brahma was killed a year ago and that his online identity was stolen, a tense cat-and-mouse game commences. Professional hunters, like FBI psychiatric profiler Arthur Lenz, have the online tables turned on them time and again by an insanely brilliant murderer, and it's up to Cole to render justice. His digging leads to an exciting payoff when he goes online and poses as a potential victim, using as bait a secret that endangers the mother of his child, as well as his wife. While Cole's obsession over this guilty secret makes him less than likable at times, a nailbiting climax erases any doubts about his character-and any lingering questioning about the storytelling abilities of Iles, who here uses rich first-person narration and clever plotting to tell a sizzler of a thriller. Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club selection; simultaneous Penguin Audio Book.

When Harper Cole, a "Sys Op" for E.R.O.S., a sexual fantasy real-time chat room, learns about the murder of a member, he discovers that other female subscribers have also disappeared, and a cyber-thriller manhunt ensues. The faceless murderer, dubbed "Brahma," tells his part of the tale in a deep, melodic voice that entices the listener into a false sense of security, while Cole's passages are full of tension. Jay O. Sanders's emotional involvement keeps up the suspense in the hunt for the killer while juggling the implied eroticism of the characters' sexual exploits. Chat rooms, false identities, and technology form the basis for this thriller with a chilling twist. This is Greg Iles at his best. M.B.K. (c) AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine