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Thrilling Book Nov 04, 2009
This is a definite page turner. If you like thrillers you will love this book. I'm just surprised more people don't know about this title.
0 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Excellent, but found a few editorial errors Aug 25, 2009
The book was an excellent page turner. The only disconcerting part was that I found a few editorial errors. In one case "well bred" was written as "well breed". Earlier is the book "Angelina" was written as "April" two times.
No one describes it better. Jul 19, 2009
I was reluctant to read this book at first because the genre is not what I normally like to read. A friend told me about it, so I read it. I couldn't put it down. This author has the most unique way of describing things. Never have I gotten such a vivid picture from words alone. I am a visual person. The author uses words that metaphorically explain things so preciesly. The storyline is so realistic that when I'm out driving I am wondering if this Simon character is lurking and watching and following me. I have never written a review before this, but felt I wanted to because I want to tell the world to read this book. I really could see a movie being made from this story. I would say that even if you don't like this sort of book to read it anyway because the writing style is very rich. I hope the author Daniel Annechio will write some more books. I will definately buy them and read them. Thank you for a fresh new experience.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Boogle Award Winner - Best Page One! Jul 07, 2009
They Never Die Quietly, The Boogle's Page One Contest winner, is a gripping and gruesome commentary on religious fundamentalism involving a Buffalo Bill style villain who acts on God's will with unwavering and absolute authority. Simon, a name that means "God has heard" is a deranged rapist-serial killer with a fondness for gourmet food, fine wine, elegant shoes and manners befitting the royal family. He also likes to crucify his victims, cut their hearts from their chests and display these sacrificial organs in glass jars. A young Hannibal Lecter with a charming mask of sanity, Simon convinces himself that he is driven by his devotion to God yet is constantly tormented by voices in his head that call him to act on the Maker's behalf and "cleanse" the souls of sinners (who all happen to be young, attractive females with small children).
The good guys are lead by Sami Rizzo, a confident homicide detective and single mother who has been living her life to please her deceased father. When she's assigned to Simon's case we know we are heading towards a certain showdown Silence of the Lambs style.
There are times when this book is incredibly violent and at one point, so gruesome that I had to set it down and take a few breaths. This speaks to Annuchino's success as a writer. He has constructed a thoughtful and compelling suspense thriller, filled with vivid details, where the reader reacts to Simon's harrowing murders by almost immediately praying that he suffers, which makes us automatically root for Rizzo. The up-front violence is so disturbing that when we're not in Simon's basement watching this religious fanatic use his faith to reconcile his sick obsession to torture women and young children, you'd think the rest of the story would be dry in comparison. The author has taken on the daunting task of making Rizzo's story as captivating as Simon's and as we brace for the next murder, we settle into the story of a likeable detective and her donut-munching, alcoholic partner who tries without much success to track Simon and end his spree.
The story works in almost every aspect and while Simon manages to be charming and terrifying at the same time he never completely defines why he chooses his victims. He claims they are sinners but also claims that we are all sinners. He arbitrarily picks his targets because they are female, young and have small children but we never hear Simon's indictment of their sins. What exactly did they do to deserve the suffering he brings? When pressed for an explanation, Simon chooses the safe and easy justification of doing God's will. In this sense he is spot on, steadfast in his mission and certain in his beliefs. There can be no negotiating with a man like this and he never once questions his faith and rationalizes any doubt by telling himself that God said so. And you can't argue with God. But the story would work better if these women were seriously flawed and had committed unforgiving sins. Instead they are simple characters with no mental demons to overcome. They are in need of no cleansing. Even Rizzo is not much different after her ordeal than she was before and she never has a reason to redeem herself. She's just a cop doing her job and then a prisoner trying to escape. Wouldn't her story be more compelling, the ending more satisfying if Rizzo had realized the folly of her ways, that her cause was unjust and had chosen a path of purity? But she is not this complicated...and it barely matters because we like her enough to be completely invested in her triumph.
Next to Simon the most interesting character is Rizzo's foul-mouthed, scotch-pounding partner Al. Once we get past the cliché of the icing-slurping cop and realize he's a lonely, love-starved man he becomes a sentimental hero. It is a delight to join him as he scours every piece of information to locate Simon's residence, like an obsessed bill collector skip-tracing a past-due consumer. As the story builds to an exciting climax with Rizzo just hours from being nailed to Simon's cross, and Al's leads fizzling into dead end after dead end, we cheer him because his methods are smart, his plan is noble, and he's not only motivated by love, he's doing this with an incredible hangover.
The payoff almost isn't there. While Annuchino takes Rizzo to a place where she cannot possibly succeed, the story is resolved quickly and the reader is left wishing that Simon's demise would be described with the same dramatic detail as his crimes. We want him to suffer the way his victims suffered and we want to be there to savor every moment but his punishment is implied and left to our imagination.
This is a very good book and one that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a good suspense/mystery/thriller. It feels like something John Sanford wrote and would make quite an exciting movie.
Strengths: exciting and frightening villain, filled with fast-paced suspense
Opportunities: familiar plot, 2-dimensional hero
Will appeal to: readers of thriller, suspense, mystery or horror
Mark McGinty is the author of ELVIS AND THE BLUE MOON CONSPIRACY
Loved it! Jun 29, 2009
This book captures instantly and thoroughly. It is the very definition of "page-turner" and had me up reading all night. I am an avid reader, and though I don't generally read murder mysteries, I was glad I branched out to read this one! Perhaps more impressive is that my husband, who rarely picks up a book, not only enjoyed this book, but recommended it to me!
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