On, Off - Softcover

McCullough, Colleen

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0007199767 ISBN 13: 9780007199761

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2006

Synopsis

At a prestigious research centre for the neurosciences in Holloman, Connecticut, parts of a mutilated body are found. Lieutenant Carmine Delmonico is determined to solve the case. But how do you find a monster who leaves no clues and is always two steps ahead?

About this title

About the Author:

Colleen McCullough, a neuroscientist by training, worked in various Sydney and English hospitals before settling into 10 years of research and teaching in the Department of Neurology at the Yale Medical School in the USA. In 1974 her first novel, `Tim' was published in New York, followed by `The Thorn Birds' in 1977 and a string of successful novels, including the Masters of Rome series. She lives in Norfolk Island, with her husband, Ric Robinson, and a cat named Shady.

From Booklist:

Here's something new from the author of The Thorn Birds and numerous high-concept historical fiction titles: a straight-up detective thriller. It's 1965, and a dismembered body is found in a storage refrigerator at a neurological research center in Connecticut. Lieutenant Carmine Delmonico soon realizes he has got something new on his hands: a psychopath who kills for sport. In modern terms, a serial killer. McCullough, who admits to being a longtime reader of crime novels, is clearly well versed in the traditions of the genre: the novel features a working-class detective in an unfamiliar environment (sort of like Columbo) and a large cast of potential suspects (think Agatha Christie). The characters are vividly drawn, and the story itself is quite intriguing. A demon for research, McCullough packs the novel with enough information about the operation of the research center that we almost feel like we could run one. There are flaws: the prose is a bit overwritten, with phrases so out of place that they pull the reader up short ("stygian coldness," for example, on the very first page). Also, the overabundance of exclamation marks is sure to grate on many readers. But, despite these stylistic shortcomings, the novel should prove entertaining enough both to McCullough's many fans and to thriller readers who have never met a serial killer they didn't want to read more about. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0007199767
• ISBN 13: 9780007199761
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 528