River - Softcover

Thorp, Roderick

3.47

86 ratings by Goodreads

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0804115354 ISBN 13: 9780804115353

Publisher: Ivy Books, 1996

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THE GREEN RIVER KILLINGS WERE THE MOST HORRIFYING SERIAL MURDERS EVER COMMITTED. THE CASE WAS NEVER SOLVED . . . UNTIL NOW.
"[THIS] WORK OF FICTION READS EERILY LIKE A TRUE CASE STUDY of these infamous unsolved crimes. . . . Lockman is the kind of character who can haunt your waking dreams."
--The New York Times Book Review
"CHILLING SUSPENSE . . . In this novel, bestselling author Roderick Thorp takes on the true-life terrors of a maniacal serial killer known as the Green River Killer, who is suspected of killing at least fifty young women in the Seattle-Portland area during the '80s, and who has never been convicted . . . Breathtaking in its pacing, RIVER takes the reader into the minds of both a detective fighting personal demons and a human demon whose wanton disregard for human life is so despicable his actions and motivations make the reader cringe. Thorp has imagined a surprise ending to his roller-coaster thriller that is genuinely surprising."
--Boston Herald
"SHOCKING . . . GRIPPING . . . Thorp's account is so convincing, even in the justice finally meted out to the killer, that most readers will be able to flag the case 'Solved' in their minds."
--The San Diego Union-Tribune
"THE ASSURED HAND OF A MASTER CRAFTSMAN, and the bone-marrow-deep understanding of the human heart. If the author's name were not on the book, I would still recognize his fingerprints--there's only one Rod Thorp."
--Andrew Vachss
"THIS BOOK IS A BLOCKBUSTER!"
--Gerald Petievich
Author of To Live and Die in L.A.

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From Booklist:

The Green River serial killings during the 1980s in the Pacific Northwest remain unsolved. More than 50 young women, most of them prostitutes and drifters, were killed. Thorp offers a gritty fictional version of the infamous murders. In it, the cunning killer-protagonist is manipulative sociopath Garrett Lockman. Thorp balances the viewpoint of the hard-drinking, pornography-loving murderer with that of tough Seattle vice-cop Philippe Boudreau. Early on, New York transplant Boudreau is convinced that Lockman is the killer, but because of police department politics, he isn't allowed on the Green River investigative team until late in the case. The novel's characters are sharply drawn, especially the creepy Lockman, who finally meets his demise in a surprising, maybe even innovative, manner. True-crime accounts are often recommended because they read like fiction. This fictionalization of true crimes is recommended because it seems as realistic, as authentic, as the best nonfiction. True-crime junkies and hard-boiled detective fans alike will have a field day. Sue-Ellen Beauregard

From Library Journal:

Thorp's (Rainbow Drive, Ivy Bks., 1992) latest thriller is based on a series of unsolved killings during the 1980s in the Pacific Northwest's Green River area. Seattle detective Phil Boudreau, a tough, smart, steetwise vice cop, becomes obsessed with solving a series of grisly murders, the majority of which involve young female prostitutes and runaways. Written in terse but graphic prose, the novel provides in-depth views of a sociopathic mind and homoerotic relationships. Along the way, readers witness the character growth of Boudreau and his relationships with fellow police officers, including a developing love interest. This novel is not for the faint of heart, yet once readers become accustomed to the graphic prose, they may not be able to put River aside. Recommended for adult fiction collections.
Erna Chamberlain, Univ. of Binghamton, N.Y.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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