BookBrowse Reviews The Hundredth Man by Jack Kerley

BookBrowse:

'A narrative locomotive of a first novel'

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The Hundredth Man got me, and got me good - I thought I'd skim a few pages before bed and before I knew it, it was two o'clock in the morning and I was sitting in a once hot, but now barely tepid bath tub, turning the final pages.  Although there are a number of gruesome murders in The Hundredth Man the violence didn't seem gratuitous - something that has turned me off a number of thriller writers.  Instead there was a purpose behind every taut and structured page - making for a thrilling detective mystery.  The characters are fascinating with plenty of development room for sequels and possibly even a prequel.

Selected Review:
"[The Hundredth Man is a] narrative locomotive of a first novel. Kerley jacks up the tension effectively with nicely placed jumps between Carson's narration and the tortured thoughts of the killer, building up to an all-stops-out climax. ... Powerful. ... Compelling. ... Kerley's plot is a treasure chest of interlocked pieces." - Booklist (starred review).

This review first ran in the June 15, 2005 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.