Serial (A Frank Quinn Novel)

I picked up a copy of this book at the Delhi airport so I'd have something to read on the 15-hour flight home. Ugh! What a mistake! With hackneyed writing, artless dialogue and a barely discernible plot, this has to be one of the worst books I've ever read. If I thought it wouldn't be an even greater waste of time, I'd write the publisher and ask for my seven bucks back.

The book was in the "Top Reads" section of the airport bookstore. I'd never read one of Lutz's books before, but with at least one famous title (Single White Female) and several writing awards listed on the jacket, this seemed like a pretty safe bet. I like good thriller fiction--"The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," for instance, was a great book for a long flight, and I read a Michael Slade novel on the way to India, and it was a passably good read.

"Serial," however, was a huge disappointment. It's hard to imagine a book this bad even making it into print. It even contains weird editing mistakes: Confronted by the killer, for instance, a woman drops her briefcase out of fear; three paragraphs later, the killer grabs her arm and causes her to drop her briefcase. That's one of the most jarring examples, but the entire book reads as if the copy editors got so bored they gave up. The book jacket on my version proclaims, "Lutz knows how to make you shiver." Well, if this was the draft that made it into print, I can only imagine the earlier drafts made the copy editors shudder.

If I hadn't been on a plane with not much else to do, I doubt I'd have made it past the first chapter. In the end, I did finish reading it, but only because I thought it only fair to make it to the end before writing a review. I made that sacrifice so you don't have to. You're welcome.

I loved "Serial". Absolutely chilling. Lutz's writing style is fantastic. Almost impossible to put down this book. Detective Frank Quinn is a great character. The killer "the Skinner" is one of the most frightening characters I have ever read. All in all buy this book!!!!

John Lutz scares me again! Another serial killer is loose in New York City and Frank Quinn and Associates are assigned by the Commissioner to catch the brutal killer. The killer is called "The Skinner". (Use your imagination).

What makes the Quinn novels really frightening to me is that Lutz introduces each victim. You get to know them. You get a perfect picture of who they are and how they live. You cheer for them and then follow them to their horrifying deaths. There are lots of twists and turns that kept me reading, guessing and sliding to the edge of my seat. When you think it's all figured out Lutz throws in another twist to keep the story going.

Serial is a clever tale to the very satisfying end!

What I love most about these novels is the relationship between Quinn and Pearl. They're still awesome partners in business and in their personal lives. Although Quinn may be hopelessly in love, Pearl always hesitates. She seems less harsh since her tragedy in Mister X. Her mother in the "nursing home" is still a hoot and frumpy Fedderman finds a new purpose. I'm looking forward to book 7!

I love the writer, but am offended that he wrote this book under a different title just 3 years ago ("Night Kills"). I loved the original, but write a new story, don't rename it.

I thought this was a great read. little bored by his style but good.wish he changed his some of his characters.

I was interested in how the story ended, but I could not accept the crazy plot. It started from the very beginning of the book, and things kept happening that I just couldn't buy into. I gave up halfway through.
1. Why would NYPD hand over a very high profile serial killer case to a private detective (PD) agency? That would never happen. I don't think the mayor and citizens of NY would allow this. Why not call in the FBI if you need help? This is an insane plot device.
2. Why would the private detective agency hire an alcoholic, failed police officer just because he says "I'm really good with computers!". What evidence does he have that he is good with computers? Is he reliable? Probably not since the main character Quinn (head of the PD agency) keeps taking him out to get loaded hoping it will make him work better (wtf ????).
3. Why does Quinn keep saying he "wants Pearl to move in with" him? He doesn't say he loves her deeply, or she is the only woman in the world for him, or he can't live without her. Just "I want her to move in with me". What qualities does Pearl possess to inspire such devotion - she's rude, mean and selfish, with questionable detective skills, Must be the long dark hair and large boobs, which are referred to several times.
4. Why does one Regular Stalker (RS) offer to provide an alibi to the Serial Killer (SK)? Because he wants one of the victims to die a nasty death and wants to make friends with the SK. Absolutely ridiculous.
5. There are several "breaks" in the narrative where the author tries to provide comic relief. One is a conversation between Pearl and her stereotypical Jewish Mother. Another is the banter between two of the private detective's from Quinn's agency whose conversation makes no sense but is obviously intended to make us chuckle. Particularly offensive is the Medical Examiner character who makes disgusting, dirty jokes over the body of his victims.
6. One of the detectives is attempting to start a romance with a victim's sister. This seems to be the most important thing in his life at the moment, despite the fact that he is working on a huge serial killer case where women are dropping like flies. Even his love interest is turned off by the fact that he's spending more time wooing her than trying to find her sister's killer.
7. Finally, the overall tone of this novel is extremely misogynistic. Even the detectives investigating seem bored with the huge task of finding a killer who seems super-human. They seem much more interested in their silly personal problems: chasing tail, drinking, keeping relatives at bay, you name it.

This is my seventh novel I read from John Lutz. Though I like the weird team of Quinn and his associates, I noticed that the storyline of this novel is really just a repetition of his other books. Same type of characters (the victims) and story pattern. In contrast to other crime fiction writers such as for example Michael Connelly, the stories of the books I read are quite similar, just with variations of the type of crimes and motives. What has also bothered me in this and other of Lutz's novels are certain missing pieces of logic and weird coincidences. "How can the sheriff, who has been shut by the shotgun, suddenly appear at a distant location and shoot the Skinner?? The cruelty and violence of the is very, almost too descriptive such as Lutz' other novels. What also bothered me was not to learn more regarding the motive of the "Skinner". Nevertheless, it's a good read.

Great book! One of the best I've ever read and I read a LOT!! Suspense to the very last sentence. I think Lutz is one of the best writers of our time.

A brutal serial killer dubbed the "Skinner" is terrorizing New York City. All the victims had survivied rapes but misidentified their attackers. The Skinner hunts them down and tortures them for hours before killing them. At the behest of the slimy police commisioner, Quinn and company become involved. Using solid police work and gut instincts, they sift through false leads until they finally bring the killer to justice.

This is a tightly written tautly plotted novel. It satisfies on all levels. The nice thing about this novel is that there is no halfway point. The bad guys are unreservedly bad and the good guys, while flawed, are good. This is a solid police procedural--no superhumanfeats or talents.This is not to say there are no flaws, there are a few. First, wrongfully convicted persons in New York can usually count on a pretty good payoff from the state after their release. I also find it hard to believe that anyone in NYC wold keep a key above the door. The device by which Quinn and company work for the police department is unbelieveable. The spats between Pearl and her mother quickly slide from amusing to annoying. But good writing,superb plotting and solid characters trumped all. This book is scary good.

I discovered John Lutz when I happened to pick up the last Frank Quinn book, Mister X. That was a great crime novel, so I was excited to see Serial. Lutz did not disappoint. Once again he has created a novel filled with enough twists and turns to keep you riveted as you struggle right along with Frank and Pearl and the rest of the team as they hunt down a gruesome killer. Lutz has a gift for creating killers that are truly nightmare worthy. He develops their characters to such an extent that they give you shivers, all the while hiding their true identity until the end.

It was nice to see Frank, Pearl, and Feds again. Lutz introduces some new characters that are memorable and once again he made me feel that I had known them each for a long time and could probably see them down at the local diner having too much coffee.

Serial was a tightly plotted, suspenseful read. This is a perfect recommend for those who like their crime fiction with a razor sharp edge. There are gruesome scenes, however nothing is gratuitous. Each plot element is interwoven seamlessly. I did not have this one figured out until pretty close to the end when the author was kind enough to fill the reader in. What kept me turning the pages was curiosity and the strong characters. Great mystery storytelling from one of my new favorite authors.