Falling

by Christopher Pike

I read my first Christopher Pike book in middle school for a book report. The book was The Cold One, and it was honestly a bit above my age. Thankfully, having waited 10 plus years has given Mr. Pike (or rather Kevin McFadden) a chance to write some more books. Unfortunately, it seems that he is better known for his young adult literature, so he only has about 4 more books.

Falling is a novel centered around 2 main characters, Kelly the FBI agent and Matt the jilted lover. This book has been compared to Silence of the Lambs in some reviews, so to get us moving along the right path we'll stick with that.

The story focuses on several crimes, most importantly the serial killer the "Acid Man" and a plot to fake one's death. Mr. Pike does a great job at getting you into his characters' heads and understanding their motivation. The intense scenes were so powerful, I couldn't put the book down until I found out what was going to happen.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and greedily sped through the 400 pages. The action was fast paced, and for the most part believable. The greatest compliment I can give to the author is that he does not overextend himself. Like a monster movie that shows too much of the hokey creature, it can be easy for an author to delve too deeply into a topic which they are unfamiliar. This is a killer for me, and will often lead me to become detached an incredulous about the story.

I look forward to have the opportunity to read another book by this author and would highly recommend this to someone looking for a thriller/crime type of book.

Rating: 4/5 bunsen burners

Coming up: The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien