The long arm of the stalker (Stalker - Faye Kellerman)

Member Name: kiwiii85

Product:	Stalker - Faye Kellerman
Date:	11/02/09 (175 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy read, great plot, great characterisation

Disadvantages: Slightly over the top on religion

My partner picked up this book for me whilst i was in hospital and i loved every minute of it. It is the twelth book of the series but i managed to follow the storyline just fine without reading the previous novels. Having now read them, i'll include a bit of background for anyone that hasn't.

~~ Background ~~

Peter Decker is a polive detective who has been the main star of the previous eleven books. He's divorced from his wife and has now married Rina, an Orthodox Jew. Cynthia was introduced to us at a particularly rough patch in her life as her parents were going through a divorce and she was grappling with adolescence. Cynthia then progressed onto college so that she could follow her father and become a cop.

Cynthia isn't your average person and most people would describe her as rude and snobby. Whether it's intentional or not, Cindy really is rude and snobby. Matters are made worse by her constant referrals to her fathers work and reputation and her attitude towards her boss. Peter Decker's worst nightmare was her following in his footsteps so we watch as the two come to terms with her occupation.

~~ The Plot ~~

Cindy Decker is one of the new rookies and she has more to deal with than most - her father has been made a lieutenant. She has to deal with the usual teasing and pranks that any other rookie has and it doesn't take long before strange things start happening.

Peter Decker has two investigations underway at the same time and it's not long before Cindy's involved. With two seperate sets of car jackings in his area, Decker has his hands full. One set are linked to Armand Crayton, a victim of a car accident that died that year before. Cindy had what she calls a 'casual aquaintance' with him at the gym and Decker fumes when he finds out. With women he knew being threatened. it's not long before Cindy begins to wonder if it's just work pranks or something more sinister.

~~ My Opinion ~~

Changing the main character was a risky move for Kellerman but she seems to know what she's doing. She deals with a lot of subjects in a short space of time and the reader is left guessing at every stage.

Cynthia (Cindy) is a very vulnerable person that comes across as very arrogant as a result. She takes advantage of the fact her father is a lieutenant and doesn't really respect authority as a result. This irritates not only her fellow cops, but also her boss who she shows up in front of everyone else. She has a lot to deal with with pranks and being a new educated female cop but she also throws problems upon herself. Kellerman has done an excellent job of showing how a cops real world can be when they join. Another thing i have found she dealt with in an excellent way is the relationship between her and her father.

Decker is a cop through and through and he's been in his field for a long time so he knows the harsh reality of cop life. He has to fight through his urges of protecting his daughter and allow her to lead an independent life, even if he doesn't think she's ready. Deckers' main problem is the fact he's very proud of Cindy but he doesn't want her to know as he really disapproves of her being a cop.

Rina is Decker's wife and is missed throughout the first part of the book. She's an orthodox Jew and i sometimes find this interferes a bit with the storyline. The religion can be very overwhelming at times and this put me off a touch as it's not really my cup of tea. Fortunately, Kellerman did include Rina as part of the storyline and i really got a surprise when i realised where it was going.

As always, there are other characters that feature throughout but telling you about them would most probably give away more of the plot than you'd like to know.

Changing the main focus point to Cindy rather than Decker was a great idea and it really gave the novel a new feel to it. There are only so many stories you can run around one character and it felt a bit like Kellerman was starting to grasp at straws before this novel was released. It also puts a new spin on Decker's life as you see the vulnerable part of him worry for his daughter but the professional side try to do everything he can within his rights to protect her.

Cindy makes a lot of bad moves but you can completely understand why when you see the strange things that happen to her. It all starts with a note left in her cruiser but soon she notices things being moved and it all escalates from there. A young vulnerable woman living on her own would be jumpy, but Cindy has more reason than most and i think this is where the bad decisions come into play. She becomes extremely paranoid and even her supposed friends come under suspicion.

~~ My Verdict ~~

This was a very enjoyable book to read considering i read the books in completely the wrong order. Kellerman has made you feel like you know the characters and you can completely understand how they feel and why they do what they do. The plot is full of twists and turns and it took me a fair while to guess what was going to happen. I didn't want to put this book down and the only thing that bothered me was the constant referrals to Decker and Rina's religion. Then again, this makes the characters who they are so it's probably quite a vital part of the book.


Extra Bits
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My partner bought this book in Asda's 2 for £5 section but prices can change so rapidly you could probably find it from anywhere from 1p to £5. It retails in most shops that sell books and the likes of Asda and Tesco.

Summary: A great read if you like detective books.