The Pied Piper

Starred review from August 3, 1998
A serial kidnapper called the Pied Piper--the villain of Pearson's ingenious, fast-moving 11th thriller--has targeted Seattle, and newly promoted Lieutenant Lou Boldt (last seen in Beyond Recognition) is called in on the case by John LaMoia of the Seattle Crimes Against Persons unit. Boldt, whose wife, Liz, is undergoing chemotherapy, soon discovers that the Pied Piper has managed to target families, steal children and vanish from city after city seemingly at will, although the FBI, under the direction of Special Agent Gary Flemming, has been chasing the serial kidnapper across the country for months. And it looks like the same thing will happen in Seattle, especially when vital information is withheld by the FBI in a turf battle with the locals. But just as Boldt starts asking the right questions, the Pied Piper abducts his daughter, Sarah. It's twists like this that fuel the rest of the novel as Pearson tightens the screws on Boldt as he tries to find his daughter and prevent another kidnapping. The plot begins simply and becomes wonderfully complex, stretching from Seattle to New Orleans; while the lucky car accident that helps break the case wide open is somewhat facile, the work of Boldt and an expertly drawn supporting cast of characters will hold the attention of readers. As will be clear even to neophytes, Boldt's relationship with forensic psychologist Daphne Matthews, and the ongoing affair between two members of the task force, point to a lot of history between these characters, none of it confusing for first-timers, who may be tempted to pick up earlier novels to see whether they're all this good. $250,000 ad/promo; Literary Guild, Doubleday Book Club selections; author tour. Agent, Al Zuckerman. (Aug.) FYI: A mass market edition of Beyond Recognition will be published simultaneously.

May 15, 1998
Pearson fans better prepare themselves for another excruciating ride on the most elaborate suspense rollercoaster on the market. The Lou Boldt^-Daphne Matthews novels remain unparalleled in their masterful mixing of endlessly fascinating forensic detail, human drama, and airtight plotting. This time, recently promoted Seattle Police Lieutenant Boldt and forensic psychologist Matthews attempt to catch the Pied Piper, a kidnapper who snatches infants from their cribs and leaves a toy flute as his calling card. Moving from city to city up the West Coast, the Piper has completely confounded both the FBI and local police. Boldt quickly learns how he's done it: by kidnapping one of the cops' kids and forcing the crazed parent to torpedo the investigation if he wants to see his child alive. Boldt is the latest victim, forcing him to abandon his all-consuming dedication to police work in the interest of his little girl: "The truth, which Boldt held as an absolute, was suddenly a product of context. One could distort it, bastardize it, destroy it as one saw fit. The Pied Piper had not only stolen his daughter, he had stolen his life." That's typical of Pearson: never satisfied with one-dimensional suspense (Is there a bad guy behind that next tree?), he always delivers internal conflict as well as external drama, the psychological suspense of Ruth Rendell melded to the plot-driven tension of John Grisham. It's a can't-miss combination, as Pearson's track record proves. ((Reviewed May 15, 1998))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1998, American Library Association.)