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Thinning the Predators
FBI agent Ira Levitt finds himself in a chilling alliance with cold-blooded murderer David Vandemark, a deadly serial killer who preys on the dregs of society--drug dealers, child molesters, other serial killers--to find the Latino Killer, a vicious psychopath stalking New York's Hispanic families.
326 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
October 30, 2024
So, this was Dexter with some supernatural abilities, which I liked. I enjoy vigilante stories and the hints of paranormal were an interesting addition. Despite the enjoyment I'm not sure I'll keep the book as it feels like a 'one read and done' kind of book - once you know the twist and conclusion, I'm not sure it would be as enjoyable.
July 11, 2010
This is another one of those books that if I didn't stick to my 5 star rule...well, you know. Wow! I keep looking for more books by these authors (Jim Starlin co-authored the book) but to no avail.
David Vandemark is nobody's victim - and an avenger like no one's ever seen. Years ago, he was robbed of everything he knew - his family, his identity, his very soul. He was also left with a strange gift, the power to read not just the minds of other people but their lives, their pasts, their desires. And burned into him was a new resolve: to stalk the human predators - drug dealers, child molesters, and serial killers - who threaten the innocent. (All I can say is OHMIGAWD).
David Vandemark is nobody's victim - and an avenger like no one's ever seen. Years ago, he was robbed of everything he knew - his family, his identity, his very soul. He was also left with a strange gift, the power to read not just the minds of other people but their lives, their pasts, their desires. And burned into him was a new resolve: to stalk the human predators - drug dealers, child molesters, and serial killers - who threaten the innocent. (All I can say is OHMIGAWD).
June 23, 2021
4.5
I’m so glad I actually decided to give this book a chance rather than donate it! Of course there were a few mistakes or things I didn’t like here and there, but the plot, the pacing, and the character development were so on point that it was easy to look past those things. And I was so surprised when I looked at the Wikipedia page for one of the author’s Jim Starlin! No wonder this book was so great! I felt super attached to a lot of the characters, especially Ira and Vandemark. And it was a serious page turner, which I was in dire need of at the moment. 10/10 would recommend to a friend.
I’m so glad I actually decided to give this book a chance rather than donate it! Of course there were a few mistakes or things I didn’t like here and there, but the plot, the pacing, and the character development were so on point that it was easy to look past those things. And I was so surprised when I looked at the Wikipedia page for one of the author’s Jim Starlin! No wonder this book was so great! I felt super attached to a lot of the characters, especially Ira and Vandemark. And it was a serious page turner, which I was in dire need of at the moment. 10/10 would recommend to a friend.
May 24, 2017
I rarely give books 5-star ratings, but this one had me hooked from the beginning. There was so much detail, and all of the characters were intriguing. It tows the line between right and wrong and really gets you thinking and involved in the plot. Would definitely recommend to those who enjoy thrillers.
July 5, 2018
This was about as close to 4.49999 stars as a book can get. Highly enjoyable read that ventured into various places you wouldn't expect from a serial killer type suspense novel. Combined elements of Criminal Minds, Silence of the Lambs, The Mentalist, any number of great good criminal joins with cops story, and the Fast and the Furiuos (if the very last scene doesn't bring to mind Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Jordana Brewster on a beach at the end of those movies, I don't know what to tell you).
The story itself is terrific - a serial killer of serial killers, the cops who chase him, the woman he falls for and the huge conspiracy reaching the top levels of government he runs into by accident. The pacing is non-stop, with the right amount of gruesomeness and levity as needed. You very much end up rooting for one side and smiling as it comes to a close.
It's a bit pulpy, and while the enjoyment stuck with me, the characters/story wasn't a "wish there was more / I'll really think of that again a lot" so kept it at the 4 star level but highly recommend.
(One side note - I read a version called "Predators" which seems to be the same book but for some reason was renamed and had an additional author labeled).
The story itself is terrific - a serial killer of serial killers, the cops who chase him, the woman he falls for and the huge conspiracy reaching the top levels of government he runs into by accident. The pacing is non-stop, with the right amount of gruesomeness and levity as needed. You very much end up rooting for one side and smiling as it comes to a close.
It's a bit pulpy, and while the enjoyment stuck with me, the characters/story wasn't a "wish there was more / I'll really think of that again a lot" so kept it at the 4 star level but highly recommend.
(One side note - I read a version called "Predators" which seems to be the same book but for some reason was renamed and had an additional author labeled).
December 9, 2022
Saya mencari premis cerita yg serupa dengan "Killing the Murderer". Lalu secara ajaib saya menemukan novel ini. Yang diluar ekspektasi yakni rangkaian pembunuhan berantai ini memiliki unsur politis. Which, sebelumnya saya baca House of Thunder yg beririsan pula dengan politik. Kaya, wow! 90s novel full of political plot! Hungry for more.
January 27, 2022
This book was awesome. Also another book that promised a major motion picture was coming... this was back in the mid-nineties. Hollywood... get on it already! This was a fantastic, action-packed story that would be amazing on screen!
August 31, 2017
Seemed pretty good, but I was highly distracted and wasn't able to follow the audiobook very well.
November 21, 2017
I simply cannot put this down. The details are very well presented and so vivid that i can feel that i am there in the crime scene, and in the thick of the action.
August 8, 2021
I really enjoyed this book.
November 10, 2023
This is not the kind of book I usually like but I thoroughly enjoyed it! Pre-9/11 era cop story about a serial killer who kills serial killers. Very clever and well done.
August 12, 2023
Lebih buruk daripada yang kuingat dulu. Jualan utamanya tetap premise (yang sangat menarik buat saya), tapi ya udah itu aja.
Premisenya: mind-reader hero beating serial killers. Tapi mind-reading di cerita ini sangat sedikit. Yang ada pun penggambarannya sangat tidak menarik, cuma jadi tempelan aja.
Baca dalam bahasa aslinya agak lebih mending daripada dulu baca yang terbitan Gramed, tapi flaws nya jadi kelihatan lebih jelas.
Gaya bahasa amatiran dan mendikte pembaca. Telling, not showing. Perilaku karakter-karakternya, tokoh utama maupun tokoh background, sangat klise dan sering terlalu tidak realistis, yang kemudian diikuti oleh penjelasan bertele-tele tentang kenapa perilaku mereka seperti itu. Contohnya di saat adegan yang mestinya intens, penulis menggambarkan pikiran si tokoh utama (dalam POV third person) tentang penampilannya sendiri:
David rushed into the garage, headed for the upper level where his van was parked, but slowed as he passed the empty attendant's station and caught a glimpse of his reflection in the booth's glass. He was not a pretty sight. His entire face was swollen, bruised, scraped, and bloody. The right eye was puffed up, but his nose had suffered the worst damage. It pointed in an unfamiliar direction and was numb to the touch.
Buset dah. Masih sempat-sempatnya ngaca trus ngelamun tentang penampilannya.
Analisa situasi karakternya juga digambarkan dengan berandai-andai:
He wouldn't be like that. He wouldn't be alone. He'd have security guards with him.
Nggak ada penjelasan lebih lanjut. Just telling us what a hot shot bad ass the characters are. Beneran menjengkelkan.
Terakhir dan yang paling besar flaw nya menurutku adalah para cast of characters. Ada comedic relief, yang dalam kondisi normal aja udah gak cocok untuk cerita intens seperti ini, apalagi di sini karakternya terlalu mempengaruhi plot (Chester Pinyon). Berapa kali juga karakter serius dibuat lucu-lucuan. Semua comedic relief di buku ini gak ada yang lucu sama sekali.
Main villain gak jelas banget baik rasio dan motif yang melatarbelakangi kenapa dia melakukan apa yg dia lakukan, cara dia beroperasi, dan terakhir bagaiman dia menerima konsekuensi perbuatannya. Penulis telling dia adalah pejabat big shot ahli taktik yang dekat dengan White House dan Pentagon, tapi showingnya dia kayak amatiran yang gak bisa apa-apa, sangat goblok milih anak buah (termasuk comic relief yg disebut di atas, dan anak buah yang lain), hanya mengandalkan satu cara operasi yang kalau dipikir-pikir lemah dan sangat riskan dan melibatkan banyak orang (meski dibilang pake need-to-know basis) jadi penuh risiko kebocoran meski tanpa musuh mind-reader. Dia juga asal jahat aja tanpa motivasi yang jelas. Tema politik di buku ini saking gak maunya menyinggung siapa pun, jadinya nanggung dan gak jelas. Puncaknya bagaimana si main villain menemui azabnya di dunia, extremely unsatisfying.
Tapi yang paling parah imo, tokoh cewe romantic interest nya main character. Bener-bener lemah. Dia langsung bertekuk lutut klepek-klepek romantically sama MC sampe digambarkan kayak orang bingung harus ngapain di rumah karena ditinggal cowoknya keluar beberapa jam saja, saking kangennya. Itu tanpa ada ancaman penjahat atau apa pun. Itu pun dia baru kenal si MC baru beberapa hari!
Gila ini insulting banget tokoh utama cewe kyk gini (it has been told si cewe itu kuat blablabla, tapi showing nya bertolak belakang 180°) padahal si penulis juga perempuan.
Premisenya: mind-reader hero beating serial killers. Tapi mind-reading di cerita ini sangat sedikit. Yang ada pun penggambarannya sangat tidak menarik, cuma jadi tempelan aja.
Baca dalam bahasa aslinya agak lebih mending daripada dulu baca yang terbitan Gramed, tapi flaws nya jadi kelihatan lebih jelas.
Gaya bahasa amatiran dan mendikte pembaca. Telling, not showing. Perilaku karakter-karakternya, tokoh utama maupun tokoh background, sangat klise dan sering terlalu tidak realistis, yang kemudian diikuti oleh penjelasan bertele-tele tentang kenapa perilaku mereka seperti itu. Contohnya di saat adegan yang mestinya intens, penulis menggambarkan pikiran si tokoh utama (dalam POV third person) tentang penampilannya sendiri:
David rushed into the garage, headed for the upper level where his van was parked, but slowed as he passed the empty attendant's station and caught a glimpse of his reflection in the booth's glass. He was not a pretty sight. His entire face was swollen, bruised, scraped, and bloody. The right eye was puffed up, but his nose had suffered the worst damage. It pointed in an unfamiliar direction and was numb to the touch.
Buset dah. Masih sempat-sempatnya ngaca trus ngelamun tentang penampilannya.
Analisa situasi karakternya juga digambarkan dengan berandai-andai:
He wouldn't be like that. He wouldn't be alone. He'd have security guards with him.
Nggak ada penjelasan lebih lanjut. Just telling us what a hot shot bad ass the characters are. Beneran menjengkelkan.
Terakhir dan yang paling besar flaw nya menurutku adalah para cast of characters. Ada comedic relief, yang dalam kondisi normal aja udah gak cocok untuk cerita intens seperti ini, apalagi di sini karakternya terlalu mempengaruhi plot (Chester Pinyon). Berapa kali juga karakter serius dibuat lucu-lucuan. Semua comedic relief di buku ini gak ada yang lucu sama sekali.
Main villain gak jelas banget baik rasio dan motif yang melatarbelakangi kenapa dia melakukan apa yg dia lakukan, cara dia beroperasi, dan terakhir bagaiman dia menerima konsekuensi perbuatannya. Penulis telling dia adalah pejabat big shot ahli taktik yang dekat dengan White House dan Pentagon, tapi showingnya dia kayak amatiran yang gak bisa apa-apa, sangat goblok milih anak buah (termasuk comic relief yg disebut di atas, dan anak buah yang lain), hanya mengandalkan satu cara operasi yang kalau dipikir-pikir lemah dan sangat riskan dan melibatkan banyak orang (meski dibilang pake need-to-know basis) jadi penuh risiko kebocoran meski tanpa musuh mind-reader. Dia juga asal jahat aja tanpa motivasi yang jelas. Tema politik di buku ini saking gak maunya menyinggung siapa pun, jadinya nanggung dan gak jelas. Puncaknya bagaimana si main villain menemui azabnya di dunia, extremely unsatisfying.
Tapi yang paling parah imo, tokoh cewe romantic interest nya main character. Bener-bener lemah. Dia langsung bertekuk lutut klepek-klepek romantically sama MC sampe digambarkan kayak orang bingung harus ngapain di rumah karena ditinggal cowoknya keluar beberapa jam saja, saking kangennya. Itu tanpa ada ancaman penjahat atau apa pun. Itu pun dia baru kenal si MC baru beberapa hari!
Gila ini insulting banget tokoh utama cewe kyk gini (it has been told si cewe itu kuat blablabla, tapi showing nya bertolak belakang 180°) padahal si penulis juga perempuan.
September 27, 2016
Agent Ira Levitt is hunting down a serial killer who only kills the dregs of society--drug dealers, child molesters, and other serial killers, David Vandemark. When a series of killings start happening in New York he heads out but so does Ira Levitt. It all starts out on a peaceful night when agent Ira Levitt shows up to a call that he thinks has to do with David Vandemark. When he arrives with two other officers he heads inside and they search the perimeter. Agent Ira Levitt stumbles across a fresh crime scene of a butchered boy, as he stumbles into a room he found another person dead this time a grown man with a bullet hole in him. He notices a shotgun sitting in his lap turns around and sees buck shot in the wall. As he goes outside to see if the others saw something (and to get some fresh air) ends up getting hit with a 2 by 4 that broke his arm and knocked him out. When he regained consciousness his gun was gone and as stumbled back to the others who were groaning. Read Thinning the predators by Daina Graziunas to find out more.
David Vandemark may be a serial killer but he wasn't always like that he had a family, a job, a wife, a child. Until one day all of that was taken away by a elevator. He was doing some business and they were riding in a rickety old elevator that gave way and killed both men in the elevator with him. Then it fell and everything went black. Woke up with a strange ability that allowed him to read peoples minds and it was no surprise to him (because he had been reading their minds) when they told him his wife and child were killed when he was in a coma. They had been killed by a famous serial killer called Mr. Clean because he also raped his victims and picked up after. After being on the streets again, he hunted down Mr. Clean and killed him with two bullets to the chest. At the end of the book he gives up his murderous life for a woman he met during his hunt for the Latino family killer, who turned out to be the only survivor of the Latino family killer. He learns what it's like to love again.
I really liked this book because it had moments of fast paced action and moments of peace that don't last that long. I also liked it because the place that the Latino family killer hides out in is surrounded by cameras that David doesn't know how far they reach. Making it ten times harder than any other hunt he's ever done. I also liked the plot twist that happens at the beginning of the book saying that David Vandemark is the good guy in the book. I also liked how he doesn't know that Latino family killer is planning on finishing the job that he started by killing his lover and hopefully killing David at the same time.
David Vandemark may be a serial killer but he wasn't always like that he had a family, a job, a wife, a child. Until one day all of that was taken away by a elevator. He was doing some business and they were riding in a rickety old elevator that gave way and killed both men in the elevator with him. Then it fell and everything went black. Woke up with a strange ability that allowed him to read peoples minds and it was no surprise to him (because he had been reading their minds) when they told him his wife and child were killed when he was in a coma. They had been killed by a famous serial killer called Mr. Clean because he also raped his victims and picked up after. After being on the streets again, he hunted down Mr. Clean and killed him with two bullets to the chest. At the end of the book he gives up his murderous life for a woman he met during his hunt for the Latino family killer, who turned out to be the only survivor of the Latino family killer. He learns what it's like to love again.
I really liked this book because it had moments of fast paced action and moments of peace that don't last that long. I also liked it because the place that the Latino family killer hides out in is surrounded by cameras that David doesn't know how far they reach. Making it ten times harder than any other hunt he's ever done. I also liked the plot twist that happens at the beginning of the book saying that David Vandemark is the good guy in the book. I also liked how he doesn't know that Latino family killer is planning on finishing the job that he started by killing his lover and hopefully killing David at the same time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 14, 2012
31st - 2012
Pada suatu ketika, di sebuah kuis :
Q : Serial killer of serial killers.
A : Dexter Morgan, blood splatter specialist from Miami Police Departement!
Q : Wrong answer. The right answer is David Vandemark.
A : David who...?!
Sebelum baca novel ini, aku pasti sama bengongnya dengan si peserta kuis di atas, karena mengira karakter Dexter Morgan-nya Jeff Lindsey--yang serial TV Showtime-nya sering kutonton ulang--benar-benar original. Pemburu dan pembunuh para pembunuh serial, gitu lo!
Novel Thinning The Predators aka Pemburu Predator, yang diterbitkan versi terjemahannya tahun 1997 ini, sudah bercerita tentang David Vandemark, seorang pemburu para monster yang berkeliaran di tengah masyarakat. Mulanya ia seorang pengacara biasa, tapi setelah mengalami kecelakaan lift dan ketika sadar dari koma mendapati anak-istrinya telah menjadi korban pembunuh serial yang dijuluki Mr. Clean oleh FBI, eng-ing-eng.... Henshin! Jadi pemburu para pembunuh serial!
Memang sih, cara membunuhnya kurang psycho dibandingkan Dexter yang gemar mengoleksi tetesan darah korbannya dalam lempengan kaca, memotong-motong tubuh mereka, memasukkannya dalam kantong plastik, lantas membuangnya ke laut. David paling-paling cuma menembak mati para korbannya, lantas memberikan pesan pada pihak berwajib tentang siapa monster yang dibunuhnya dan di mana korban-korban sang monster berada. Tapi meskipun cara membunuhnya biasa, cara memburunya yang luar biasa: menggunakan kekuatan ESP, yang didapatkannya pada saat sadar dari koma. Jadi, seperti dalam manga Psychometrer Eiji, ia menyelidiki pembunuhan serial dan para pelakunya dengan menyentuh barang yang berkaitan dengan pembunuhan yang dilakukannya. Lebih top lagi, ia juga bisa membaca pikiran orang lain. Makin gampang deh menyelidiki dan menangkap buruannya.
Seperti halnya Dexter yang diburu oleh Sersan Doakes dan Agen Lundy, David juga diburu oleh Ira Levitt, agen FBI senior yang telah berusaha menangkapnya selama tujuh tahun. Berbeda dengan Dexter yang identitasnya masih belum terbongkar sehingga masih leluasa bekerja di kepolisian, David terus berkelana dengan berbagai identitas. Sampai akhirnya ia menemukan pembunuh serial yang memiliki kekuasaan besar, sehingga ia merasa perlu meminta bantuan Agen Levitt dan mengajaknya bekerja sama.
Pilihan mana yang diambil Agen Levitt? Apakah menangkap pembunuh serial yang sebenarnya berguna bagi masyarakat (istilah Dexter), atau menangkap dalang di balik serial Pembunuhan Keluarga Latin yang jauh lebih keji dan berbahaya?
Pada suatu ketika, di sebuah kuis :
Q : Serial killer of serial killers.
A : Dexter Morgan, blood splatter specialist from Miami Police Departement!
Q : Wrong answer. The right answer is David Vandemark.
A : David who...?!
Sebelum baca novel ini, aku pasti sama bengongnya dengan si peserta kuis di atas, karena mengira karakter Dexter Morgan-nya Jeff Lindsey--yang serial TV Showtime-nya sering kutonton ulang--benar-benar original. Pemburu dan pembunuh para pembunuh serial, gitu lo!
Novel Thinning The Predators aka Pemburu Predator, yang diterbitkan versi terjemahannya tahun 1997 ini, sudah bercerita tentang David Vandemark, seorang pemburu para monster yang berkeliaran di tengah masyarakat. Mulanya ia seorang pengacara biasa, tapi setelah mengalami kecelakaan lift dan ketika sadar dari koma mendapati anak-istrinya telah menjadi korban pembunuh serial yang dijuluki Mr. Clean oleh FBI, eng-ing-eng.... Henshin! Jadi pemburu para pembunuh serial!
Memang sih, cara membunuhnya kurang psycho dibandingkan Dexter yang gemar mengoleksi tetesan darah korbannya dalam lempengan kaca, memotong-motong tubuh mereka, memasukkannya dalam kantong plastik, lantas membuangnya ke laut. David paling-paling cuma menembak mati para korbannya, lantas memberikan pesan pada pihak berwajib tentang siapa monster yang dibunuhnya dan di mana korban-korban sang monster berada. Tapi meskipun cara membunuhnya biasa, cara memburunya yang luar biasa: menggunakan kekuatan ESP, yang didapatkannya pada saat sadar dari koma. Jadi, seperti dalam manga Psychometrer Eiji, ia menyelidiki pembunuhan serial dan para pelakunya dengan menyentuh barang yang berkaitan dengan pembunuhan yang dilakukannya. Lebih top lagi, ia juga bisa membaca pikiran orang lain. Makin gampang deh menyelidiki dan menangkap buruannya.
Seperti halnya Dexter yang diburu oleh Sersan Doakes dan Agen Lundy, David juga diburu oleh Ira Levitt, agen FBI senior yang telah berusaha menangkapnya selama tujuh tahun. Berbeda dengan Dexter yang identitasnya masih belum terbongkar sehingga masih leluasa bekerja di kepolisian, David terus berkelana dengan berbagai identitas. Sampai akhirnya ia menemukan pembunuh serial yang memiliki kekuasaan besar, sehingga ia merasa perlu meminta bantuan Agen Levitt dan mengajaknya bekerja sama.
Pilihan mana yang diambil Agen Levitt? Apakah menangkap pembunuh serial yang sebenarnya berguna bagi masyarakat (istilah Dexter), atau menangkap dalang di balik serial Pembunuhan Keluarga Latin yang jauh lebih keji dan berbahaya?
July 27, 2014
De dag waarop advocaat David Vandemark een bijna fataal ongeluk krijgt waardoor hij twee weken in coma raakt, worden zijn vrouw en dochtertje vermoord door een psychopaat. Als later blijkt dat het politie-onderzoek volledig vastloopt, neemt David het recht in eigen hand en zweert zelf onschuldige slachtoffers van seriemoordenaars te zullen wreken - te beginnen met zijn vrouw en kind.
Veertien jaar later zitten FBI-agenten Ira Levitt en Vida Johnson een mysterieuze seriemoordenaar op de hielen die seriemoordenaars vermoordt. Niemand heeft enig idee hoe de moordenaar erin slaagt hen te grazen te nemen, maar zeker is dat het spoor terugvoert naar het verleden en dat de volgende prooi geheime connecties heeft met de Amerikaanse regering...
---
Uitgeverij: Luitingh-Sijthoff
ISBN: 90.245.2389.3
317 pg's; Paperback
Veertien jaar later zitten FBI-agenten Ira Levitt en Vida Johnson een mysterieuze seriemoordenaar op de hielen die seriemoordenaars vermoordt. Niemand heeft enig idee hoe de moordenaar erin slaagt hen te grazen te nemen, maar zeker is dat het spoor terugvoert naar het verleden en dat de volgende prooi geheime connecties heeft met de Amerikaanse regering...
---
Uitgeverij: Luitingh-Sijthoff
ISBN: 90.245.2389.3
317 pg's; Paperback
April 6, 2023
My absolute favorite! A serial killer who hunts serial killers. This was just a great book to read. The story, the characters, the detail, and fun read! I want to say more about it, but can’t! You should read this book
June 13, 2008
not bad lah.....
March 26, 2009
this book was a fun read. started off really good...but then then the author seemed to get lazy. The end was a lot more predicatable then anticipated from reading the back cover.
June 11, 2010
This was an enjoyable twist on the serial killer and vigilante type story.
January 17, 2014
Beginning to middle- yay! But as I start to read the last chapters, the story turns into something that I consider predictable.
December 31, 2014
more about this book, just check at here :
( http://my-mystery-readings.blogspot.c... )
( http://my-mystery-readings.blogspot.c... )
June 24, 2015
Fast-paced thriller about a telepathic vigilante chasing up the worst of murderers. Surprisingly good read.
October 22, 2016
As a straight-forward thriller, this works pretty well. I didn't think the science fiction aspect (telepathy) was dealt with enough, but I did enjoy it.
February 23, 2010
ga nemu versi terjemahannya :(
February 1, 2011
I wish these too wrote more books. Fun read and a great lead character.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews