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Jack Dantzler #3
Gnosis
Greek word meaning knowledge.
Murder, mystery and redemption are at the heart of “Gnosis.”
Detective Jack Dantzler has no clue why he has been summoned to the prison to meet with the Reverend Eli Whitehouse, a man convicted of committing a double murder twenty-nine years ago. He is stunned when Eli claims to be innocent and wants Dantzler to prove it. But Eli only gives Dantzler a single clue—look at the obituaries in the local paper for a specific two-week period.
Reluctantly, Dantzler agrees to look into the case. As he does, two more people are brutally murdered. And although Dantzler isn’t aware of it, he has become a target for the killer. Dantzler goes back to Eli and pleads for another clue. All Eli says is, “think of Jesus’s empty tomb.” It will be this whispered utterance that unlocks the mystery and reveals the killer’s identity. But this isn’t just any ordinary killer. This is a man with a dark and bloody past, a man with connections to the highest levels of organized crime. Dantzler is now on the trail of an ice-cold assassin, fully aware that one slip will mean instant death.
Sometimes having too much knowledge can lead to deadly consequences.
Murder, mystery and redemption are at the heart of “Gnosis.”
Detective Jack Dantzler has no clue why he has been summoned to the prison to meet with the Reverend Eli Whitehouse, a man convicted of committing a double murder twenty-nine years ago. He is stunned when Eli claims to be innocent and wants Dantzler to prove it. But Eli only gives Dantzler a single clue—look at the obituaries in the local paper for a specific two-week period.
Reluctantly, Dantzler agrees to look into the case. As he does, two more people are brutally murdered. And although Dantzler isn’t aware of it, he has become a target for the killer. Dantzler goes back to Eli and pleads for another clue. All Eli says is, “think of Jesus’s empty tomb.” It will be this whispered utterance that unlocks the mystery and reveals the killer’s identity. But this isn’t just any ordinary killer. This is a man with a dark and bloody past, a man with connections to the highest levels of organized crime. Dantzler is now on the trail of an ice-cold assassin, fully aware that one slip will mean instant death.
Sometimes having too much knowledge can lead to deadly consequences.
259 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 15, 2011
21 people are currently reading
155 people want to read
About the author
Tom Wallace
81 books16 followersTom Wallace is the author of two previous detective novels, What Matters Blood and The Devil’s Racket, both set in Lexington, Kentucky, where he currently lives. The Heirs of Cain will be his first novel published by Medallion Press. It is the story of a legendary assassin who must track down a former comrade hired to kill the U.S. president and three top Middle East leaders.
Tom spent many years as a successful, award-winning sportswriter/editor in his native Kentucky. He authored five sports-related books, including the highly popular Kentucky Basketball Encyclopedia, an in-depth history of the University of Kentucky’s legendary hoops program. He has contributed articles and columns to numerous national sports magazines, and has also done writing/editing on two national bestsellers by basketball coach Rick Pitino—Success Is A Choice And Lead To Succeed.
Tom is a Vietnam vet, an avid reader, and an admittedly snobbish movie guy. He is also an active member of Mystery Writers of America and the Author’s Guild. Tom’s two artistic icons are Marlon Brando and Leonard Cohen.
Tom spent many years as a successful, award-winning sportswriter/editor in his native Kentucky. He authored five sports-related books, including the highly popular Kentucky Basketball Encyclopedia, an in-depth history of the University of Kentucky’s legendary hoops program. He has contributed articles and columns to numerous national sports magazines, and has also done writing/editing on two national bestsellers by basketball coach Rick Pitino—Success Is A Choice And Lead To Succeed.
Tom is a Vietnam vet, an avid reader, and an admittedly snobbish movie guy. He is also an active member of Mystery Writers of America and the Author’s Guild. Tom’s two artistic icons are Marlon Brando and Leonard Cohen.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
February 9, 2013
Tom Wallace has written a page-turner that is intelligent as well as very entertaining. He has created a hard-boiled and tenacious detective in Jack Dantzler, who is cynical yet compassionate in seeking the truth. "Gnosis" has enough twists and turns -- and whodunits -- to keep you keep you thinking, from the opening hook to the last chapter. For those who love murder mysteries, this is one to add to your reading list.
January 2, 2018
Well written. Amazing style.
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October 25, 2016Gnosis
Tom Wallace is another new author for me and I really enjoyed this one. A story of protecting family by taking the punishment for a crime you didn't commit. As you are dying in prison of cancer, you find a way to free yourself and your family and have the true criminal found and brought to justice.
Tom Wallace is another new author for me and I really enjoyed this one. A story of protecting family by taking the punishment for a crime you didn't commit. As you are dying in prison of cancer, you find a way to free yourself and your family and have the true criminal found and brought to justice.
August 24, 2012
Like every good crime thriller, Gnosis opens with a murder, one that is perplexing in its apparent randomness. Twenty-nine years later, Jack Dantzler, a dedicated Lexington detective with years of experience, is summoned by Reverend Eli Whitehouse, who was convicted of the crime. Whitehouse claims that he is innocent and wants Dantzler to prove it. Dantzler is initially skeptical, but “like it or not, his interest had been piqued.” He is also unable to stand the thought of an innocent man could be in prison, and so he begins looking into the case. When one of the people who was involved in the case is brutally murdered, Dantzler realizes that not only is the reverend innocent, but the real killer is still out there—and still killing.
The majority of Gnosis is written like a typical detective story or police procedural, depicting conversations between investigators, interviews with witnesses, and the like. Wallace lays out Dantzler’s internal thoughts as he contemplates his case, outlining the detective’s logic, doubts, and ruminations. There is also a major religious element woven into this murder mystery. Dantzler’s first discussion with Whitehouse concerns God, and his third-person internal monologues are strewn with his musings on the subject as the book progresses.
The puzzle at the center of Gnosis is intriguing enough to keep the pages turning, especially when the real killer shows up, depicted as an unnamed shadowy figure, and stalks Dantzler. At the same time, Wallace likes to paint vibrant portraits of his characters, including the ones he kills off. His writing is mostly straightforward and down-to-earth, making it easy to move from sentence to sentence without realizing how many pages one has gone through.
Gnosis is a book that’s virtually impossible to walk away from, the kind that had me flipping the pages thinking, “What happens? What happens? What happens?” Its slower character-centric scenes are more than offset by the swirling questions of a baffling case, one that is anything but closed.
[This is a condensed version of a full review on my blog, Zigzag Timeline]
The majority of Gnosis is written like a typical detective story or police procedural, depicting conversations between investigators, interviews with witnesses, and the like. Wallace lays out Dantzler’s internal thoughts as he contemplates his case, outlining the detective’s logic, doubts, and ruminations. There is also a major religious element woven into this murder mystery. Dantzler’s first discussion with Whitehouse concerns God, and his third-person internal monologues are strewn with his musings on the subject as the book progresses.
The puzzle at the center of Gnosis is intriguing enough to keep the pages turning, especially when the real killer shows up, depicted as an unnamed shadowy figure, and stalks Dantzler. At the same time, Wallace likes to paint vibrant portraits of his characters, including the ones he kills off. His writing is mostly straightforward and down-to-earth, making it easy to move from sentence to sentence without realizing how many pages one has gone through.
Gnosis is a book that’s virtually impossible to walk away from, the kind that had me flipping the pages thinking, “What happens? What happens? What happens?” Its slower character-centric scenes are more than offset by the swirling questions of a baffling case, one that is anything but closed.
[This is a condensed version of a full review on my blog, Zigzag Timeline]
May 29, 2012
There is a lot to like in "Gnosis" by Tom Wallace, starting with lead detective, Jack Dantzler. He's the kind of detective I'd want on my side: smart, resourceful, and a thinker. Wallace has also created an intriguing story. Summoned to the state prison, Detective Dantzler is asked by a cock-sure, dying prisoner to solve a crime from 29 years ago of which he claims now to be innocent. I settle in for the read. And it's a good one with crisp dialogue, real characters, a too hot girlfriend, and some questions about that conviction that need to be asked and that draw Dantzler to accept then embrace the challenge to answer them.
While I enjoyed the read and recommend it to other mystery/thriller readers, it has some unanswered loose ends. Without giving away the ending, I was disappointed that, after all the build up, there wasn't the mano-a-mano confrontation between good and evil. With all the well-placed biblical references and tie-ins, my reader's appetite was whetted for a bang-up ending, but the ending just kind of petered out with almost a deus ex machina event to resolve the situation, but not case. What I got was a big wrap-up that was good, but a let down from expectations. The other funny/disturbing thing was that the gaggle of detectives at this locale seemed to have unlimited time (and no other cases) to cause them conflict.
Now that the bad guy is eliminated, I want to live next door to Dantzler on the lake and clink a bottle with him and chat up some of the women he's met on the way. Despite the grumbling on my part, this is a smooth, entertaining read with an ending that will satisfy most. It is a worthy "4."
While I enjoyed the read and recommend it to other mystery/thriller readers, it has some unanswered loose ends. Without giving away the ending, I was disappointed that, after all the build up, there wasn't the mano-a-mano confrontation between good and evil. With all the well-placed biblical references and tie-ins, my reader's appetite was whetted for a bang-up ending, but the ending just kind of petered out with almost a deus ex machina event to resolve the situation, but not case. What I got was a big wrap-up that was good, but a let down from expectations. The other funny/disturbing thing was that the gaggle of detectives at this locale seemed to have unlimited time (and no other cases) to cause them conflict.
Now that the bad guy is eliminated, I want to live next door to Dantzler on the lake and clink a bottle with him and chat up some of the women he's met on the way. Despite the grumbling on my part, this is a smooth, entertaining read with an ending that will satisfy most. It is a worthy "4."
July 5, 2012
Review from Read that also
Brisk opening and crisp and fast narration does justice to the genre. Mystery is build reasonably well. At times, there are periods where nothing happens, but they also add to the feeling of linearly building up of tension. Sometimes, the bout of action which comes after long periods of idleness makes you wish that the story moved a bit faster. Well, it don’t and I have a sneaky suspicion that this deliberate brick by brick approach is a major reason behind the charm of the book. The author has build up a confusing haze in the beginning and clears it up painstakingly as we move through the book, pausing at intervals to throw a new thread or two at the reader
Brisk opening and crisp and fast narration does justice to the genre. Mystery is build reasonably well. At times, there are periods where nothing happens, but they also add to the feeling of linearly building up of tension. Sometimes, the bout of action which comes after long periods of idleness makes you wish that the story moved a bit faster. Well, it don’t and I have a sneaky suspicion that this deliberate brick by brick approach is a major reason behind the charm of the book. The author has build up a confusing haze in the beginning and clears it up painstakingly as we move through the book, pausing at intervals to throw a new thread or two at the reader
May 21, 2013
I read a lot of thrillers, from John Sanford to Lee Child and everyone in between and I am now hooked on the Jack Dantzler series after finishing Tom Wallace's Gnosis. (Warning: This is book three in the series. I didn't know there were two before this one)Set in nearby Lexington, Kentucky I greatly enjoyed reading the quality of thriller I've expect from the big named authors but set here in Kentucky. The novel kept me guessing, which is very refreshing, but not in a totally unrealistic way. I highly recommend you read Gnosis, but you might want to pick up the first two before you do. I'm headed off to order them right now!
July 24, 2012
Gnosis means seeking knowledge. Dantzler was a detective trying to solve a 29 year old double murder case. After being inprisoned for three decades Reverend Eli Whitehouse finally decides that maybe he would like to die a free man. He called in the good detective and told him - I'm innocent. Find out who killed those two kids in my barn. So the story goes. It was a good read, nothing fantastic, the murderer wasn't who I expected but the ending - well it basically just stopped! I wanted to know who murdered the murderer???? Sequel perhaps?
September 24, 2012
This may have been a good book but it has been thrown off my kindle bookshelf and into the bin. I may be tetchy about this, but within 3 chapters the characters are pretty derogatory of the British-was it tongue in cheek? NOT funny at all-what is the point of doing that? Those sort of comments did not add anything to the plot, enrich the narrative or make a non humorous book funny-pointless and rude.
May 3, 2012
Wallace has pulled off another thriller that keeps the pages turning in anticipation. Detective Dantzler is hot on the trail of a killer who has pulled off 2 murders and sent an innocent man to prison. The trick is...the murders took place 29 years ago and Dantzler is truly on a "cold case" trail.
October 13, 2013
It would have been 5 if it ended not too abruptly and also did not like the fact that johnny richards died just like that. Didn't say who killed him except just assumption that his history finally caught up with him. It's a good read though!
June 5, 2012
Good story. Compelling characters. I enjoyed this book.
September 18, 2012
Great story. Had me guessing all the way. Wonderful writer.
September 19, 2012
One of the best crime thrillers I read in a long time. Felt like a true story
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews