Prayer for the Dead

John Becker #1

by David Wiltse

JOHN BECKER
left the FBI because he was too good at his job. He could think like a killer. And he enjoyed the thrill of the hunt...too much.

ROGER DYCE
was the serial killer whose twisted crimes would lure Becker back to his old profession. But this time, Becker is closer to his prey than ever before...

Close enough to kill.

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Serial Killer

343 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

David Wiltse was born in 1940 in Lincoln, Nebraska. He graduated from the University of Nebraska and currently lives in a small town in Connecticut. He has written plays for stage, screen and television and won a Drama Desk award for most promising playwright for Suggs (first produced at Lincoln Center in 1972). Always popular with Bookhaunts readers, his novels include the John Becker Novels and Billy Tree/Falls City Novels.

Reviews

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must have been channelling one of my Goodreads friends when I picked up this book, the first in a series, written in the early '90s (hi James). The lead character, John Becker, sounded pretty interesting so off we went.

Becker is an ex-FBI agent who has an uncanny ability to get into the heads of the serial killers he hunts. He's not sure how he feels about this and sometimes he scares himself with this talent. In the case of this book, it was with good reason because the killer here was one sick puppy. I thought the book may appear dated but this was not the case. I really liked the Becker character and the killer was well, if scarily, portrayed. I shall read more of Becker's exploits in the future.

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now over twenty years old--an early thriller by the author of the excellent Heartland. Very skillfully written, especially in the way an early description of the way a spider operates was recapitulated in the Big Finish, with the serial killer moving effortlessly around the attic rafters of a burned-out house, his victim suspended, sedated, and immobilized. Also a very compelling presentation of John Becker, a former FBI agent with almost as many psychological problems as the killer. There are more books about Becker, and I look forward to reading them. But I was forced to spend far more time than I wanted to with the killer, who was definitely not cute-and-fun-to-be-with. I was afraid for a while that chapters would alternate between him and the police; I'm grateful that the book became more complicated than that.

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

****Spoiler Alert*****

This is one of the scariest books that I have read. It told the story from the killers perspective and the FBI man that was hunting him and how it takes one to know one.

Becker is the FBI man on leave from the FBI because of the last assignment he was on. You get to hear some of the conversations between the government psychiatrist and Becker as well as what Becker doesn't really tell him. Psychiatrist Gold seems to be the perfect fit for Becker as he does not judge what Becker has done in the past running down serial killers. He seems to understand the conflicts that Becker has and want to help him as much as he can. Becker is a little on the fence about whether he needs help or not. I loved the conversations between Gold and Becker because you could feel the pain and suffering of Becker but understand that he had a lot of good things still going for him even though he was conflicted.

I didn't really like the killer's perspective, but it was very good because you also saw how he evolved from a little boy to a killer that didn't believe that he was doing anything wrong. This was the very scary part, for me anyway. I had trouble sleeping after reading what was done to the victims.

I am giving this 5 out of 5 because number 1; it was the first book in a series about Becker and number 2; it was so real, I had trouble reading all at one time.

[Susan Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

My friend, Jeanie, said this was a must... She was pretty right. It's written in the most interesting way. You meet the psychopathic killer first and, shortly thereafter, you meet John Becker, the retired special agent for the FBI. Their stories parallel for much of the book and it's really an interesting way to tell the story.

[Mimi Davis Hopkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Physiological Thriller

Funny how the mind works. This story gives a birds eye view into the mind of a lunatic. This author has done a very good job in penning this story. There is a very good flow and the reader becomes captured in the plot. The story wraps up nicely. Great Read

[Rob Leininger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creepy, humorous (in parts in the first half), alive with weird psychology in both the protagonist and the antagonist. But mostly just plain creepy. A novel that makes you think about the guy who wrote it. Well, all novels do that, but this is something of a special case.

[Viccy · Rating 4 out of 5]

1992. Great start to psychologically challenging series. FBI agent with an uncanny ability to get into the head of serial killer

[Branislav Ruzicic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written

[Endure · Rating 5 out of 5]

OOOO DYCE IS SO WEIRDDDD!!! I CANT GET OVER THAT. Such good details and great story. Loving this series.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had put off reading this novel for years, just waiting for the day that I would really appreciate a good psychological thriller. This is yet another novel upheld by critics (or whatever you call those
who slap blurbs together; blurbers?) as the next great challenger to Silence of the Lambs.

This was pretty good though. You have to admire a writer who can come up with an originally bent mind, and the killer here is certainly certifiable.
There is apparently a running theme throughout Wiltse's series, and that is the fascinating concept of the detective being an emphatic to the point where his need to think like the killer to understand him
becomes so encompassing that it threatens his own sanity.
In this first novel, this is becoming apparent but it wasn't as delved into as much as I had hoped. Perhaps the successive novels are better.
Anyways, this is a pretty good serial killer novel.
Not the best I've read, but not the worst either. A good quick read.

[Nick Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this back in the days when I visited the library frequently and picked up interesting-looking thriller (this was before I found Dean Koontz to be an author I could 'rely on' in this genre). This was picked up as a punt, and I enjoyed it very much - liking the cat-and-mouse feeling of the book, and the sense of creepiness that the author managed to create. Alas I never made the effort to read others of his - mainly because the library stocked a large number of Dean Koontz novels, which I decided to read.

[Shamshaad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm rating it 4 stars and not 5 because I was a little bit disappointed in 2 things... 1: the introduction of a love story in a psychological thriller... This bugs me. I hate it. And 2: we weren't allowed to fully delve into the psyche of both Becker and Dyce because it ended too soon... But other than that it was gripping, it was unusual and it was a great read. Thank you David Wiltse. I look forward to reading more of your work.

[procrastinator]

I started reading this at the suggestion of another crappy detective murder series fan when I was having trouble sleeping and needed something quick, and it didn't disappoint. I will tune into the next Wiltse to see if the protagonist and his ability to get into the mind of the serial killer continues to entertain.

[Marika Charalambous · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this novel totally unexpectedly. As it's an older one, I thought I wouldn't like it. But I was wrong. It had everything I love in a book: suspense, a good chuckle (or two), enough gore to keep it engaging, and a great main character (easy to have a crush on at any age). Have already organized a few next ones in the series from Bookmooch.com

[Carolyn (in SC) C234D · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this so long ago that I no longer remember it. I wrote at the time: New author to me. Good thriller about an x-FBI agent who has been called on to go after a serial killer. Don't know if it is a series.

This was in the days before Goodreads. Of course, now I know that this was the first in a series about John Becker. I would read another if I came across it.

[Nena · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun little story with bits of ickyness here and there. I believe this book is one of a series, and the detective (whom I developed a little crush on) is certainly complete enough to be a long-running character. He is what makes this book worth reading. One read was enough.

[Farhan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another enjoyable thriller featuring John Becker. This is a kind of prequel to Prayer for the Dead but it doesn't matter which one you read first. Becker races against time to thwart a sociopathic international terrorist's plans to sabotage a UN conference.

[Haytham Mohamed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creepy but interesting on the positive side, on the negative one the plot has so many holes to be filled, like the Norwegian link, wasn't convincing enough, also the relation between Dyce family members could have been explained much better.

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a great read. It doesn't concentrate on plot twists as much as character development, I liked that. A little disturbing, but no more so than other murder mysteries.

[Loralie · Rating 5 out of 5]

wow!!

[Andrew Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an early Wiltse and the pages in the book are yellowing; but the story is good.

[Diane Wachter · Rating 3 out of 5]

PB-B @ 1991, 3/95. An ex-FBI man who is called back to work on the case of a serial killer, because he's too good at his job and can think like a killer. Okay.

[Joni · Rating 4 out of 5]

7