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The Boy With Perfect Hands
Now in paperback-from the acclaimed author of For Edgar .
Special Agent Elizabeth Hewitt returns to investigate slayings linked to the nocturnes of one of the world's greatest composers-and experiences firsthand the haunting crescendo of a killer's inspiration.
Special Agent Elizabeth Hewitt returns to investigate slayings linked to the nocturnes of one of the world's greatest composers-and experiences firsthand the haunting crescendo of a killer's inspiration.
- GenresMystery
352 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
January 4, 2019
Confusing at times due to the first person's thought process.
May 8, 2010
RATING: 2.5
If you are an avid mystery reader, you have probably become overexposed to books that feature a serial killer. The only way that these kinds of books can seem fresh is to have the perpetrator be unusual in some way. The hook in The Boy with Perfect Hands is that the murderer is a lover of Chopin, who stages most of the killings to occur at 3:03 a.m., when a certain Chopin nocturne is scheduled to play on a local classical station. The other unusual aspect is that the killer alternates between older men and attractive young women who have the look of a fairy-tale princess. Neither of these were enough to make the book stand out from its brothers and sisters on the shelves.
Elizabeth Hewitt is a State Special Agent in Illinois who is investigating these cases. She’s an interesting character, feisty, intelligent, a little jaded and acerbic, extremely outspoken. She uses some unique methods, such as reenacting the murders herself so that she can interpret them more accurately. She knows there’s a link among the victims, but it takes her a while to make the connection to the musical aspect of the crime. That discovery drives her to the radio station; but she doesn’t feel that the logical suspect, who is rather a devious sort, is really the one who committed the crimes. Her attention to detail is what finally enables her to solve the case.
The main problem I had with the book was with its structure. Within the 316 pages of the book, there were 108 chapters, many of them one or two pages in length. Obviously, that led to a disruption in the flow of the narrative since there were so many breaking points. Furthermore, as the book progresses, Rusch begins to alternate chapters between the serial killer, who has a rather bombastic, descriptive style, and Hewitt, who is quite straightforward. I found trying to switch between these two voices so frequently to be a completely jarring experience. In addition, the final climactic scene was incredibly implausible, with about half of the book’s characters showing up at a remote scene for no reason that I could discern.
The first book in this series, For Edgar, debuted to wide acclaim. Unfortunately, The Boy with Perfect Hands failed to deliver on the promise exhibited there.
If you are an avid mystery reader, you have probably become overexposed to books that feature a serial killer. The only way that these kinds of books can seem fresh is to have the perpetrator be unusual in some way. The hook in The Boy with Perfect Hands is that the murderer is a lover of Chopin, who stages most of the killings to occur at 3:03 a.m., when a certain Chopin nocturne is scheduled to play on a local classical station. The other unusual aspect is that the killer alternates between older men and attractive young women who have the look of a fairy-tale princess. Neither of these were enough to make the book stand out from its brothers and sisters on the shelves.
Elizabeth Hewitt is a State Special Agent in Illinois who is investigating these cases. She’s an interesting character, feisty, intelligent, a little jaded and acerbic, extremely outspoken. She uses some unique methods, such as reenacting the murders herself so that she can interpret them more accurately. She knows there’s a link among the victims, but it takes her a while to make the connection to the musical aspect of the crime. That discovery drives her to the radio station; but she doesn’t feel that the logical suspect, who is rather a devious sort, is really the one who committed the crimes. Her attention to detail is what finally enables her to solve the case.
The main problem I had with the book was with its structure. Within the 316 pages of the book, there were 108 chapters, many of them one or two pages in length. Obviously, that led to a disruption in the flow of the narrative since there were so many breaking points. Furthermore, as the book progresses, Rusch begins to alternate chapters between the serial killer, who has a rather bombastic, descriptive style, and Hewitt, who is quite straightforward. I found trying to switch between these two voices so frequently to be a completely jarring experience. In addition, the final climactic scene was incredibly implausible, with about half of the book’s characters showing up at a remote scene for no reason that I could discern.
The first book in this series, For Edgar, debuted to wide acclaim. Unfortunately, The Boy with Perfect Hands failed to deliver on the promise exhibited there.
June 24, 2010
Another excellent book by Sheldon Rusch. A couple times I thought, "oh not again," expecting a formulaic repeat of For Edgar. Happily, I was wrong. I picked out the killer fairly early, but wavered several times. Never, ever suspected the solution that was presented. I can't wait to get a copy of Separated at Death. Keep 'em coming, Rusch.
May 18, 2012
Not as good as I remembered. Some of the authors choices just seemed awkward. Not the best, not the worst.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews