Point Blank

FBI Thriller #10

by Catherine Coulter

The explosive action kicks off as treasure-hunting FBI agent Ruth Warnecki is on the trail of stolen Confederate gold hidden in Winkel’s Cave in western Virginia. She never expects to find herself chin-deep in a grisly murder that leaves her nearly dead and rocks the town of Maestro.
And at a stakeout in Maryland, FBI agents Dillon Savich and Dane Carver are nearly killed in a horrific explosion while attempting to rescue a kidnap victim, Pinky Womack.
They are led to Arlington National Cemetery, where they not only find Pinky, but Savich also takes a fateful call on his cell from an old man out to kill both him and Sherlock. The thing is, they have no clue why. Pitted against an insane killer and his psychotic teenage girlfriend, Savich and Sherlock find themselves fighting a hate-driven villain with a very long and terrifying memory.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Suspense, Romance, Romantic Suspense, Mystery Thriller

368 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 23, 2005

Reviews

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Agents Sherlock and Savich chase two serial killers on the loose, while in rural Appalachia, another FBI agent who was exploring a cave turns up with a head injury and no memory of how she got lost in the snow. Bodies begin turning up and they seem connected to the local music school.

Trigger Warnings: rape

[Jennifer Wardrip · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story line is two-fold, and at first glance extremely interesting. We find married FBI agents Savich and Sherlock involved in a case of kidnapping and murder, the victim being a stand-up comic at a club Savich is involved with. The two kidnappers, an old man and his equally young side-kick, seem to be engaged in a personal vendetta against Dillon Savich, and have targeted Lacey Sherlock as one of their next victims.

Meanwhile, Special Agent Ruth Warnecki is treasure-hunting in a cave in Virginia , and stumbles upon something that frightens her enough that she ends up left for dead in the woods, with no memory of who she is or what she was doing. She's found by Dix, the local Sheriff, and although physically in good condition, she seems to have temporary amnesia.

POINT BLANK is definitely a quick read, and the story lines are interesting. But there were too many things that irritated me to let me enjoy the book the way I wanted to. For one, Ruth's amnesia--she went from not knowing who she was, what she did for a living, or what she was doing in Virginia to seeing Savich and Sherlock and "miraculously" having everything come back to her in about two minutes. Second, I have to agree with the reviewer who said the dialogue in the book was "stiff." There were instances during my reading that I knew I should be laughing or at least chuckling, but it didn't happen. The way the sentences were worded, and the dry words used in everyone's conversations, left me with the feeling that something essential was missing from the story.

Overall, POINT BLANK isn't the best Savich and Sherlock story, but it won't stop me from reading Ms. Coulter's next release. As long as you know in advance that you're not getting ready to read Ms. Coulter's best work, you'll be fine.

[Alex is The Romance Fox · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have a large number of books by this author and have loved reading about Savitch and Sherlock, who are such an amazing couple. I picked up Point Blank because it was the only book I still had to read in the series…and what a disappointment!!!!!!!!!!!! I felt as if this book had been written by a different person.

It was nothing like “The Maze”, “The Edge”, “The Cove” which I really liked. The story…well more than one, even two stories here….just didn’t get going for me.

It started off really well…Ruth searching for lost treasure in the cave….i was biting my nails as I read..and then…switch to Sherlock and Savitch chasing serial killers…..so many characters, so many killers…
I began skipping pages, hoping for something to happen but nothing did.

The relationship between Ruth and Dix seemed forced and I found no romance, passion whatsoever between the two. And the serial killers….after a while I was so confused who was who, and who was doing what. The dialogue was just not like her other books.

I struggled to finish this book, which really irked me…..I wanted so much to like the characters, the plot, but in the end, this did not happen.

[Melloways · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh my God...I am only about 20 pages into this book and it sucks so far. Too many characters are introduced at once. No background info. on any of the characters. So at this point, I don't really give a damn what happens to any of them since I feel so disconnected. I refuse to give up on the book though. If anyone else has read this book, please tell me it gets better...lol.

I gave up on this book. Never picked it up again. Blah

[Jeanne Utley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just wish we KNEW how things ENDED up with Ruth & Dix.

[Christa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this FBI Thriller. As always, it was great to see Savage and Sherlock. They are great characters, both so intelligent, and with wonderful chemistry and humor between them.

I liked Agent Ruth Warnecki. She was very resilient and tough. Her part of the storyline was interesting, with the caving and searching for confederate gold. Dix, the sheriff, was also a great character. He was such a good dad to his two teenaged sons, and I loved how protective he was of all of those in his community.

The storyline was interesting and complex. The murder of a young woman who was found in the cave where Ruth was looking for confederate gold began an ordeal for her, and a search for a pair of evil killers. There were other casualties along the way, and it took Savage, Sherlock, Dix, Ruth, to puzzle everything together and try to catch these gruesome, psychotic killers.

This was a good addition to the series. I'd recommend reading the books in order, so that you get the entire backstory of Savage and Sherlock. They're always central to the books, and their history is important in understanding and appreciating their dynamics.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love agents Savich and Sherlock. Good characters are essential to a really good read and there are other characters who have depth as well.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-read. Yikes! Caves! Small enclosed spaces! And, that's how it opens! Another goodie. ;)

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like this series. I am ready for the rest of them.

[Darren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read most of the books in the series. This is one of the best! Coulter manages to do something that not a lot of authors can do. She is very versatile in her writing. If you read this Siri's, Sherlock and Savage, don't convince yourself that this is the only genre that she can write. If you have read any of her historical romance books, you might think that they were written by a different author. Much like a singer who can sing music from any genre, and do it well, Catherine Coulter does the same thing with her writing. Somehow, she manages to find a way to keep each book in the series, fresh and new. Catherine avoids falling into the right of making each book same similar. This book will have your pulse racing with every turn of the page. There are multiple clots going on at one time. Once the main plot has been solved, Catherine manages to keep you hooked in order to find out what happens with the back stories. This is a Definite, must read!

[Lynn Winkelmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked that this book had 2 separate mysteries going on.

[Mary Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my 1st by this author, I enjoyed the story and the variety of characters. From some of the reviews I have read, many felt this was not her best work. This makes me want to check out her earlier books.

[L Cherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catherine Coulter has a way of weaving multiple mysteries so that you are constantly on the edge of your seat wondering what’s next.
This was another exciting installment to the FBI Thriller series.

[Zada · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beginning of this book was fantastic but it went downhill quickly. I had to force myself to continue reading, definitely not up to the author’s usual writing.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a re-read, but classic Coulter!

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two-haiku review:

Agent almost killed
Saved by local town sheriff
But find murdered girl

Not fully resolved
Started great but then slowed down
Three-and-a-half stars

[Alm Melson · Rating 1 out of 5]

For ages I've avoided what I think of as "Sherlock and Savich" books when browsing for new reading material. Whenver I'd see their names in a synopsis, I'd put the book down, vaguely thinking, "No, I don't like those." I didn't remember which book or books of this series I'd read in the past or even why I didn't like them.

Then, just recently, I saw Point Blank on the sale rack of the local bookstore, a hardcover for under $8, so I thought, "What the hey, times are hard; I'll give it a try."

Well, I couldn't finish it. The story itself was all right--had the potential to be interesting, but the dialogue is unbelievably stilted. Real people do not talk that way!! Coulter tries to use dialogue to advance the plot, which is a great technique, but she is horrible at it. And what's up with the sheriff telling this stranger he's just met how all the people he happens to mention died?? People don't do that!

There's also zero interesting development of characters. Judging by my response to Sherlock in this book, I think one thing that turned me off to this series before is what a mousy "little woman" she is, always trailing along in Savich's wake. I require strong female characters and this series does not provide.

Also I'm annoyed by the love affair that Coutler seemed intent on setting up between the main female protagonist (Ruth) and the small-town sheriff. Give me a break. If I wanted to read cheesy romance, I'd buy a Harlequin.

Don't waste your money on Coulter, even if it's only $8 for a hardback. Read Nevada Barr, Kathy Reichs, J.D. Robb (The In Death series is the only quasi-romance series I can tolerate!), Patricia Cornwell. Read Kay Hooper if you must read about FBI agents; her Special Crime Unit series is good. But don't bother with Coulter.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this is a book best listened to in "pieces" such as long drives. The plot is two fold. FBI agents Savich and Sherlock hunt a kidnapper and killer only to find themselves being hunted by a psychopath out for revenge. Meanwhile, agent Ruth Warnecki is on vacation treasure hunting in a cave. Instead, she finds a body and is herself attacked. Suffering from amnesia, she becomes a target by unknown assailants, and eventually becomes embroiled in murders at a local prestigious school for musical proteges
The book is long and there are many characters in this book. Jumping back and forth between plots can be confusing at times. However the camaraderie between the agents and newly introduced local police investigators is enjoyable as it develops. The psychopath and his sidekick are truly evil. There is plenty of action such as murders, bombs going off, gunfights and narrow escapes. There also appears to be a relationship forming between Agent Warnecki and the local sheriff, yet he himself has some unresolved issues in his life which makes me wonder if this will continue in future books. The endings leave a few loose threads however in general, this was an enjoyable audiobook.

[Merredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first read this in December 2008. It is the 10th book in the FBI Thriller series with Savich and Sherlock, but probably the first book i read of this series. I liked it well enough at time. I did not go back and start reading the whole series because of this book. I think I did that without even realizing that I'd read a book in the series, then when i came to ten, i saw i'd already read it. i liked it a bit better the second time, because i knew the people already. i didnt remember much from the first time. there were two storylines, one about an agent Ruth and a cave and some murders, and another about an old man and a teenaged girl who were trying to get S & S because of something in their past. This book brought an extra resolution to an earlier storyline, and brought back a character much improved. Good book.

[Kaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another Savitch and Sherlock FBI story. I think I'd give up on them except they are very easy to listen to on my Ipod. Typical Coulter story, one mystery with the FBI married duo and another that they are involved with that leads to romance for someone else. I appreciated this time that their own child wasn't in danger and they seemed to use good police work to solve the mystery. But all that being said these are just average stories and not "thrillers" or anything that will stick with you when you finish reading them. They are very clean for language and no sex.

[Sheri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Point Blank (Catherine Coulter) And FBI Thriller

FBI Agents Lacey Sherlock and Dillon Savich face the most explosive case of their careers, pitting them against an unstable villain-with a very long memory. Special Ruth Warnicki is kidnapped by a madman while on vacation, looking for treasures.

A bit disappointing, since I am a big Catherine Coulter fan, and have read all of her books. This one was a bit slow, a few too many characters to remember and it just dragged on (too long for my liking). But I do like Coulter, and I intend to read more of her books.

[Katy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Catherine Coulter writes good thrillers. Her Savich & Sherlock FBI Thrillers can be violent, grisly, creepy and "can't keep from reading it although it scares me to death." I liked this one because it was set in eastern VA , has caving in it, and actually has a good plot.

I want more though. I want to know what happened to the beloved professor. I want to know what happened to the sheriff's missing wife. And I want to know how Ruth will figure into this community and family in the future. For me this book not only had a good plot, it has me wanting more.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good, fast diversion. Ending was a bit disatisfying. Could have used a little more wrap up, but always entertaining to take a visit to the world of Savich and Sherlock.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good interesting story but way too many characters to keep up with. It jumped around a lot too but wasn't too awfully hard to keep up with.

[Maura · Rating 3 out of 5]

As usual, we have a split storyline. Savich and Sherlock spend time on both cases but are mostly concerned with the one involving a old man named Moses Grace and his little insane teenage friend, Claudia, who are after some serious revenge for someone Savich killed. They outsmart him everytime and Savich and Sherlock just can't catch a break. In the meantime, Agent Ruth Warnecki was treasure hunting in Maestro Virginia and something goes wrong and she wakes up with amnesia, having been rescued by Sheriff Dix Noble. But some men are hunting down Ruth and trying to kill her, so Dix and Ruth start looking into that. When they go back to the cave where Ruth originally was, they find a murdered woman and begin investigating together, along with sometimes Savich and Sherlock. Then, a suspect's secretary ends up dead and things get even more confusing.

This one wasn't awful, and I was actually kind of enjoying this one, but the ending kinda ruined this for me. The case with Savich and Sherlock wasn't bad, though I knew from the start, as soon as the villains started claiming it was revenge for a killing, that it was about Tammy Tuttle . So that wasn't much of a mystery to me, but it took Savich and Sherlock a lot longer to find that connection, since presumably he's killed so many people. And his sudden ability to know that connection without any solid evidence was a bit out of the blue. But this was still a decently solid suspense plot that introduced some tension between Savich and Sherlock that was a bit out of the norm, but definitely welcome. Dix and Ruth and their case was a bit less interesting. Evidently a romance was building between Dix and Ruth, but I didn't feel the chemistry - they kind of already felt like a staid, old married couple - no sexual chemistry. They kiss once or twice and that's it. Their investigation was just awful. They do end up figuring out who killed the first woman and tried to kill Ruth. They figure they know who killed the second woman, but they confront the person they think did it with absolutely no evidence. They have no evidence of this person's guilt but they dog this person and throw it all in this person's face hoping for a confession. Instead, what they get is an escaped criminal who loses their reputation, sure, but ends up scott free somewhere in the world. And I guess, Dix and Ruth consider this justice. All in all, pretty shoddy police work and a pretty damn unsatisfactory ending to the case. I mean, this person definitely deserved punishment though one could say the death of the first woman was punishment enough , but I don't believe so. I honestly don't believe this person loved her as they claim . This actually did add up to a decent suspense plot, but the author totally dropped the ball on it in the end and because of that I ended up not liking it after all. On top of that, the constant mention of Christie and her disappearance/death and not knowing what happened...I figured that might also get solved here. But no. Nothing there either. So read it if you want, it's not so bad, but I don't know if I like how the author keeps trying to end these cases in new and unique ways that basically leave the ambiguously villainous villains off free .

[Linda Munro · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book starts with a small town sheriff chasing his dog into the woods behind his house where he finds a women unconscious in the snow. The woman has no memory as to what happened to her and cannot remember her name. The woman is Special Agent Ruth Warnecki who was treasure hunting in a place called Winkle’s Cave.

At the same time, Agents Sherlock and Savach along with other agents are attempting to rescue a kidnapping victim, only to have the motel wired with explosions, Savich and Dean Carver barely escape with their lives

From the motel the agents are lead to Arlington Cemetery where an ambush awaits them. While there, Savich receives a phone call from a psychotic old man and his equally psychotic teenaged girlfriend who have both Sherlock and Savach in their crosshairs; the couple has been marked for death for murdering someone; but no one has a clue who the couple are referring to.

While the agents search through Savixh’s recent cases and try to locate the psychotic duo, Savich and Sherlock head to Maestro once they have been alerted to Ruth’s location. Sewing Savich, Ruth’s memory returns, and now alone with the sheriff, the agents retrace their steps only to find a young murdered woman. Soon they find themselves embroiled in multiple murders and another attempt on Ruth’s life.

In the midst of the investigation, Savich and Sherlock are called back to Washington and the case of the psychotic duo. With careful investigation and help from Max, Savich learns the identity of the man claiming to be Moses Grace and figures out a means by which to finally capture them; but, the president of the US must grant permission to do what otherwise would be illegal, even for the FBI.

At the same time, Ruth and Dix have figured out the events and the murderers in the case. With three dead, only one is left and although they have no evidence they feel that by going to the murderer they may get a confession; instead, with the help of his family, he flees.

The only other problem left to solve is will Savich’s idea finally work?

[Brittney Jamison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ruth Warnecki is an FBI agent who loves to go on adventures and look for lost treasure that has been left behind, but when something happens to her down in that cave in Virginia, she is out in the cold for death with no memory of anything. Meanwhile in Maryland, the FBI agents are trying to rescue a kidnaped victim from the dangerously insane killer Moses Grace and his psychotic girlfriend Claudia, but it turns out to be a bombing instead to get revenge on Agent Savich. Lucky for Ruth she was found by the towns local sheriff and is being kept at his house until she can be identified, but not before two men come to the house shooting at her because she knows to much when her memory does return. When Agent Savich realizes that a woman has been found who has no idea who she is, he realizes that it is Ruth. When Agent Savich and Agent Sherlock show up on Sheriff Noble’s door Ruth suddenly remembers everything. Ruth never meant to stumble upon the murder in the cave, but she did and now multiple people in the town are dying, but no one can determine who the killer is and who will be next on their hit list. Meanwhile Moses Grace and Claudia are still causing havoc. They are smart enough to not get themselves caught, but they aren’t smart enough to not drop clues to help the FBI catch them.  This book constantly kept me in suspense. Behind every page turn I never know what was going to happen. I really wasn’t a fan of having two different story lines in the book because I felt like one story line was getting more attention than the other. In the first chapter we learn about Ruth and in the second we learn about Moses Grace and Claudia and then their story line doesn’t show back up again until we are about halfway through the book. I personally didn’t like that and I think it was more the suspense of wanting to know their story and not being able to hear it.

[ElaineY · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 and half stars

Enjoyed this much more than I expected to. This series has been a hit or miss for me so it never stayed on my TBR radar. Now that I've enjoyed one more than any of the earlier books, I will continue with the series.

Like the blurb says, there are two storylines here - the main one is about FBI Ruth Warnecki and how she ended up in Maestro, Virginia, and how the Sherriff, Dixon Noble, takes her into his home after she stumbles onto his property, injured and, it turns out, suffering from amnesia. Most likely retrograde amnesia which can resolve itself within 24 hours (the amnesia where we see someone losing whole lives and identities is very rare and happens mainly in fiction).

The secondary plot involves Savich. Sherlock is, of course, glued to his side, but the action revolves around Savich. I wasn't as interested in this subplot. We see it only in the first half of the book, interspersed with the Ruth Warnecki one then it disappears and the rest of the book focuses on Warnecki and Sheriff Dix. There are several secondary characters and I did get a little lost at times trying to remember who they were and their connection to the main characters.

The subplot involving Savich is thinly connected to Book 6, Hemlock Bay.

Did I miss something or was Christie's disapperance (Sheriff Dix's wife) never explained? And while we see Dix is developing feelings for Ruth and he wants to move on with his life, there is no romance as such in this book. It is implied, though Ruth did kiss him.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ruth Warnecki - FBI agent, working with S&S; treasure hunter; found a treasure map in a old book that she bought in a sale; on her own time (and by herself) she goes hunting in the cave... and when she gets to the cave x'd on the map, she gets dizzy, and passes out; The next day, she is found in the snow/woods near Dix's place, with no memory of how she got there;

Sheriff Dixon Noble aka Dix / Rafe and Rob- mom disappeared without a trace 3 years earlier (assumed dead, because she isn't the kind to walk out) ; dad and teen-age boys are starting to get their feet under them;

Sherlock & Savich - are being challenged by an old man and a young woman (16 year old psychopath)... with deaths, bombs, and lots of taunting; they also go to Ruth, when she's found, to try to figure it out;

Moses Grace aka Tammy/Tommy's grandfather - he was incarcerated in a psych ward in Canada for 9 years; he's out now, and wants revenge on S&S for his grandchildren;

They get Moses before he gets them...

and Ruth and Dix's is more complicated... his uncle-in-law is a 'ladies' man', a well-known magician, head of a music college - who seduces artist/students to 'feed' his muse; his secretary, whom he had a short affair, and who still idolizes him - kills his most recent 'love' because he seems to think more of her than the others; she used a gas in the cave with the amore which affected Ruth; ultimately the uncle kills the secretary, when she told him wht he did;

They didn't quite resolve the love affair between Dix and Ruth - and we still don't know what happened to Dix' wife... and they did find a higher number of missing women in the area - another question mark... the next book?

[Charissa Wilkinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overview: Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock have a new opponent in this novel. Moses Grace is hunting down anyone who seems to be close to our favorite couple. If that wasn’t bad enough, the man seems determined to taunt Savich at every step of the way. At the same time, another FBI agent is on her vacation. Unfortunately Ruth’s treasure hunting vacation is about to turn into a nightmare.


Dislikes: My biggest problem with this novel was how the whole town--that Ruth was in--seemed to turn a blind eye to the headmaster and, at least one of, the teachers of a musical academy having highly inappropriate relationships with the students. At a minimum, both aggressors should be fired and banned from any and all teaching jobs.

Of course Moses Grace had a nasty attitude.

Likes: Dix Noble and his whole police force were determined to find the killer in their midst.

Marilyn Warluski seemed to thrive in spite of her family. That is something when you consider how a gem came out of that particular den of vipers.

Conclusion: This was a fun story. Just don’t think about the plausibility of the story too much and you will have fun with it.