What do you think?
Rate this book
"A serial killer holds a city in the grip of terror in a hard-boiled, gritty novel of crime in Chicago." "He's a cutter. He accosts unsuspecting young women, he overwhelms them with a pad of ether. Then he kills them. And eviscerates the corpses, neatly, professionally. The crime scenes he leaves behind are not pretty." "This crime novel sets Jimmy Parisi of Chicago Homicide, a strictly no-nonsense kind of Italian cop, on the gory trail of an elusive but very efficient (and alarmingly active) killer. The bodies are beginning to pile up. The killer is so rapidly harvesting a crop of female organs, in fact, that the cops in Parisi's department are calling him "the Farmer."" "Employing criminal profiling techniques, Parisi narrows his list of possible perpetrators to three - and then just one. And the more involved Parisi becomes in the case, the more he fears that he is not dealing simply with a rapist-killer out to satisfy his psychopathic itch but rather with a depraved entrepreneur in the business of supplying fresh organs to the medical black markets of Europe and Asia. What's more, he strongly suspects that Mafia agents are acting as the Farmer's brokers." Parisi begins to zero in on his quarry, and the path he follows leads him ultimately to a confrontation as unforgettable as it is shocking. For Parisi finds himself in not only his own neighborhood but his own backyard, where the Farmer has set his sights on a beautiful young redhead - Jimmy Parisi's wife.
214 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
60 people are currently reading
668 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
May 23, 2018
To say I'm now obsessed with Thomas Laird and this series is an understatement. This book is just WOW.
I've always had a fondness for a good crime novel/television show/film. My love of Bones, Kathy Reich's novels, 19-2, Chicago Fire/PD/etc, NCIS, Hawaii Five-O, and so many others are all stapled on my book shelf and DVD collection. What's always hard though, is finding a REALLY good book - and Thomas Laird made one.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I am desperate to get more of these novels. I don't know how Thomas Laird did it, but for me he made a hit. Yes, there were some slower parts of this book that dragged on, but when the book gets moving, it moves FAST. I love our lead and his romantic interest Natalie, and their little family side plots. I love the relationship between the department, and I love the side chapters of the killer. It's all fantastic!!
The chapters involving the killer show how sadistic this killer is, and it was a very interesting twist. Most of the novels or shows I've seen don't give much insight into the killer until the end! Yet this book does it just perfectly - a little hint of what the person is doing, but nothing to give away who it is.
This book is definitely close to R rated. There are some gruesome descriptions and some explicit sex/rape scenes - so this book isn't for the light-hearted. But it is an excellent crime story!! These brutal scenes fit in with the narrative and help tell the story - they aren't just in there for shock factor or to make the book seem "sexy" like some crime novels have done. These aren't passionate sex scenes, they are brutal and show how horrible the killer is.
Our lead character is a bit...interesting. He's a tough guy and uses some rough language, but it doesn't take away from the story. It seems to be more of a character development issue if anything. Reading other reviews people didn't like that part of the story, but for me it just highlighted what type of character he is. Not everyone is sunshine and roses in police departments, unfortunately. Just like everything other job in this world - no one is perfect and uses G-rated language all the time.
One thing I'm furious about - the ending. It was on a cliff hanger and MY GOODNESS DO I HATE CLIFFHANGERS. Knowing that I probably won't be able to find the second book in this series anytime soon makes it worse... Even with that cliffhanger though, the book was a definite recommended read from me. It's a spectacular crime drama that hits all the notes it needs to.
Overall - this dark, twisted crime novel is everything I wanted it to be and more. What a great fast paced thriller!
Five out of five stars.
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
I've always had a fondness for a good crime novel/television show/film. My love of Bones, Kathy Reich's novels, 19-2, Chicago Fire/PD/etc, NCIS, Hawaii Five-O, and so many others are all stapled on my book shelf and DVD collection. What's always hard though, is finding a REALLY good book - and Thomas Laird made one.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I am desperate to get more of these novels. I don't know how Thomas Laird did it, but for me he made a hit. Yes, there were some slower parts of this book that dragged on, but when the book gets moving, it moves FAST. I love our lead and his romantic interest Natalie, and their little family side plots. I love the relationship between the department, and I love the side chapters of the killer. It's all fantastic!!
The chapters involving the killer show how sadistic this killer is, and it was a very interesting twist. Most of the novels or shows I've seen don't give much insight into the killer until the end! Yet this book does it just perfectly - a little hint of what the person is doing, but nothing to give away who it is.
This book is definitely close to R rated. There are some gruesome descriptions and some explicit sex/rape scenes - so this book isn't for the light-hearted. But it is an excellent crime story!! These brutal scenes fit in with the narrative and help tell the story - they aren't just in there for shock factor or to make the book seem "sexy" like some crime novels have done. These aren't passionate sex scenes, they are brutal and show how horrible the killer is.
Our lead character is a bit...interesting. He's a tough guy and uses some rough language, but it doesn't take away from the story. It seems to be more of a character development issue if anything. Reading other reviews people didn't like that part of the story, but for me it just highlighted what type of character he is. Not everyone is sunshine and roses in police departments, unfortunately. Just like everything other job in this world - no one is perfect and uses G-rated language all the time.
One thing I'm furious about - the ending. It was on a cliff hanger and MY GOODNESS DO I HATE CLIFFHANGERS. Knowing that I probably won't be able to find the second book in this series anytime soon makes it worse... Even with that cliffhanger though, the book was a definite recommended read from me. It's a spectacular crime drama that hits all the notes it needs to.
Overall - this dark, twisted crime novel is everything I wanted it to be and more. What a great fast paced thriller!
Five out of five stars.
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
January 2, 2016
Even though the plot was good, i really disliked this book. It was written from the point of view of a chicago homicide detective and this detective is a tough guy, maybe more suited for the mob than the police. As a result, the language throughout the book is harsh and laced with racist epithets and other 'tough guy' talk. I found the testosterone level annoying and therefore i didn't care about the characters. Granted, the bad guy was REALLY bad, but i just didn't care enough about the 'good guy' to worry about him. So for me the book didn't work.
August 11, 2011
I couldn't put it down, but I really, really wanted to. An edge of the seat thriller that was frankly too graphic for my liking.
December 30, 2013
A little too graphic for my liking. It was slow-paced at the beginning and got a bit more exciting as it went on.
February 7, 2018
I received my copy of this novel from Goodreads in exchange for my unbiased review. This is a good, solid police procedural. Reading other reviews, some readers found it was too graphic for them. Yes, there are some disturbing scenes, so not for the overly squeamish. There are no surprises - the perpetrator is revealed in the early pages. Now, the cops have to find him and connect him to the murders. A quick read. Well done!
May 26, 2009
This was written by a school mate of mine who always wanted to be a writer and now he is. Good characters with Chicago connections. Fast paced detective story that drives you to want to catch the evil doer before he can harm anyone else. Besides that he has another of my friends as a sheriff in Dekalb County, can't go wrong there.
December 22, 2015
ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS.
This was a great book from beginning to end. The pace was fast and exciting. I loved the characters and the conclusion was fantastic. I highly recommend this book. Read it. You won't be disappointed.
This was a great book from beginning to end. The pace was fast and exciting. I loved the characters and the conclusion was fantastic. I highly recommend this book. Read it. You won't be disappointed.
November 8, 2017
I didn't find it too bad graphically like some other readers but I do read a lot of crime books. Took me forever to read by my normal standards and, I just didn't warm to any of the characters. The plots there and I could see it being really good but, it didn't really hold my attention.
July 11, 2016
PopSugar Reading Challenge 2015 | Task 10: A mystery/thriller
December 27, 2015
Great read
Great read.thrilling to the end. Would read more of his books. Keep up the good work.I,'ll be watching for them.
Great read.thrilling to the end. Would read more of his books. Keep up the good work.I,'ll be watching for them.
December 29, 2015
Psychotic Break
Too gruesome for me. I do not like serial killer books. The good news is that the book is full length and well written.
Too gruesome for me. I do not like serial killer books. The good news is that the book is full length and well written.
December 31, 2015
Not so much of a thriller or a surprise ending, but a good read nonetheless.
June 7, 2016
Great Book to read!
It was straight to the point. Very unique story and insightful. The plot was unexpected and it keep me wanting to read more.
It was straight to the point. Very unique story and insightful. The plot was unexpected and it keep me wanting to read more.
August 5, 2021
While this is a pretty good crime thriller with a good premise and main storyline, I did find the tough guy / macho attitude the that main detective and his buddies had somewhat outdated and off putting, particularly for a book written in the 2000s. This really detracted from my enjoyment of reading and I really couldn't see the need for it, it's not set in a bygone era where such attitudes were accepted and it wasn't a part of the story itself. Putting this aside, the main story was gripping (but gory so beware if you're not so keen on such things) and engrossing with some good twists. There is such potential, it's just a shame it gets lost.
May 10, 2023
Not my genre at all, so I’m not sure how fairly I can rate this book. The dialogue is a little off-putting because all the characters talk in the same exaggerated tough-guy way, including the older policeman with a PhD, the young female officer, and the nerdy computer expert. It feels almost satirical at points because everything is so gruesome and unbelievable, including the killer’s backstory and the chase scenes, and everyone talks like an AI-generated version of the world’s most stereotypical hardened big-city cop with a vocabulary composed almost entirely of obscure ethnic slurs. However, I was thoroughly entertained throughout.
May 31, 2021
Honestly, utter crap the idea was okay and could have worked had the writer not been a Teo year old. Everything was written in such an obvious way there was no suspense no showing it was all tell. The characters were so crap it was all just horse crap, no horse crap has more character Han this book.
Jimmy has type A male bravado, they try make him seem not racist but there is so many insensitive lines as though it’s normal but it’s so wrong.
Honestly I wouldn’t recommend to anyone and I don’t think I’ll read another book by this author if any of them are like this one I would rather burn.
Jimmy has type A male bravado, they try make him seem not racist but there is so many insensitive lines as though it’s normal but it’s so wrong.
Honestly I wouldn’t recommend to anyone and I don’t think I’ll read another book by this author if any of them are like this one I would rather burn.
Read
June 21, 2021Good story with lots of thought and action, detail of the farmer's thought patterns and irrational behaviour. Some of it is a bit dragged out but it flows along mainly and reaches a good conclusion even if it is Natalie's shoot that stopped him initially. I read it in a day so it must have a good hook.
September 25, 2023
It's absolutely amazing. The mystery and suspense don't just end with who the bad guy is. The pacing was just perfect. The language might take a chapter or two to get used to because it's written from the viewpoint of the main character, but it was not a problem for me. This book has quickly become one of my favorites of its kind, and I recommend it wholeheartedly to fans of the genre.
April 2, 2025
Overall I really enjoyed the plot and was gripped by the book to the point I read it all in a days
However, it is very graphic (as a warning not a negative) but my biggest issue was the antagonists were presented more like bullies rather than take-not-shit cops which I think Laird was going for. Resulting in a difficulty connecting with them
However, it is very graphic (as a warning not a negative) but my biggest issue was the antagonists were presented more like bullies rather than take-not-shit cops which I think Laird was going for. Resulting in a difficulty connecting with them
May 21, 2021
Edge of the seat stuff
This is the kind of book where you want the crimes to be solved, the killer caught......but you don't want it to end. Thomas Laird is a new author to add to my favourites list. Now I just need to look for the next book following on from this one.
This is the kind of book where you want the crimes to be solved, the killer caught......but you don't want it to end. Thomas Laird is a new author to add to my favourites list. Now I just need to look for the next book following on from this one.
June 29, 2021
Scary story with lots of intrigue
This is an excellent book with a great and fearsome story. The reader is left on the edge of their seat, throughout, and the ending is mind boggling. Unfortunately, the language is quite foul, so reader be warned.
This is an excellent book with a great and fearsome story. The reader is left on the edge of their seat, throughout, and the ending is mind boggling. Unfortunately, the language is quite foul, so reader be warned.
July 21, 2024
A bit unbelievable.
The removal of the organs for transplant really!!!
How did they store them???
Just a step too far.
Don't think I will read anymore of his novels
The removal of the organs for transplant really!!!
How did they store them???
Just a step too far.
Don't think I will read anymore of his novels
March 17, 2016
Engaging read
This mystery was a very engaging read . It took me awhile to finally finish this book however,due to a busy life . It had an entertaining twist at the end.
This mystery was a very engaging read . It took me awhile to finally finish this book however,due to a busy life . It had an entertaining twist at the end.
December 20, 2015
Very poorly edited. Used "wa-la" instead of "voilà". Yes, it was that bad.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews