The Red Scream

Molly Cates #1

by Mary Willis Walker

Texas-based crime reporter Molly Cates has just published her first book, describing the blood-curdling exploits of serial killer Louie Bronk. Now on death row, Louie's sentence is about to be carried out. Molly will be there as a witness, and she wants to write about it, the final coda to Louie's story. But suddenly, she's being strongly discouraged by her boss at the Lone Star Monthly and by Charlie McFarland, the millionaire real estate developer whose first wife, Tiny, was Bronk's most famous victim and the only one whose murder is a capital offense. Then Molly starts to receive dark hints that Louie may not have killed Tiny after all. There is another murder following Louis's M.O. one he could not have committed. The veracity of Molly's book is threatened and then her very life. Caught between a rock and a hard place, Molly realizes that by attempting to save Louis she is putting her own life on the line, and discrediting her own work. Mary Willis Walker brings a lusty new voice to the mystery scene. Already recognized for her first novel, she has now created a character just cheeky and gusty enough to take her place among the top ranks of female protagonists such as Kinsey Millhone and Kay Scarpetta.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Horror

324 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1994

About the author

Mary Willis Walker is the author of Zero at the Bone, which won both the Agatha and Macavity awards and was nominated for an Edgar; The Red Scream, winner of the Edgar Award; and Under the Beetle's Cellar, recipient of the Hammett Prize, the Anthony Award, and the Macavity Award. She lives in Austin, Texas, where she is now at work on her fifth novel.

Reviews

[Karl]

This hardcover edition is signed by Mary Willis Walker.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several years ago I read "Under the Beetle's Cellar", not realizing it was actually the second in the Molly Cates series. This first book is just as good as I remember that one being, a suspenseful story, well drawn and likeable characters, and a many-layered plot. I hope this author adds to the series, as I think there are only three books so far.

[Elizabeth Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

By halfway through this, I had solved the mystery. By 3/4 through, I was begging for it to end but I had to know what happened. So, good enough that I finished it.

[Dimitar Angelov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Добро начало на една кратка поредица. Чел съм тук-там, че Мери Уилис Уокър рязко спира да пише след каткализми в личния си живот и в крайна сметка не достига славата на другите т.нар. "femmes fatales" на криминалния жанр от 80-те/90-те години. Въпреки това малкото и творби обират доста награди, сред които и Едгар (за настоящата книга). Със сигурност мога да кажа, че Уокър е на нивото на Патриша Корнуел и Карин Слотър в по-силните им книги. На български, непонятно все още за мен, е издадена само една от 3-те книги от поредицата за Моли Кейтс, а именно - втората. След прочита ѝ може би ще разбера доводите на българския книгоиздавателски бизнес да се започне и завърши по средата на поредицата.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this mystery. The MC, Mollie, was a great character and I liked the way she was revealed...little by little. The ex was a nice touch and the daughter as well, which all added to her back story and current situation.

The story also unfolded in a way that kept me interested. While it had a nice pace, I thought at times that some of the events were just a little too convenient, but that is by no means a deal breaker. 3.5 stars.

[Tara Kendrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved the setting of old Austin TX!! miss it

[Jon · Rating 3 out of 5]

I very much agree with Nikki that this is a well-written book: the author has a gift for creating real characters (at least the main ones) who behave like real people. She also has a fine ability to render impressions and thoughts in a believable way, while raising serious moral and ethical questions and giving a fair hearing to multiple sides. But I couldn't help feeling that this was a serious mainstream novel trapped uncomfortably inside a "thriller" body. It had all the earmarks of a thriller, but somehow suspense and excitement seemed to be the last things on the writer's mind. It was the most leisurely thriller I've ever read, with all the deaths (except the last) happening off-screen, and the last, after pages of emotionally charged buildup, turning out (thankfully) to be quick and apparently painless. In spite of the fact that there was apparently a crazed serial killer on the loose with the heroine as his prime target, neither she, nor any of the other main characters, seemed to be in any serious danger until the last few pages. Then there was a perfunctory threat-situation which the heroine successfully and a bit unbelievably managed to finesse. I appreciated the fact that she was out of her twenties (42, in fact), "had some miles on her," and was far more cagey and wary than one expects in these kinds of books. She seemed (obviously to me) to be modeled on Molly Ivins, and the governor of Texas seemed to be modeled on Ann Richards. Which is not to detract at all from the skill of the characterizations. A very good book, but in spite of the author's attempt to shoe-horn all her concerns into the genre's mold, not a very good thriller.

[Elizabeth Hasty · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Red Scream is about a investigative reporter named Molly Cates. It is based on the mass murderer Louis Bronk, murdered and scalped over 30 women in the 1970s -1980s. Just when it looks like the murder of an upper class wife and mother is put to rest it is brought back up with the thought that Bronk might not of acutally killed her. This causes many suspitions and problems for Molly. While all this is happening she is getting threatening poems saying that if she continues with the investigation she to will be murdered. Molly Cates has a limited time to find out if Bronk is guily because time is running out as he spends his last days on death row. All signs begin to point that it might not be him...but will that be enough to prove him not guilty before time runs out?...well you'll have to find out yourself.
If you like a thriller and a sense of adventure then this book is for you. I think that you should read this because the book it's self is acutally really good, I've never read anything better. It's just not a book you can put down without wanting to go and read it again! Also if you really want to get a sense of what the Texas Scalper was really like then this is a good book to find out.
Although if you like boring books that have not point then maybe this book isn't for you. Other than that I can't think of any logical reason why you wouldn't enjoy this book.
So take my advice read this book, it's worth your time believe me!

[J. Rubino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Texas journalist, Molly Cates, has just published a bestselling true crime account of the serial murderer Louie Bronk. Bronk's final victim was the wife of construction magnate Charlie MacFarland; the MacFarland murder was the centerpiece of Molly's book, since it was the one that got Bronk on death row. Now, only days before his execution, Molly turns up evidence that suggests Bronk may not have been Mrs. MacFarland's killer, evidence that might stay his execution but also injure Molly's reputation by calling into question the material in her book.
The Red Scream, published in '93, is the first of three Molly Cates books (Walker wrote one stand alone prior) and one of the only four books she wrote. Some very disturbing scenes, but overall a slow burn, with a cast of flesh-and-blood if not always likable characters, a strong sense of setting and a very solid sense of pacing and style. I thought some of the character interaction passages were a bit long - those with Molly and her adult daughter, for example - but overall, I found the plot, structure, pacing and writing to be first rate.

[Avonlea Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

as far as crime books go, this one was an entertaining enough read. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to someone who is trying to end a reading slump, nor would I jump at the opportunity to read it again. but all in all, molly is a narrator that is self aware enough to remain interesting without being too self-pitying. the mcfarland’s are a classic wealthy southern family who let their money talk for them, and all the individuals they interact with have to face the consequences. I think, had I paid closer attention, I could have predicted the antagonist earlier. however, this was a casual read for me. therefore I was surprised enough by the reveal that the last bit of the book had me thoroughly engaged.

[Zinnia · Rating 1 out of 5]

En deckare som saknar mycket när det gäller komplexa personporträtt och blandad kvalitet på miljöbeskrivningar men har en bra berättelse. Det som gjorde boken läsvärd var ändock att jag fick en känsla av Texas och en viss form av mentalitet. I Austin är det hett i september och myggen är skoningslösa. Synen på dödsstraff och hur skevt deras rättssystem verkar vara. Vedergällning och inte vård. Ekonomi och kontakter som är av så stor vikt när det gäller livsval. Sammantaget en bok som inte har höga litterära kvaliteter men som har en bra berättelse. Den största behållningen var dock hur jag själv reflekterade över frågor som ställs i boken.

[Heather Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great thriller! Very suspenseful in the beginning and through the middle, but toward the end, it became apparently obvious “who done it.” That’s not to say that the read up to that point isn’t worth it, it definitely is.
Keep an open mind while reading this one and if you’re like me, wanting to figure out the mystery before the book reveals it, this is a good book for you.

[John Biddle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this, certainly an interesting and original plot. I liked Molly Cates though she did things she knew better than to do when it helped the story, even to her peril. Well written, good pace, kept my interest, not fully believable which took away from my full involvement in the story.

[J Chad · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is another boring entry in the list of Edgar Award winners. A silly, unlikeable, and - even as presented - incompetent protagonist make this too boring to finish. This isn’t even a good airplane read.

[Eileen Goudge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good mystery

Really enjoyed this one. Solid characters and plotting. Some nifty twists and turns, a pulse-pounding climax. If you’re a fan of mysteries, this is one to read.

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked the Red Scream. It kept my interest until the end.

[Jane Dingus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great mystery novel. Set in Texas, too.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

AUDIBLE BOOK
Molly Cates, a crime reporter, has just published a book about serial killer Louie Bronk. Now, based on information Louie has given her, she begins to doubt his guilt

[Kunterbunt · Rating 3 out of 5]

In deutsch gelesen.

[Stefan Bechstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good Thriller

[Madalina Cristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un thriller scritto in maniera 'elegante' direi. M. W. Walker mi piace e spero di vedere presto altre sue traduzioni.

[Trine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5

[Bob Box · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read in 1997. This was my first Walker novel and I remember liking her mysteries but after researching her I found she only wrote four books.

[Amy Webster-Bo · Rating 5 out of 5]

really good, i would probably read the next two, this is one i would probably enjoy a 2nd book on

[Regine]

Compelling.

[Kate DiPronio · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I had found this sooner. On to the next in the Molly Cates series.

[Alex Peck · Rating 5 out of 5]

B- inventive and thrilling! A well paced mystery novel with some turns I didn’t expect.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading all the Edgar Best Novels has introduced me to a number of authors whose works I had either avoided or been unaware of -- which was part of the reason I decided to do it. Mary Willis Walker, who sadly for me has only written a few books so far, is one of those. Maybe it was the three names, which I associate with old-school types like Doris Miles Disney and Mary Roberts Rinehart, but I'd never considered picking up one of Willis Walker's books before.

Protagonist Molly Cates is a crime reporter for a magazine not unlike Texas Monthly. (Some readers apparently think she's based on the late Molly Ivins.) She has an adult daughter who's a lawyer, some ex-husbands (one of whom figures in the book), and has just published her first book, a true crime story of a notorious serial killer. Under Texas law (at the time anyway), Louie Bronk is about to be executed for the last of his murders only because it occurred during the commission of another felony (theft). Just a few days before the execution, various events combine to make Molly suspicious that Louie's confession to the murder of wealthy Tiny McFarland was a false one -- and he now recants that confession. Molly races against time to prove or disprove Louie's statements, while her first ex-husband, Austin cop Grady Traynor, investigates the murders of Tiny McFarland's successor and of one of the key witnesses in the original trial. Although I had a pretty good idea of one element of the ending, there were others that surprised me. The writing is excellent (perhaps the reason for Willis Walker's slim output) with realistic characters who are capable of change, believable dialogue, and a real feel for the setting -- mostly Austin, Texas, but with visits to Fort Worth and Huntsville as well. Very highly recommended.

[Jeff Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent book but I could not get into it.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Molly Cates just had her bestselling true crime book published. She plans to cover the execution of its subject, seriel killer Louie Bronk. Then, a copycat killer (or is it the original killer) strikes again- hitting the same family a second time. Molly begins to investigate as Louie tells her that he did the other murders, but the one he is being invetigated for he is not guilty of.. He provides her clues and leads that may prove his innocence.

Molly struggles with the moral upheaval she feels. She is disgusted by Louie and the sick poems he wants her to get published for him, but can she let him be executed if there is a chance he is innocent.

While this book delves into the death penalty debate to some extent, the author's focus is the mystery. Is Louie innocent or is he just trying a last ditch attempt to get an appeal?

While dealing with this- we get a character that is similar to Grafton's Kinsey Milhone (except she is a writer) who deals with life on her own terms. She exercises, fights with her ex-husband and her editor, and deals with her grown daughter. The author develops a decent character around this mystery. All of that detail makes the character of the hard-as-nails crime beat writer realistic, but will it be enough to make me want to read another story with her as the protagonist?? Only time will tell.

A good, but not great book. The mystery is easily figured out, but that isn't the whole story.. is was worth staying to the end for.