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Parallel Lies
Ridley Pearsons latest novel brings together all his incomparable talents and more in a riveting story about a grieving mans mission to bring down the railroad company he blames for his wife and childrens deathsno matter who else dies in the process. Tyler, the ex-cop who is looking to redeem himself after being suspended from the force, will stop at nothing to catch the perpetrator. Packed with action, laced with romance, brimming with heart-stopping suspense, and marked by the intelligence and humanity that make Pearsons novels stand apart from others in the genre, Parallel Lies will give reviewers and readers yet another reason to hail him as the best damn thriller writer on the planet (Booklist).
400 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
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471 people want to read
About the author
Ridley Pearson
185 books2,089 followersRidley Pearson is the author of more than fifty novels, including the New York Times bestseller Killer Weekend; the Lou Boldt crime series; and many books for young readers, including the award-winning children's novels Peter and the Starcatchers, Peter and the Shadow Thieves, and Peter and the Secret of Rundoon, which he cowrote with Dave Barry. Pearson lives with his wife and two daughters, dividing their time between Missouri and Idaho.
Also writes Chris Klick mysteries as Wendell McCall.
Also writes Chris Klick mysteries as Wendell McCall.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
June 15, 2020
As an occasional reader of thrillers, I felt “dreadfully” ignorant to read the blurb on the dust jacket of Parallel Lies claiming that Ridley Pearson is, “…the best thriller writer on the planet.” This is my first encounter with this, apparently prolific, writer. Indeed, the encounter was positive and this won’t be my last acquaintance with the author. Parallel Lies is a marvelous title for a book about train derailment since, of course, trains usually travel on parallel tracks (except for the rare monorails). So, in a sense it is about “parallel lines.” But since it shifts point of view between the perpetrator and the investigator, and since both have been shafted by the system, it is also about “parallel lives.”
The plot of the novel deals with the investigation (and perpetration) of a series of “minor” derailments (though no derailment is minor) leading to the potential “major” derailment. Yet, there is a, pardon the coincidental pun, “parallel” plot that touches on the brutal death of a black man by a white policeman. In these days of George Floyd protests, it does seem relevant. Despite the very bad apples in many police departments, there are going to be “good” cops who will be ruined because of racism when race was (I know this is impolitic to say in the current atmosphere!) incidental to the circumstances. I am not denying the problem or the need for structural change in our law enforcement structure, but I am observing that social justice sometimes leads to collateral damage. Of course, this side story surely wasn’t a major concern for Pearson when the book was published in 2001.
In the “I wasn’t really expecting this” department, the book also has “parallel” love interests, though the “sex scenes” are more sensuous than blatant descriptions would be. There is also a sensuous scene with an “escort” from an exclusive “escort service” that serves an entirely different purpose, one I didn’t guess until it unfolded. And, while we’re in this “department” of this review, there was something familiar and something peculiar in the denouement. I rather liked it.
My main critique of Parallel Lies would be that certain collaborations in the book occur rather too easily. They work (and there is more than one) rather well as plot connections, but I’m not sure they are realistic per the intended characterization. This seems particularly true of certain actions by the protagonist’s ex-partner and by the antagonist’s former schoolmate. If I share any more than that, I would be in spoiler territory. Some may resent the thematic editorializing on corporate profit reporting and “insider” short-selling (special case), but I welcome it as relatively light in the context of the novel and well-described when it appears. It is never heavy-handed like the old Quincy, M.E. television show with its “issue of the week” equivalent to Smallville’s “monster of the week.”
Even though Parallel Lies was published in 2001, well before the 2008 crisis where Congress had to add some regulations about programmed trading and borrowing procedures for financial institutions, Pearson was cognizant of a problem. One character opines: “Share price is everything these days, Peter. And it all turns on public opinion. The stock market is no longer just the engine of the economy, it’s everything. Cabbies are trading stocks on Palm Pilots; my hairdresser talks about valuations and IPOs.” (p. 193)
And I had to laugh at his very credible description of a Human Resources person: “…arriving at an office occupied by a coffee-skinned woman named Selma Long. She had the bright face and booming voice of a southern Baptist, the body of a sumo wrestler, and looked to be somewhere between forty and sixty.” (p. 196) Having both served in the Southern Baptist denomination and working in a large publicly-traded company, I thought she fit both descriptions. Also, she had an interesting name. Selma being a famous Alabama town in Civil Rights history but Long having been a near-dictator of Louisiana whose brand of populism almost assuredly had to be racist.
With the essential ticking clock of a thriller (though the timetable was more leisurely than the usual burning fuse), an antagonist with a solid motive paired against a protagonist with something to prove, Parallel Lies deserves a place in the top echelon of the genre. On the other hand, I’m not ready to hand Pearson the title granted by Booklist on the dust cover, at least, not yet.
The plot of the novel deals with the investigation (and perpetration) of a series of “minor” derailments (though no derailment is minor) leading to the potential “major” derailment. Yet, there is a, pardon the coincidental pun, “parallel” plot that touches on the brutal death of a black man by a white policeman. In these days of George Floyd protests, it does seem relevant. Despite the very bad apples in many police departments, there are going to be “good” cops who will be ruined because of racism when race was (I know this is impolitic to say in the current atmosphere!) incidental to the circumstances. I am not denying the problem or the need for structural change in our law enforcement structure, but I am observing that social justice sometimes leads to collateral damage. Of course, this side story surely wasn’t a major concern for Pearson when the book was published in 2001.
In the “I wasn’t really expecting this” department, the book also has “parallel” love interests, though the “sex scenes” are more sensuous than blatant descriptions would be. There is also a sensuous scene with an “escort” from an exclusive “escort service” that serves an entirely different purpose, one I didn’t guess until it unfolded. And, while we’re in this “department” of this review, there was something familiar and something peculiar in the denouement. I rather liked it.
My main critique of Parallel Lies would be that certain collaborations in the book occur rather too easily. They work (and there is more than one) rather well as plot connections, but I’m not sure they are realistic per the intended characterization. This seems particularly true of certain actions by the protagonist’s ex-partner and by the antagonist’s former schoolmate. If I share any more than that, I would be in spoiler territory. Some may resent the thematic editorializing on corporate profit reporting and “insider” short-selling (special case), but I welcome it as relatively light in the context of the novel and well-described when it appears. It is never heavy-handed like the old Quincy, M.E. television show with its “issue of the week” equivalent to Smallville’s “monster of the week.”
Even though Parallel Lies was published in 2001, well before the 2008 crisis where Congress had to add some regulations about programmed trading and borrowing procedures for financial institutions, Pearson was cognizant of a problem. One character opines: “Share price is everything these days, Peter. And it all turns on public opinion. The stock market is no longer just the engine of the economy, it’s everything. Cabbies are trading stocks on Palm Pilots; my hairdresser talks about valuations and IPOs.” (p. 193)
And I had to laugh at his very credible description of a Human Resources person: “…arriving at an office occupied by a coffee-skinned woman named Selma Long. She had the bright face and booming voice of a southern Baptist, the body of a sumo wrestler, and looked to be somewhere between forty and sixty.” (p. 196) Having both served in the Southern Baptist denomination and working in a large publicly-traded company, I thought she fit both descriptions. Also, she had an interesting name. Selma being a famous Alabama town in Civil Rights history but Long having been a near-dictator of Louisiana whose brand of populism almost assuredly had to be racist.
With the essential ticking clock of a thriller (though the timetable was more leisurely than the usual burning fuse), an antagonist with a solid motive paired against a protagonist with something to prove, Parallel Lies deserves a place in the top echelon of the genre. On the other hand, I’m not ready to hand Pearson the title granted by Booklist on the dust cover, at least, not yet.
August 22, 2012
Wow! What a great thriller! A man loses his family, the responsible party covers up the truth. The man seeks justice his own way, by derailing trains. All those involved in the investigation has their own agenda. The conspiracy and cover ups are spectacular. The cat and mouse game is superb. I had to wipe sweat off the palms of my hands a few times. Clever plot, well researched, fast paced, well written. A +
May 7, 2010
Unlike other Pearson books, this one just seemed to drag on and on when it could have been more "on edge" if he had cut the chase down considerably. Knowing who and why right from the start took away from the suspense.
January 19, 2018
Another great read by Pearson. Peter Tyler is a discredited former cop who is looking for a chance to redeem himself. He finds it as a NTSB investigator and sinks his teeth in to finding out about a series of seemingly innocuous unrelated train derailments. Good action and something different in an inv. story because its about trains. We all like trains, right? A good story. If I keep giving him good reviews will he read my books someday?
March 31, 2020
I'm not sure if it is because this book was written 20 years ago or if the story wasn't just that great. It chewed up some time as we live through COVID-19 but it's not among the best I've read for sure.
October 8, 2014
This book disappointed me. While the premise of investigating train derailments was interesting, the book didn't fulfill its potential for my tastes. It didn't live up to its promise of suspense after the first 3 fantastic chapters. After that, I couldn't find any sympathy for the principle investigator, and I didn't care for the treatment of any of the women in this book.
August 31, 2014
Sick. Could have been an exciting story with trains as the background but derailed with twisted morality. A murderous terrorist is embraced in this ode to evil and we are expected to approve of the ruin, destruction and death he spews in a self righteous crusade of hate.
October 3, 2025
Umberto Alvarez, an eighth-grade science and computer science teacher, adores his wife but lives for his two children—his universe, his everything. When a faulty railroad crossing gate and an oncoming train claim their lives, Alvarez’s world shatters. Vengeance against the negligent railroad corporation fuels him. He channels his scientific brilliance into sabotaging rail car wheel bearings, causing costly derailments without harming employees.
Everything shifts one night when Alvarez boards a car he marked for destruction. Another passenger, a railroad security worker, sparks a violent clash. Alvarez kills him, tosses the body out, and leaps to safety. His next target? Derailing a new bullet passenger train in the New York-to-Washington corridor with sophisticated explosives to maximize financial damage.
Peter Tyler, a former Midwest homicide detective, lost everything—job, house, wife—after a tragic incident. Outraged by a man slamming a baby’s head into a wall, Tyler beat him to death, and the press branded it as another white cop killing a black man. Now, the National Transportation Safety Board hires him for a one-off job to catch the train derailer, offering a temporary shield against his financial woes.
Nell Priest, a security officer at the targeted railroad, teams up with Tyler at a derailment site. Soon, they discover the murdered security worker’s body, but they continue to work to link Alvarez to the crime.
Ridley Pearson crafts a suspenseful tale that grips you for hours, no audiobook progress bar needed. His vivid prose makes you hear the rhythmic clatter of wheels on tracks and feel the train’s sway. Peter Tyler wins you over instantly, and you’ll root for his redemption. A predictable but sweet romance blooms between Tyler and Nell, adding warmth to the tension.
The ending hits like a freight train. My reaction? “Wait! What?” It took me a moment to process, but once I did, I was all in.
Everything shifts one night when Alvarez boards a car he marked for destruction. Another passenger, a railroad security worker, sparks a violent clash. Alvarez kills him, tosses the body out, and leaps to safety. His next target? Derailing a new bullet passenger train in the New York-to-Washington corridor with sophisticated explosives to maximize financial damage.
Peter Tyler, a former Midwest homicide detective, lost everything—job, house, wife—after a tragic incident. Outraged by a man slamming a baby’s head into a wall, Tyler beat him to death, and the press branded it as another white cop killing a black man. Now, the National Transportation Safety Board hires him for a one-off job to catch the train derailer, offering a temporary shield against his financial woes.
Nell Priest, a security officer at the targeted railroad, teams up with Tyler at a derailment site. Soon, they discover the murdered security worker’s body, but they continue to work to link Alvarez to the crime.
Ridley Pearson crafts a suspenseful tale that grips you for hours, no audiobook progress bar needed. His vivid prose makes you hear the rhythmic clatter of wheels on tracks and feel the train’s sway. Peter Tyler wins you over instantly, and you’ll root for his redemption. A predictable but sweet romance blooms between Tyler and Nell, adding warmth to the tension.
The ending hits like a freight train. My reaction? “Wait! What?” It took me a moment to process, but once I did, I was all in.
February 23, 2019
I almost always enjoy Pearson's thrillers and this was no exception. The fact that the story revolved around trains was an added bonus for me.
Every six weeks or so a Northern Railroad suffers a derailment. The NTSB call in a disgraced homicide investigator to assist them in resolving the mystery. The train wrecker seems to be a terrorist, but as it turns out, he has a vendetta against the railroad. Tyler, desperate to obtain gainful employment jumps at the chance to investigate what turns into a homicide and railroad security people who seem to have a hidden agenda. Meanwhile, the saboteur is moving closer and closer to fulfilling his own vengeful agenda.
Pearson decorates his story with solid police work, personal relationships, and realistic ethical dilemmas. Tyler, struggling with his own personal problems and conflicts, he plunges forward in order to unravel a number of mysteries connected to this case.
A thrilling read and Pearson finds a wrap up that is satisfying and to my shock-- I was pleased with the final resolution-- though it was really very different than I expected.
Every six weeks or so a Northern Railroad suffers a derailment. The NTSB call in a disgraced homicide investigator to assist them in resolving the mystery. The train wrecker seems to be a terrorist, but as it turns out, he has a vendetta against the railroad. Tyler, desperate to obtain gainful employment jumps at the chance to investigate what turns into a homicide and railroad security people who seem to have a hidden agenda. Meanwhile, the saboteur is moving closer and closer to fulfilling his own vengeful agenda.
Pearson decorates his story with solid police work, personal relationships, and realistic ethical dilemmas. Tyler, struggling with his own personal problems and conflicts, he plunges forward in order to unravel a number of mysteries connected to this case.
A thrilling read and Pearson finds a wrap up that is satisfying and to my shock-- I was pleased with the final resolution-- though it was really very different than I expected.
May 24, 2018
Pearson is incredible at building suspense from a flawed main character and an impending life or death situation. Here a disgraced Baltimore police officer is hired by an associate at the NTSB to discover how a train derailment had happened, only to get on the trail of a tangle of sabotages, murders, and betrayal on many levels. The impeding disaster makes the last third of the book a phenomenal race between the bad guys (and it's not clear until the end who they all are) and the two agents and the saboteur.
August 16, 2021
An excellent concept dragged out a little too long - but still fairly exciting.
Umberto Alvarez lost his wife and two children when their car was struck by a train. The rail company blamed Mrs. Alvarez for ignoring the crossing signals, knowing full well that the safeguards weren’t working that day due to maintenance cutbacks. Alvarez has tried to get justice for his family through the courts, without success. But suddenly, train derailments are happening across the country on a regular basis - has he decided to take justice into his own hands?
Umberto Alvarez lost his wife and two children when their car was struck by a train. The rail company blamed Mrs. Alvarez for ignoring the crossing signals, knowing full well that the safeguards weren’t working that day due to maintenance cutbacks. Alvarez has tried to get justice for his family through the courts, without success. But suddenly, train derailments are happening across the country on a regular basis - has he decided to take justice into his own hands?
October 18, 2019
Two men trying to overcome the past and their personal grief. A railroad company and it's greedy leaders. There is another train wreck. No injuries. Many cars derailed. Number 6 or 7 over several months. The railroad's security people, the NTSB are all trying to solve the problem. The widowed school teacher who has a point to make.
I really liked the outcome, but it was a long trail for all the characters involved.
I really liked the outcome, but it was a long trail for all the characters involved.
February 11, 2020
This being the first Ridley Pearson book I’ve read and him being a favorite author of a friend, I was expecting a good story, which this is; but it is not riveting. I found it easy to put down. He builds the story very slowly and I don’t think he developed a believable relationship between the main character and his love interest. However, I am glad I finished the book. I like the ending.
December 21, 2021
I really like Pearson's Lou Bolt series. This is a standalone and, honestly, not really all that interesting. Umberto Alverez's wife and twins were killed when a train hit their car at a crossing. Alverez is now taking out revenge on the railroad.
June 22, 2024
Maybe it’s just me but I like trains and things that happen on trains like Murder on the Orient Express. This is a riveting story with a deadline. It’s fast paced. Well written and unpredictable. Mix a nut case with a bad case of vengeance to make a very entertaining read!
September 19, 2017
I generally love Ridley Pearson books, yet don't consider this one of his best.
July 21, 2020
Interesting characters and a very plot.
January 11, 2022
Read in 2001. A riveting story about a grieving man whose quest in life is to bring down the railroad company he blames for his wife's death. Tense and thrilling. One of my favorites that year.
February 26, 2024
Excellent mystery. Complicated, unpredictable, fun. Will keep you up at night, and make you ignore the vacuum cleaner. I highly recommend it.
June 18, 2024
Enjoying Pearson's older novels, way more than many of his newer ones.
September 7, 2024
another nail biter by Pearson. I like his writing and this was filled with some descriptions which I found very interesting.
November 1, 2024
3.5 I have mixed feelings about this book. It was a mixture of a very good thriller and some “are you kidding?” parts.
It was a quick read. I liked the ending. Give it a try.
It was a quick read. I liked the ending. Give it a try.
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July 27, 2025March 2005
August 15, 2025
Not as big a mystery as I prefer because the reader knew who and why from the beginning. Thus said, the story line seemed to drag at times.
March 4, 2017
Very fast-paced, eager to finish. Even though technical at times, didn't bore or lose me.
August 14, 2011
A mystery plot with detailed detective tracking, while seeing both sides of the activist and tracker confrontation. This had the unusual aspect of being focused on railroad operations in a very detailed operational manner.
Unfortunately, the worst culprit in the book, O'Malley, worked for the railroad as head of security. His character almost overextended believable reality in being able to plot manipulative control of the main characters. No one is ever as prescient as this guy was. And if he had the capability to manipulate at the level attributed to him, then he could have chosen many other more direct paths to eliminating a lawsuit adversary than is presented here with the manipulation of an old friend of his to hire an excellent fired detective. Of course the book hinged on the O'Malley manipulation, and the plot is a direct result of the author having chosen a relatively complex plot for both the railroad security, the NTSB detective, and the injured claimant against the railroad.
For the most part the characters were believable, the pace was very good, and the plot was plausible. For the reader there was anticipation as the detective worked by tracking tangible details. The fact that it seemed as if he missed no detail for connection of information, and that the follow up information was provided on such a timely basis doesn't quite fit with similar events in reality, but the connectable flow of crime solving information and linking of events made this a pretty good read.
Unfortunately, the worst culprit in the book, O'Malley, worked for the railroad as head of security. His character almost overextended believable reality in being able to plot manipulative control of the main characters. No one is ever as prescient as this guy was. And if he had the capability to manipulate at the level attributed to him, then he could have chosen many other more direct paths to eliminating a lawsuit adversary than is presented here with the manipulation of an old friend of his to hire an excellent fired detective. Of course the book hinged on the O'Malley manipulation, and the plot is a direct result of the author having chosen a relatively complex plot for both the railroad security, the NTSB detective, and the injured claimant against the railroad.
For the most part the characters were believable, the pace was very good, and the plot was plausible. For the reader there was anticipation as the detective worked by tracking tangible details. The fact that it seemed as if he missed no detail for connection of information, and that the follow up information was provided on such a timely basis doesn't quite fit with similar events in reality, but the connectable flow of crime solving information and linking of events made this a pretty good read.
December 10, 2009
Peter Tyler was a DC cop, but due to what some called uncontrolled violence he was fired and at loose ends when a friend with the NTSB hires him as a contractor to investigate an apparent murder on a box car on a train belonging to the Northern Union Railroad. He arrives at the scene in the midwest to find the local cops working the scene and a representative of the Railroads Security Branch just arriving as well. There have been a number of derailings of trains belonging to Northern Union and on a parallel story line we follow Umberto Alverez a science and computer teacher whose wife and twin daughters were killed due to a malfunctioning crossing gate ( which Northern Union denies). The blame is shifted to his wife, his lawyer is murdered and he is the suspect. Umberto is out for revenge. As the stories progress and come together we discover some underhanded corporate dealings land the cover ups by the Northern Union and its security forces... A good fast read this one.
ISBN - 9780786865642, Suspense, Pages - 684, Print Size - R, Rating - 4.6
All books reviewed are from the library or purchased by the reviewer.
ISBN - 9780786865642, Suspense, Pages - 684, Print Size - R, Rating - 4.6
All books reviewed are from the library or purchased by the reviewer.
November 2, 2011
So far I've not read a Pearson book that didn't make my heart race. This one was no exception. I bought this at a library sale for a dollar and it is a hardback and looks new. Imagine the poor schmuck that let this gem go without reading it. I plan on reading all of the Pearson books I can find in my local library as soon as I get caught up with the books I have on my shelves (which are wall to wall and floor to ceiling in my study). What I like about Pearson's books is that they could happen. There are not giant aliens coming from space to attack trains, (and yes I am referring to you Mr. Koontz) Pearson simply draws from the evil man has within himself to wreak havoc on a silent country side. When you think trains you think of something in the past. Pearson makes trains relevant again by reminding us how much freight is shipped around this great nation on those two cold lines of steel reaching on past forever. Pearson also shows us just how vulnerable those steel beasts are. I don't just throw out four stars to anyone, you have to earn it (even Coben has to work for them) and Ridley Pearson earned it with this book.
April 8, 2017
Parallel Lies is a "soft-core" thriller about a guy who likes to derail trains and also about the law enforcement personnel who are trying to catch him and stop him. I call it a soft-core thriller because he isn't actually hurting anyone. He just wants to wreck trains.
As the story progresses we learn what his motives are, as well as some history behind the number one federal agent who is chasing him. In the end, it turns out that they are not so different.
While this story wasn't as gripping as other thrillers I've read, I enjoyed the contrast between the two main characters, the protagonist and the antagonist. Most stories of this type have clear-cut lines between good and evil. That's definitely not true in the case of Parallel Lies.
Recommended reading for thrill readers who want something a little bit different and more tame than usual.
As the story progresses we learn what his motives are, as well as some history behind the number one federal agent who is chasing him. In the end, it turns out that they are not so different.
While this story wasn't as gripping as other thrillers I've read, I enjoyed the contrast between the two main characters, the protagonist and the antagonist. Most stories of this type have clear-cut lines between good and evil. That's definitely not true in the case of Parallel Lies.
Recommended reading for thrill readers who want something a little bit different and more tame than usual.
September 18, 2014
This book interested me because I have often wondered why the US does not have a better passenger train system than we do. It is successful in Europe, and I think would be a great alternative to air travel. This book explains the obstacles to having that high-speed train service---and is a sit on the edge of your chair thriller.
I do not want to spoil the story. I found myself almost rooting for thr bad guy. He's an unusual bad guy. He has principles...to a point.
A good read, hard to put down. I think the biracial romance added nothing to the story; it was merely a bit of fluff, and so poorly developed that it almost seemed an afterthought, as was the trist between the bad gut and Jillian.
I do not want to spoil the story. I found myself almost rooting for thr bad guy. He's an unusual bad guy. He has principles...to a point.
A good read, hard to put down. I think the biracial romance added nothing to the story; it was merely a bit of fluff, and so poorly developed that it almost seemed an afterthought, as was the trist between the bad gut and Jillian.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews