Hidden Charges

by Ridley Pearson

It's the boldest, most satisfying Ridley Pearson novel ever-the one that confirms his status as today's most powerful thriller writer!

No one writes heartpounding suspense like Ridley Pearson. In Undercurrents, his taut, edge-of-the-seat plot gripped you from the start and didn't release you until the sharp, thrilling conclusion. In Probable Cause, he brought you to a whole new level of hard-edged excitement. Now he turns it up another notch, in Hidden Charges.

In this "complex tale of greed, power and passion" ( Indianapolis News ), a shopper's paradise becomes a city under siege-held hostage by a madman armed with the skills and the weapons of a trained soldier, and possessed with an uncontrollable lust for vengeance, destruction...and death.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Thriller

372 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 15, 1993

About the author

Ridley 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.

Reviews

[Jreader · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was published in 1987 by St. Martin's Press. I got it at a charity sale for $1.50. It was in perfect condition, probably donated after the death of it's owner after one reading.

I think this was his 3rd publication. Mr. Pearson, you have aged well from the photos on the back jacket over the years. The writing has also become more defined if you can improve on what is pretty darn close to perfection.

My only complaint is that within the first chapters all of the characters were introduced. There are at least 15 sub plots. At the end, there was a tie up for one who I really did not recall after 350 some odd pages of twists and turns. And it was a minor character so I didn't care enough to go back and see who is that one?

I am amazed when an author can go into the sub plots in so much detail and have so much knowledge of weird things like cement construction, what SEALS get trained in, conflict within socioeconomic structure and class, some romance and light sex, and a mystery.

Excellent job. I finished reading it last night when we had a black out due to a thunderstorm and used my cell phone as a flashlight. Ordered a flashlight headlamp from Amazon so my reading would not be interrupted in future events.

[Ginny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlike many books out in the past few years, this one takes its time, the first 3/4 of the book is all development. We meet many people, get a little bit about their backgrounds as the story slowly builds to the main event, a disaster in which all the people we have met will have a part. I stayed up late last night finishing the book because once the action took off I couldn't find a spot to take a break, I had to finish it. This is a good stand alone novel by Pearson, just don't expect constant action like in a current Patterson novel.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had been somewhat curious about the work of Ridley Pearson for a while now. Then, I read a couple of the Peter Pan books that he penned with Dave Barry. Then, my girlfriend read, enjoyed, and recommended The Pied Piper. I decided that the time had come to finally dive in.

It's an early work by Pearson and I'm not sure how it compares to his later work, but I do have to say that I am a bit underwhelmed. Not in a I'll-never-read-anything-by-this-author-ever-ever-again sort of way, but more of a I-really-thought-this-would-be-better sort of way. This book just sort of left me hanging. It felt it got really good with less than a hundred pages left to go.

There's a lot of characters to keep straight. Some are underdeveloped, making it even more difficult. Some are superfluous, making them take up space that could have been filled with the development of the characters I just mentioned as being underdeveloped. The characters that are devleoped well, though, are fascinating. I especially like Civichek and Mykos Popolov and think Bruce Willis would be a damn fine Toby Jacobs were a movie to be made from this book.

I'll read more Pearson, to be sure.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

I though the story was a well thought out story. The Characters were unique and the plot was also something new. I found it both active and suspenseful. I am glad I picked it up and decide to read it.

[Christian J · Rating 4 out of 5]

gritty, well-written thriller

[Jerry Miranda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing and Intriguing Novel

Something different for sure. Very enjoyable book. Lots of suspense and good character development. Ridley did a fantastic job with this story. Definitely worth reading.

[Milt Jacobs]

The last 60 pages were good. Not much action before that.

[Larry Cain · Rating 5 out of 5]

suspenseful, riveting

Great read excellent character depictions. Suspenseful. Pearson does it again . All of his books are very well written. Try it you will like it.

[Mike]

Jan 2012

[Donald Trump · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tremendous!
**** 4 Stars.

[Feliks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pearson is not a household-name in thrillerdom. This title may be considered an early work at this date but when 'Yankee Green Mall' was released Pearson was several books well into his career; I think this was #5 or #6.

Pearson had enjoyed some 'rave' reviews for his earlier titles; and at that time the thriller genre had not exploded yet (no internet had even yet arrived on the scene to boost authors up) and this title was a rather quiet addition to his bibliography. Perhaps, unfairly disregarded.

When it was published, thrillers were actually in a kind of drought, and this book stood out as a kind of 'proof-of-concept'. You CAN devise a fast, high-tech thriller which does not involve assassinations or government agencies; you CAN offer readers a protagonist who is an 'average-joe'.

So, yes. In the sphere of ideas alone, Pearson is quite clever. He hadn't lost any edge there since 'Albatross'. In some ways 'Mall' is a little corker. Concepts such as 'mega-malls' and other garish, consumerist grotesqueries had NOT become commonplace in society at the time Pearson came up with this nifty idea.

[I am not quite sure but that 'Die Hard' (Walter Wager) had not even been conceived when 'Mall' was released. Pearson deserves a nod of credit he never received for originating this concept (although I supposed 'Juggernaut' can probably claim rights too)].

So why was this not a hit? The real problem holding back Pearson is his writing technique. In 'Mall', I think Pearson grapples with 'sophomore slump' and he didn't come out the winner. His flaw is that writes in that peculiar 'airless' fashion which enslaves thriller authors. The hurried pace results in cliches and conventions.

Its a fast, easy, page-turner--and his characters have just some slight bit of verve--but it only works if you're turning the pages. As soon as the technical element in the story (how can explosives bring down a giant mall?) you get that queasy feeling which stems from reading obvious cardboard characters and 'canned' dialog.

Here's one example:
The hero (security guard) has 'fallen in love' (after only a few days) with a pretty realtor and her young son. This is the makings of a storybook family ending...anyway his secretary (who has had a secret crush on him) now treats him rather stiffly. He asks her to explain herself.

"Why the crisp tone, Janice?"

'Crisp tone'? Why the 'crisp' tone in her voice? Who confronts someone with a phrase like that in real life?

Whenever the characters are not actually in jeopardy, the author just barely manages to avoid utter staleness like this. That's probably why he hasn't survived well in the current market.

And when you look at the blurbs on this book jacket, you realize just why the thriller-genre in the internet age, is so easy to bamboozle readers with. Every title sounds spectacular. In practice, they're often staid and formulaic like this one. That's what happened to Pearson. He couldn't elevate his writing to be better than the times.

Today, in a world where even our hi-tech refrigerators can kill us, you need more than just sexy/dangerous technology to attract readers. You need really memorable, quirky characters. I don't believe that by book #5, Pearson still had any. Whereas an author such as (for instance) Thomas Perry was never at a loss for engaging personalities populating his thrillers.

Ultimately, this novel is a deft little cat-vs-mouse tale; but the kind that you can never examine too closely as you read it. It was renamed the highly drab, 'Hidden Charges', totally appropriate to what I've been talking about, above. That put the final dagger in this semi-interesting little book.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the only of Pearson's books I have read, not because I didn't enjoy this one, but on the contrary because I don't know that another one could be this good. I love shopping, and at the time I read this book, I'd been taking an annual trip to the Mall of America in Minnesota for Christmas shopping for 4 or 5 consecutive years. It was very easy to picture the events of this book happening at MoA and just fill in the gaps when he described a location that isn't at MoA.
Definitely a gripping read and one I couldn't put down. It's been a few years since I've read it, but the book is still fresh in my mind.

My mom just gave me a new book about terrorism in a shopping mall by a different author, and I am interested in seeing if it can even come close to 'Hidden Charges' in terms of intrigue.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

a.k.a. The Seizing of Yankee Green Mall

All thriller/suspense, almost zero mystery. Which is fine; it doesn't claim to be a mystery.

On the plus side, there's lots of fun engineering stuff in the book.

On the minus side, Pearson takes 265 pages, count 'em, 265 pages, to set up various characters' backstory and love interests (and yes, the mall in which the story takes place is one of the characters), with only a wee bit of action here & there. And this is yet another one of those books where you can tell pretty early on that those in imperfect physical condition are gonna die. The fat, the ugly, the crippled, they go on to their reward. All the pretty people live. I hate that shit.

[Jenny · Rating 2 out of 5]

I slogged through this. I have found Pearson to be really erratic in his stories and this one wasn't his best. I liked the characters enough but there were too many of them and way too much set-up.

I liked the parts about the mall operation - Pearson seems to have done his homework. I found much of it, like the stuff that happened in the tunnels and then later when Toby climbs the roof, to be hard to visualize.

I thought at first that Susan would be a plant but I guess there were no surprise villains (other than Knorpp).

[Scott Breslove · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably a 3.5. Started out very muddled, we were introduced to characters very rapidly and I felt it was hard to keep track. That did eventually clear up and become an interesting, high paced thrill ride. Sometimes you have to suspend belief a little bit and just let the book lead you, but it worked. Very enjoyable.

[Sibylle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another one i found, in real old/bad condition with a picture of a homemade bomb on the front cover...
loved the setting in the mall....thought is was beautifully written with so many different people and how their lives intertwine
love the description of the bomber....felt dirty.

[Ruth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Whilst the author has obviously done a lot of research into the structure and engineering of buildings, etc., I found this a difficult book to read because of it. Only a quick read because I needed to get it over and done with. Didn't want to give up. First and last book by this author.

[Fred]

1993

[Fred]

1987

[Kristy Hovenden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book. I like all the different story lines and the way he brings them all together. Very suspenceful and twisted. an enjoyable thriller.

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure at all, although I did finish it. There were bits that I enjoyed and other sections that I seemed to skim over or rather glaze over.
It's amazing what can happen in less than a week.

[Diane Wachter · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Seizing of Yankee Green Mall by Ridley Pearson, RDC-M V 1, 1988, 8/88. Fiction.

[Ron Judenberg]

to-read

[Spens (Sphynx Reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A somewhat-engrossing thriller. The constant shifts in POV were a little disorienting though.

[Vince · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK for mindless reading.