Into the Web

by Thomas H. Cook

Twenty-five years ago, an unspeakable crime was committed and Roy Slater fled—from the life he thought he wanted, from the memories he couldn't avoid, and from the devastating suspicions of those he called friends. But now that his estranged father is dying, the prodigal son has returned to confront the past—and finds himself inextricably caught up with an old flame and a new murder, one that leads him inevitably back into the twisted web of deceit and violence from which he thought he'd escaped.

In this haunting novel of literary suspense, Edgar Award-winner Thomas Cook once again delves deep into the realms of betrayal, passion and murder.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Suspense

272 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

There is more than one author with this name on Goodreads.

Thomas H. Cook has been praised by critics for his attention to psychology and the lyrical nature of his prose. He is the author of more than 30 critically-acclaimed fiction books, including works of true crime. Cook published his first novel, Blood Innocents, in 1980. Cook published steadily through the 1980s, penning such works as the Frank Clemons trilogy, a series of mysteries starring a jaded cop.

He found breakout success with The Chatham School Affair (1996), which won an Edgar Award for best novel. Besides mysteries, Cook has written two true-crime books including the Edgar-nominated Blood Echoes (1993). He lives and works in New York City.

Awards
Edgar Allan Poe – Best Novel – The Chatham School Affair
Barry Award – Best Novel – Red Leaves
Martin Beck Award of the Swedish Academy of Detection – The Chatham School Affair
Martin Beck Award of the Swedish Academy of Detection – Red Leaves
Herodotus Prize – Fatherhood

Reviews

[Kimberly Bissell · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Life deals its cards face down...."
I love the way this man writes.

[Barbara Nutting · Rating 5 out of 5]

With each book I read by Mr Cook (this is the 14th) I become curiouser and curiouser about his relationship with his own father. A love/hate affair? I find it hard to believe he could write about so many family conflicts without having experienced them.

He is the only author who can write of doom and gloom in such lyrical prose.

[Dick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cook is without a doubt one of the best American writers alive today. The only author that comes close is James Lee Burke. They are both outstanding. This book is a jewel. I couldn't put it down.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, we've all seen this storyline before - a man returns to the small-town home of his youth to care for his dying father, and consequently ends up confronting the demons of his past. But hey, it makes for a good story! And I very much enjoyed this one. The author does a great job of putting you in the town, among the people, at the center of the story, as the main character tries to unravel what really happened on the night of a murder 25 years ago. Roy Slater's brother took the fall for the shooting, but did he really do it? Did he act alone? Among the cast of characters is Roy's cruel, cantankerous old father; a corrupt ex-sheriff and his son, the new sheriff; and a long lost love.

Truly can't wait to read ALL of Thomas Cook's other novels!!!

[Virginia · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the last of the job lot of books by this author that I picked up just before the lockdown started. I had enjoyed Breakheart Hill and The Fate of Katherine Carr a few years back and was optimistic about these ones, but I've found that most of these had the same kind of basic plot and stock characters - rebellious young man breaks with parents, leaves home, then reluctantly returns to deal with the past and with the girl he left behind who has a) been waiting for him all these years and b) is single and ready for him to take up where he left off. The parents are always dying or difficult in one way or another but the hero finds some resolution, and of course the romance ends happily. I gave up on this one early on.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favorite book by this author but still a good read. I'm all about character driven fiction and Cook does an excellent job of portraying the father/ son relationship in all it's intricacies.

[Christie (The Ludic Reader) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading a book by Thomas H. Cook is like settling into the coziest chair with a cup of tea and a long, pleasant afternoon stretched in front of you. Cook has won multiple awards, including the Edgar for The Chatham School Affair.

In his 2004 novel Into the Web, Roy Slater has returned home to Kingdom County, West Virginia after an absence of 25 years. His father, Jesse, is dying, and “…although I had nothing in common with my father, nor even so much as a tender childhood memory of him, I couldn’t let him die alone.” Roy takes a leave from his teaching job in California and makes the journey home.

His acrimonious relationship with his father isn’t the only difficult thing about returning to his childhood home. Just a few weeks before he was about to leave for college, Roy’s brother Archie was arrested for the murders of Lavenia and Horace Kellogg. Then there’s Lila, his high school girlfriend. Roy had always intended to come back for her once he graduated, but she told him she couldn’t marry him. Now he’s back in a town filled with ghosts – and then another dead body turns up.

Cook doesn’t write fast-paced novels. He takes his time. He examines complicated familial relationships, particularly between fathers and sons. He strings you along, making you feel as though you’ve got it all figured out before he takes a hard right. Cook’s novels are literary mysteries; they require patience and attention and a willingness to take your time, but I haven’t ever met a book by this author that hasn’t been worth the effort

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thomas H. Cook is one of my favorite mystery/suspense authors. The stories are similar in tone and always well written. I enjoy his character-driven storylines (with an interesting and complex protagonist) as much as I appreciate the suspense. Not much page-turning action here but it still had plenty of compelling suspense.

[Djordje Mladenović · Rating 2 out of 5]

Moralo je da mi se slegne da bih napisao utiske. Na trenutke zamorna, dosadna, ali na trenutke britka, čitljiva, zanimljiva. Do kraja nisam mogao da pohvatani ko je kriv za šta, da li su krivci zaista krivi ili im je smešteno... Inače ne volim kada ne razumem neke delove u knjizi, koji bi trebali sami po sebi da budu razumljivi. Primetio sam dok sam čitao da pisac često skače između prošlosti i sadašnjosti, a da to ne razgraniči dobro. To mi se ne sviđa, jer moram da se vraćam, jer mi od jednom nije jasno o čemu sad on piše i ko su svi ovi ljudi.

Elem, koristeći GDRDSov sistem bodovanja, daću dve zvezdice. Dopala mi se, ali može i bolje.

[Feccastillo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Si pudiera calificarlo con un 3.75 seria la nota perfecta

Es un libro entretenido, justo, si muchas pretensiones pero cumple su objetivo.
El autor no se recrea mucho en descripciones, solo lo justo, y te entrega un relato que calificaría como agradable de leer. una historia plausible de algún pueblo remoto en algún lugar lejano, con una historia con muchos matices que te hace reflexionar sobre ciertos temas de una manera sencilla.


Lo recomiendo totalmente, disfrute el libro, y su final me dejo un grato sentimiento de paz.

[John Biddle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has it all, a good mystery, wonderful language and dialog, and deep characterization. I strongly recommend it. Almost as good as his Chatham School Affair. I listened to the audiobook version read by Tom Stechschulte and he was awesome.

[Andy Plonka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked how Cook developed the plot and peopled it with such interesting characters. Roy tries so hard to do the right thing and ends up realizing what a good person his father reallybwas.

[Jen Rudy · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF, could not get into the novel a few chapters into it

[Roy Timpe · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable read. Not predictable. Explores a strained relationship between a son and his father.

[January · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like this one, the story was dull and perhaps it was too old fashioned for me.

[Cynthia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an intriguing story of a family life gone wrong. I kept thinking "If only this dad had moved his family away."

[Peggy Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story with richly developed characters.

[Didi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent best

[Black Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro profundamente melancólico con un misterio interesante

[Mary Hammock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never read any Thomas H. Cook books. I enjoyed this one. Didn't want to put it down. When I have more free time I will try to read more of his books.
251 Pages

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well paced and clever story - I loved it. Tom Stechschulte as narrator is just 🤌🤌

[LARRY · Rating 2 out of 5]

As posted in [http://www.amazon.com]:

*Into the Web* is the first time that I've read anything by Thomas Cook. I found him to be an alright writer.

Roy Slater, a professor of a small Californian college, returns home in Kingdom County, West Virginia after 25 years. The reason for the return is to care for his ailing father. Not only does he returns but he revisits the secret that caused him to leave in the first place...one that involved his older brother's suicide.

Within days of his return, someone is murdered. The murder brings back everyone from Roy's past, including Lila, his old flame and Lonnie, the current sheriff who is the exact replica of his father, who literally controlled the area.

Meanwhile, Roy has to deal with his dying father, who is bitter and hard to please. However, over a period of time, Roy's father reveals tidbits that finally answers some of Roy's questions.

Predictably, all of these people and their pasts/secrets bring closure to Roy and the terrible tragedy that led to his older brother's suicide.

I thought the book was alright...not quite a page-turner. I felt that Cook dragged on with revealing information from Roy's father and former love. It was like pulling teeth. Just spill the info and move on already.

[Solim · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have ever wanted to step out of your comfort zone or your routine, read this book. Cook has been my favorite mystery author for about 4 years now. He revived the trope filled genre. To be honest, he is more of a litterary fiction author with an undertone of mystery than a pure mystery author. Whenever I start one of his books, I make sure I have enough time to read, re-read and absorb his style, flow, and characters. Cook's books are like a psychological study of the mind that you can re-visit and learn or discover something new. This book is another of his greats and the basic premise or the synopsis does not do it justice. If you like books that will leave you thinking, emotionally drain you, and keep you coming back to them, then Cook is your man. In my opinion he does with the mystery genre what George RR Martin did with the fantasy genre. A breath of fresh air. Grey characters, puzzling plot, unforgettable settings painted in your mind, and amazing twists.

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

Slow moving mystery regarding murders that happened 2o years ago and a person's efforts to unravel what happened. Surrounding the efforts are matters of personal relationships that need to resolved and it takes the unraveling of what actually happened regarding the murders to resolve the personal relationships.

[Cyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay book - well written in that it really gave you a feel for the town and the characters in it. I initially figured that it was primarily supposed to be a mystery book (and in some respects, it was), but it really seemed to focus quite a bit on the coming-to-terms relationship between the narrator and his father (if that's the right way to put it).

[Dalton Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay book - well written in that it really gave you a feel for the town and the characters in it. I initially figured that it was primarily supposed to be a mystery book (and in some respects, it was), but it really seemed to focus quite a bit on the coming-to-terms relationship between the narrator and his father (if that's the right way to put it).

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the fourth book I have read by this author. He does a great job of revealing the plot twists in small increments. There are multiple plausible outcomes to keep you guessing as the story unfolds. That said I was not convinced with the way one of the final key pieces of information was just handed to Roy.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I couldn't put this book down because I had to know how this freaking Web was going to unwind itself. And damnit, I just haaad to stay up past midnight to find out. Six hours of sleep out the window. :(

But totally worth it!

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dark story of revenge. A county sheriff has had to much power for too long. Roy Slater comes home to help his estranged father die and starts looking into the murder his brother may or may not have committed. And he uncovers more than he bargined for.

[Fred Conrad · Rating 4 out of 5]

i liked it, it was a fun read. i also rather liked that i picked up a large-print edition endorsed by the National Association for the Visually Handicapped. the print took a few minutes to get used to, but it sure was easier on the eyes when i was getting sleepy at night.