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FBI Thriller #9
Blowout
A long weekend in the Poconos is cut short when Sherlock and Savich are helicoptered back to Washington to lead the investigation into the brutal murder of a Supreme Court Justice.
Savich allows Callie Markham, an investigative reporter for The Washington Post, to partner with local Metro Police liaison Ben Raven, since she’s got the inside track—she’s the stepdaughter of the murdered justice. Despite Detective Raven’s unwillingness to have a civilian along, Callie Markham ends up riding shotgun to help look for her stepfather’s murderer.
Within the next twenty-four hours, a Supreme Court law clerk is found murdered, the M.O. the same.
Savich learns he must also solve a thirty-year-old crime after a psychic encounter with the murder victim, Samantha Barrister, who suddenly appears in front of his car and hysterically pleads for his help. Savich and Sherlock discover that at the time of her death Samantha had a six-year-old son, who disappeared as a teenager. Savich is convinced the missing boy is the key.
In Blowout, Sherlock and Savich are faced with two of the most baffling and shocking cases of their careers.
Savich allows Callie Markham, an investigative reporter for The Washington Post, to partner with local Metro Police liaison Ben Raven, since she’s got the inside track—she’s the stepdaughter of the murdered justice. Despite Detective Raven’s unwillingness to have a civilian along, Callie Markham ends up riding shotgun to help look for her stepfather’s murderer.
Within the next twenty-four hours, a Supreme Court law clerk is found murdered, the M.O. the same.
Savich learns he must also solve a thirty-year-old crime after a psychic encounter with the murder victim, Samantha Barrister, who suddenly appears in front of his car and hysterically pleads for his help. Savich and Sherlock discover that at the time of her death Samantha had a six-year-old son, who disappeared as a teenager. Savich is convinced the missing boy is the key.
In Blowout, Sherlock and Savich are faced with two of the most baffling and shocking cases of their careers.
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First published June 10, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 356 reviews
March 16, 2022
I really enjoyed this Catherine Coulter thriller. Agents Dylan Savichand Lacey Sherlock are vacation when a supreme court justice is murdered. They’re called back to Washington to investigate, and as more killings occur, realize they’re working with a dangerous assassin. The mystery was great in this one, as well as the slow reveal of clues. One of her best!
Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
August 21, 2023
"Blow Out" blows. That isn't the most clever of wordplay, I know, but it's the truth. Don't be fooled, either: the one star rating I gave this book is actually very generous. I don't typically give books negative reviews. It goes against my grain. I am typically someone who tries to find the best in every book. I am generally a very positive person, but this book was infuriating. It frustrated me to no end because I find that reading a bad book is right at the top of my list of annoying things, and I am unfortunately one of those slightly-OCD readers that has to finish a book once it's started. I may set it aside for months, even years, but it is always lurking somewhere ominously on a bookshelf, the bookmark still in its place, an unfinished project. A failure, of sorts. Mostly on my part---the reader---for not being able to connect at all with what the author is trying to do.
This is the first Catherine Coulter novel I have read. It probably won't be my last. I always give an author several chances because the first time may have been a fluke---I may not have liked it because I was in a pissy mood when I was reading it, or maybe the author was suffering from writer's block at the time he or she wrote it and it clearly wasn't the best of their abilities. In any case, I try to be fair that way. Of course, it may be a long while before I attempt reading another Coulter novel again, as I am still trying to clear the sour taste of this book from my literary palate.
Coulter apparently writes a series of "FBI thrillers" with recurring characters, FBI agents Sherlock and Savitch, who also happen to be married with a young son. Savitch is the tough, strong husband, and Sherlock is the petite wife. Savitch is the braun. Sherlock is the brains. They are very cute together, always flirtatious, even after, I assume, many years of blissful marriage together. Everyone around them loves them because they are so cute. Minor characters joke about how perfect and cute they are together.
Ugh.
I'm sure that somewhere in Coulter's past (and present) is a career as a romance novelist. I have only read two romance novels in my life, and I found both of them laughably ridiculous, but, to be fair, one of them was "written" by Fabio, so there's that. Obviously, I don't know enough about the genre to make an adequate judgment of what makes "good" and "bad" romance.
I do know, however, that when you put the words "thriller" on the cover of your book, it is both expected and required to actually have some thrilling things happen in the book.
Very little excitement happens in this book. There are a few murders sprinkled throughout, but all of them, with the exception of one, happen "off-stage". There is an attempt at police procedural, but it never actually goes anywhere. These are the worst investigators in the world, and if they were actual agents working for the FBI, I would hope that someone higher up would have the sense to fire them. They spend more time flirting and joking around then actually investigating. When the killer is finally "revealed" at the end, there is no suspense whatsoever because the investigators (based on absolutely no credible evidence whatsoever that I could detect) had already determined who the killer was. The motive for the crime is the most ridiculous and antic-climactic motive I have ever heard given in a mystery novel.
There is also, completely inexplicably, another subplot involving a ghost and a 30-year-old unsolved murder thrown in for no apparent reason. It has nothing to do whatsoever to the main story.
I may be unjustifiably harsh in my assessment of Coulter, but I don't think so. This book was absolutely horrible.
This is the first Catherine Coulter novel I have read. It probably won't be my last. I always give an author several chances because the first time may have been a fluke---I may not have liked it because I was in a pissy mood when I was reading it, or maybe the author was suffering from writer's block at the time he or she wrote it and it clearly wasn't the best of their abilities. In any case, I try to be fair that way. Of course, it may be a long while before I attempt reading another Coulter novel again, as I am still trying to clear the sour taste of this book from my literary palate.
Coulter apparently writes a series of "FBI thrillers" with recurring characters, FBI agents Sherlock and Savitch, who also happen to be married with a young son. Savitch is the tough, strong husband, and Sherlock is the petite wife. Savitch is the braun. Sherlock is the brains. They are very cute together, always flirtatious, even after, I assume, many years of blissful marriage together. Everyone around them loves them because they are so cute. Minor characters joke about how perfect and cute they are together.
Ugh.
I'm sure that somewhere in Coulter's past (and present) is a career as a romance novelist. I have only read two romance novels in my life, and I found both of them laughably ridiculous, but, to be fair, one of them was "written" by Fabio, so there's that. Obviously, I don't know enough about the genre to make an adequate judgment of what makes "good" and "bad" romance.
I do know, however, that when you put the words "thriller" on the cover of your book, it is both expected and required to actually have some thrilling things happen in the book.
Very little excitement happens in this book. There are a few murders sprinkled throughout, but all of them, with the exception of one, happen "off-stage". There is an attempt at police procedural, but it never actually goes anywhere. These are the worst investigators in the world, and if they were actual agents working for the FBI, I would hope that someone higher up would have the sense to fire them. They spend more time flirting and joking around then actually investigating. When the killer is finally "revealed" at the end, there is no suspense whatsoever because the investigators (based on absolutely no credible evidence whatsoever that I could detect) had already determined who the killer was. The motive for the crime is the most ridiculous and antic-climactic motive I have ever heard given in a mystery novel.
There is also, completely inexplicably, another subplot involving a ghost and a 30-year-old unsolved murder thrown in for no apparent reason. It has nothing to do whatsoever to the main story.
I may be unjustifiably harsh in my assessment of Coulter, but I don't think so. This book was absolutely horrible.
June 25, 2011
This review is verbatim from previous notes when I read this book back in 2004.
Even though I love the Savich/Sherlock series--this one was terrible. The romance/flirting between the 2 sub-characters was so lame. The dailogue was cheesy. And the plot left you wishing there had been one. The sub plot was hardly mentioned throughout the horribly long interviewing of suspects and then when it did come up again in the end, it was wrapped up quickly and with no substance. The main plot was a huge let down.
Even though I love the Savich/Sherlock series--this one was terrible. The romance/flirting between the 2 sub-characters was so lame. The dailogue was cheesy. And the plot left you wishing there had been one. The sub plot was hardly mentioned throughout the horribly long interviewing of suspects and then when it did come up again in the end, it was wrapped up quickly and with no substance. The main plot was a huge let down.
February 26, 2009
My opinion - not her best work.
Savich, Sherlock and their son, Sean, are spending some family time at a cabin in the Poconos. On his way back from the market, Savich’s SUV blows a tire. Just as he’s done changing it, a woman comes running out of nowhere, not suitably dressed for the weather, screaming about a man in her house. His cell phone all of a sudden not working and unable to call for back-up, Savich goes with the woman back to her house. Making her wait in the living room, he searches the house, and other than a small incident, there’s no one there. Exactly no one, for even the woman has disappeared. The house now seems abandoned, as if it had been that way for years. Had Savich actually been talking to a ghost?
And just when he tries to convince the local sheriff of what happened, Savich and Sherlock are called back to D.C. to head up the investigation of a murdered supreme court justice, Stewart Califano. He’d been murdered right in the Supreme Court Library, and all they have to go on is the guard who’d been knocked out.
Metro detective Ben Raven is helping Sherlock and Savich with the case, the appointed liason between the FBI and Metro police. They met the now widow, Margaret Califano, as well as her daughter, Callie Markham, an investigative reporter for The Washington Post. Taking a leave of absense, she’s determined to help the FBI find her stepfather’s killer. And now Ben is stuck with her. And that’s just the beginning of a spark.
Everyone is interviewed, from the other justices, the clerks, family and friends. Then one of Califano’s clerks is murdered, the same M.O. With the help of MAX, the computer finds the M.O. matches the M.O. of a killer who hasn’t killed in over 20 years. How can that be? Is no one safe and who could be next?
**Could have been better. All those interviews and no clues from them. And the more the interviews, the more I started to get bored. They kept revisiting the same information. A few events in the book make you sit up and take notice, just for it to go back to more interviews. And then finally, you get face to face with the killer, and it made no sense - there was no connection between this person and his victims. And just when you’re thinking “You’ve got to be kidding me,” you read the barest of connections, a rather neat twist, and yet you still don’t know much about the killer or who it really was he associated with. Callie finds out by mishap, but doesn’t tell, not even Ben.
Savich and Sherlock were their usual selves, and I really like them as characters, as man and wife, as mom and dad. We see them more with Sean in this one and I liked that aspect. Callie - I liked her personality; no nonsense, she pushes to get her way. Ben - I liked him as well. Even when he’s not happy of being saddled with Callie, he makes the best of it. I liked the banter between them, but that spark you feel at the beginning, stayed just like that. A spark - one. That’s it. After that, I felt a camaraderie between them and nothing more.
Then there’s that twist, and you’re thinking “Holy Cow!”, but it stays there. You still don’t know who the killer was associated with. While I have an idea, it’s not confirmed, and that bothered me.
Meanwhile, there’s a second, smaller investigation, for the ghost of Samantha Barrister won’t leave Savich alone. They do find her son, in a most unusual way, and even solve her murder. I actually enjoyed that part more than the main investigation, and I believe that more could have been added to it and made its own book, I think.
While it was good, the book could have been better.
Savich, Sherlock and their son, Sean, are spending some family time at a cabin in the Poconos. On his way back from the market, Savich’s SUV blows a tire. Just as he’s done changing it, a woman comes running out of nowhere, not suitably dressed for the weather, screaming about a man in her house. His cell phone all of a sudden not working and unable to call for back-up, Savich goes with the woman back to her house. Making her wait in the living room, he searches the house, and other than a small incident, there’s no one there. Exactly no one, for even the woman has disappeared. The house now seems abandoned, as if it had been that way for years. Had Savich actually been talking to a ghost?
And just when he tries to convince the local sheriff of what happened, Savich and Sherlock are called back to D.C. to head up the investigation of a murdered supreme court justice, Stewart Califano. He’d been murdered right in the Supreme Court Library, and all they have to go on is the guard who’d been knocked out.
Metro detective Ben Raven is helping Sherlock and Savich with the case, the appointed liason between the FBI and Metro police. They met the now widow, Margaret Califano, as well as her daughter, Callie Markham, an investigative reporter for The Washington Post. Taking a leave of absense, she’s determined to help the FBI find her stepfather’s killer. And now Ben is stuck with her. And that’s just the beginning of a spark.
Everyone is interviewed, from the other justices, the clerks, family and friends. Then one of Califano’s clerks is murdered, the same M.O. With the help of MAX, the computer finds the M.O. matches the M.O. of a killer who hasn’t killed in over 20 years. How can that be? Is no one safe and who could be next?
**Could have been better. All those interviews and no clues from them. And the more the interviews, the more I started to get bored. They kept revisiting the same information. A few events in the book make you sit up and take notice, just for it to go back to more interviews. And then finally, you get face to face with the killer, and it made no sense - there was no connection between this person and his victims. And just when you’re thinking “You’ve got to be kidding me,” you read the barest of connections, a rather neat twist, and yet you still don’t know much about the killer or who it really was he associated with. Callie finds out by mishap, but doesn’t tell, not even Ben.
Savich and Sherlock were their usual selves, and I really like them as characters, as man and wife, as mom and dad. We see them more with Sean in this one and I liked that aspect. Callie - I liked her personality; no nonsense, she pushes to get her way. Ben - I liked him as well. Even when he’s not happy of being saddled with Callie, he makes the best of it. I liked the banter between them, but that spark you feel at the beginning, stayed just like that. A spark - one. That’s it. After that, I felt a camaraderie between them and nothing more.
Then there’s that twist, and you’re thinking “Holy Cow!”, but it stays there. You still don’t know who the killer was associated with. While I have an idea, it’s not confirmed, and that bothered me.
Meanwhile, there’s a second, smaller investigation, for the ghost of Samantha Barrister won’t leave Savich alone. They do find her son, in a most unusual way, and even solve her murder. I actually enjoyed that part more than the main investigation, and I believe that more could have been added to it and made its own book, I think.
While it was good, the book could have been better.
March 5, 2016
Lame, lame, lame.
The main characters were idiots, even though they worked for the FBI, D.C. police force, and the Washington Post. They did ridiculously dumb things, then somehow managed to connect the dots and identify the killer without ever having other suspects. They just "knew" it was this assassin who'd been off the radar for 20+ years. Whom they'd never heard of before.
AND the husband/wife FBI team (really) broke down in tears when one of the people who they'd just met is killed...but barely batted an eye when their infant son was almost shot by the aforementioned assassin.
The love story was drippy, sappy, and eye-rollingly awful (almost painful) to read. Cop and reporter hate each other with a passion, which of course means that at the end of the week they are madly in love and ready to be married and have babies.
I only read to the end, because there were two separate storylines: one about a ghost that is guiding the FBI to solve an old murder, and this assassin taking out a supreme court justice. I wanted to see how the two would eventually connect, since there seemed nothing that would draw them together.
And. Surprise! They DON'T. Because really, it had NOTHING to do with the main plot. So why on earth was it part of this book?! Maybe the author had to add another 50 pages.
UGH. That was hours of my life I'll never get back.
The main characters were idiots, even though they worked for the FBI, D.C. police force, and the Washington Post. They did ridiculously dumb things, then somehow managed to connect the dots and identify the killer without ever having other suspects. They just "knew" it was this assassin who'd been off the radar for 20+ years. Whom they'd never heard of before.
AND the husband/wife FBI team (really) broke down in tears when one of the people who they'd just met is killed...but barely batted an eye when their infant son was almost shot by the aforementioned assassin.
The love story was drippy, sappy, and eye-rollingly awful (almost painful) to read. Cop and reporter hate each other with a passion, which of course means that at the end of the week they are madly in love and ready to be married and have babies.
I only read to the end, because there were two separate storylines: one about a ghost that is guiding the FBI to solve an old murder, and this assassin taking out a supreme court justice. I wanted to see how the two would eventually connect, since there seemed nothing that would draw them together.
And. Surprise! They DON'T. Because really, it had NOTHING to do with the main plot. So why on earth was it part of this book?! Maybe the author had to add another 50 pages.
UGH. That was hours of my life I'll never get back.
December 18, 2017
Review to come...
September 23, 2011
Book number 9 in the FBI Thriller series and Savich and Sherlock are back yet again! A supreme court justice is murdered and Savich is in charge of the FBI investigation to find out who did it. Before he can solve this mystery, more people start dying. He's aided by, of course, his wife Agent sherlock, a new guy from the DC police, and the justice's stepdaughter. i was guessing the whole time. the DC police guy did seem a little naive, especially when it came to 'old justice's', very young-centric. but then again, that's one of the reasons i like the main characters in these books - they always mention often how they eat well and they all LOVE going to the gym LOL. They're smart and hot! There is also a side story about a ghost. I really enjoy the supernatural things she's been throwing in for Savich, he definitely has some sort of affinity.. Good addition to the series, can't wait for the next, as always!
August 23, 2022
Re-read.
Yeppers, another goodie!
Yeppers, another goodie!
December 23, 2024
Another excellent book by Catherine Coulter There are numerous plots all going on at the same time. In the end, there are some surprising twists that add to enjoyment of this book.
June 24, 2019
The title refers to a sub-plot, which turns up at the beginning, pokes its head in a time or two along the way, then returns at the end to wind things down. I kept wondering "Why is this here in a book about murder and mayhem at the Supreme Court?" (I still don't know.) The judicial dimension worked well enough on its own: a "guilty pleasure," diverting read with characters that were diverting enough, if not especially memorable in the long run, a smattering of info on the Court and its workings, and a plot that worked well enough that I've gone out and picked up another Coultier (for free, fortunately, since I now realize it's one of those co-written contributions to the publication juggernaut).
March 12, 2022
5 stars
August 5, 2019
Savich and Sherlock are on vacation in the Poconos when a mysterious woman runs out in front of Savich's car and begs for help because a man is trying to kill her. He investigates but she disappears and he learns that . Before he can investigate further, he and Sherlock are called back to Washington for the murder of a Supreme Court Justice, Stewart Califano. With the help of Metro Police detective Ben Raven and the unasked for (but she blackmailed her way in) help of Callie Markham, Justice Califano's stepdaughter, they begin to unravel the reasons behind his grisly murder. But then his law clerks start dying as well, and the agents know they're dealing with a professional who will stop at nothing to make his point.
This really had the makings of a good story. Savich and Sherlock are a bit sappy, but I enjoy them as investigators and as a couple on the whole and Ben and Callie were likeable as well. This had the bones of an excellent suspense plot - with the murders being really dramatic and high profile and everybody working together to gather the evidence. But this plot failed in its execution. I think part of this was that the police procedural part was a bit on the dry side with the same questions being asked over and over again and nobody really getting to the important stuff. I mean this was pretty shitty police work...if these guys were investigating to save my life, I'd be dead. Case in point: one of the first things Savich and Sherlock discover is that the married Califano was having an affair with his law clerk, Eliza. Well this instantly gives motive to at least two people, the wife and the mistress, but does anyone suggest looking into it? Anyone? Not a soul. Every single police officer/agent who knows about it shrugs it off, believing it's not relevant. Then the 1st law clerk dies and they realize he was blackmailing the killer and knew something about Justice Califano perhaps. But the question on everyone's mind is, what secret could he have possibly known? Duh. How about the only secret the Justice seems to have at this point? So it was little surprise to me that this ended up being motivated by the Justice's infidelity.
The twist there at the end was a nice surprise, though I did have a feeling these people were somehow involved or hiding something. Call me suspicious but I wasn't surprised by the surprise twist. I was surprised by the lack of action about it. . Callie learns about this and says, "I need to think about this," but then does NOTHING about it. I can understand this to a degree, but she keeps this a complete secret. And the end suggests that she's starting a relationship with Detective Ben Raven, one in which they love each other, and she's going to keep this secret from him for the rest of her life. Not buying that HEA...I can see Callie being tense with her mother and Ben asking about it and Callie refusing to say anything. Even Savich and Sherlock hid the full story from the public (and their superiors) thinking they were protecting people. That felt pretty out of character for them.
Finally, I had issues with the fact that everybody seemed to think that Justice Califano was a "fine man" and that Eliza, the law clerk, was a "good woman." It's like everybody forgot the fact that, although he was probably a good judge and could have been a nice guy at work, he was not a fine man because he was cheating on his wife. Likewise, Sherlock admires and idolizes Eliza when she meets her and thinks they could have been friends under different circumstances because she's "so together." And Sherlock seems to have forgotten that Eliza was knowingly sleeping with a married man. That sort of behavior either shows that she lacked moral fiber or she wasn't as together as she thought. It felt like the whole cast of characters sainted Eliza even though she'd been totally fine with destroying a marriage and the reputation of a Supreme Court Justice. Even worse - they continued to admire and believe Justice Califano was of stellar character when he was willing to do the same. Even worse, they wanted to protect HIM and his name from scandal after death. I couldn't understand the motivations of these characters.
So in the end, when it turned out that the murderer himself had no seemingly no connection to anything and just wanted glory, Savich and Sherlock just accepted it instead of investigating it. And the mysterious woman from the beginning of the story...that had nothing to do with anything either. It would have been VERY interesting if that story had managed to connect to the main plot and if Savich and Sherlock, and especially Callie, hadn't made executive decisions about how much truth everyone else can handle.
This really had the makings of a good story. Savich and Sherlock are a bit sappy, but I enjoy them as investigators and as a couple on the whole and Ben and Callie were likeable as well. This had the bones of an excellent suspense plot - with the murders being really dramatic and high profile and everybody working together to gather the evidence. But this plot failed in its execution. I think part of this was that the police procedural part was a bit on the dry side with the same questions being asked over and over again and nobody really getting to the important stuff. I mean this was pretty shitty police work...if these guys were investigating to save my life, I'd be dead. Case in point: one of the first things Savich and Sherlock discover is that the married Califano was having an affair with his law clerk, Eliza. Well this instantly gives motive to at least two people, the wife and the mistress, but does anyone suggest looking into it? Anyone? Not a soul. Every single police officer/agent who knows about it shrugs it off, believing it's not relevant. Then the 1st law clerk dies and they realize he was blackmailing the killer and knew something about Justice Califano perhaps. But the question on everyone's mind is, what secret could he have possibly known? Duh. How about the only secret the Justice seems to have at this point? So it was little surprise to me that this ended up being motivated by the Justice's infidelity.
The twist there at the end was a nice surprise, though I did have a feeling these people were somehow involved or hiding something. Call me suspicious but I wasn't surprised by the surprise twist. I was surprised by the lack of action about it. . Callie learns about this and says, "I need to think about this," but then does NOTHING about it. I can understand this to a degree, but she keeps this a complete secret. And the end suggests that she's starting a relationship with Detective Ben Raven, one in which they love each other, and she's going to keep this secret from him for the rest of her life. Not buying that HEA...I can see Callie being tense with her mother and Ben asking about it and Callie refusing to say anything. Even Savich and Sherlock hid the full story from the public (and their superiors) thinking they were protecting people. That felt pretty out of character for them.
Finally, I had issues with the fact that everybody seemed to think that Justice Califano was a "fine man" and that Eliza, the law clerk, was a "good woman." It's like everybody forgot the fact that, although he was probably a good judge and could have been a nice guy at work, he was not a fine man because he was cheating on his wife. Likewise, Sherlock admires and idolizes Eliza when she meets her and thinks they could have been friends under different circumstances because she's "so together." And Sherlock seems to have forgotten that Eliza was knowingly sleeping with a married man. That sort of behavior either shows that she lacked moral fiber or she wasn't as together as she thought. It felt like the whole cast of characters sainted Eliza even though she'd been totally fine with destroying a marriage and the reputation of a Supreme Court Justice. Even worse - they continued to admire and believe Justice Califano was of stellar character when he was willing to do the same. Even worse, they wanted to protect HIM and his name from scandal after death. I couldn't understand the motivations of these characters.
So in the end, when it turned out that the murderer himself had no seemingly no connection to anything and just wanted glory, Savich and Sherlock just accepted it instead of investigating it. And the mysterious woman from the beginning of the story...that had nothing to do with anything either. It would have been VERY interesting if that story had managed to connect to the main plot and if Savich and Sherlock, and especially Callie, hadn't made executive decisions about how much truth everyone else can handle.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 3, 2019
Savich and Sherlock are quite a team.
April 10, 2021
Interesting story line and subplot. Kept me engaged.
October 14, 2023
A little spooky encounter and a Washington murder but eventually all the pieces of the two cases work out. Bravo
January 20, 2024
Literally couldn't finish it
Weird subplot about a ghost in the beginning?? Honestly was juicer than the rest of what I read...
All love 🫶
Weird subplot about a ghost in the beginning?? Honestly was juicer than the rest of what I read...
All love 🫶
February 8, 2024
When an FBI agent loses time & sees a ghost all bets are off. When it then links to a current case, the twists & turns are mind blowing.
June 8, 2020
I enjoyed the book very much. I like how the fbi agents are married with a kid and they work so well together. I also like the story line.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 18, 2012
FBI agents Savitch and Sherlock are enjoying some down time in the Pocono mountains, when Savitch has a blow out on his car. When he has finished with the tire, a woman suddenly appears from the woods. She is terrified and saying someone is trying to kill her. When Savitch takes her home, he searches the house and finds no one. The woman also is no longer there. He seeks out the local sheriff to start a search for the woman, only to be told the woman he helped, died some 30 years ago.
He wants to do more searching and some research into this story. But before he has the chance, he and Sherlock are summoned back to D.C. A justice of the Supreme Court has been murderer in the court library.
Callie Markham is an investigative reporter for the Washington Post. She has just discovered that her step father Justice Califano has been murdered. The detective assigned to the case, Ben Raven, is working with the FBI to solve this murder. Callie wants to help with the investigation, she knows the people involved, and they will be more willing to talk to her, a member of the family, than a cop. She promises not to be a reporter, and even takes a leave of absence from the paper.
The last thing Ben wants is a civilian reporter tagging along. But he takes her along. And she proves to be useful.
Two of The Justice's law clerks are also murdered in the same way, and the agents go to great lengths to protect the third. As it turns out, the murderer has an unknowing insiders feeding him information. And the killer is closer than anyone expected.
I was a bit unsure about this book after the first chapter, the whole "ghost" thing in a thriller. But it is not the focus of the story, and its well written, believable. I liked the book. Loved Ben and Callie.
He wants to do more searching and some research into this story. But before he has the chance, he and Sherlock are summoned back to D.C. A justice of the Supreme Court has been murderer in the court library.
Callie Markham is an investigative reporter for the Washington Post. She has just discovered that her step father Justice Califano has been murdered. The detective assigned to the case, Ben Raven, is working with the FBI to solve this murder. Callie wants to help with the investigation, she knows the people involved, and they will be more willing to talk to her, a member of the family, than a cop. She promises not to be a reporter, and even takes a leave of absence from the paper.
The last thing Ben wants is a civilian reporter tagging along. But he takes her along. And she proves to be useful.
Two of The Justice's law clerks are also murdered in the same way, and the agents go to great lengths to protect the third. As it turns out, the murderer has an unknowing insiders feeding him information. And the killer is closer than anyone expected.
I was a bit unsure about this book after the first chapter, the whole "ghost" thing in a thriller. But it is not the focus of the story, and its well written, believable. I liked the book. Loved Ben and Callie.
January 17, 2014
Blow Out - FBI Thriller #9 - Savich and Sherlock - (Callie Markham and Ben Raven [not FBI]) - Supreme court judge is murdered, followed quickly by two more people. Ben (who is metro police) and S&S are hot on the trail.
Savich, Sherlock and their son, Sean, are spending some family time at a cabin in the Poconos. On his way back from the market, Savich’s SUV blows a tire. Just as he’s done changing it, a woman comes running out of nowhere, not suitably dressed for the weather, screaming about a man in her house. His cell phone all of a sudden not working and unable to call for back-up, Savich goes with the woman back to her house. Making her wait in the living room, he searches the house, and other than a small incident, there’s no one there. Exactly no one, for even the woman has disappeared. The house now seems abandoned, as if it had been that way for years. Had Savich actually been talking to a ghost?
And just when he tries to convince the local sheriff of what happened, Savich and Sherlock are called back to D.C. to head up the investigation of a murdered supreme court justice, Stewart Califano. He’d been murdered right in the Supreme Court Library, and all they have to go on is the guard who’d been knocked out.
Metro detective Ben Raven is helping Sherlock and Savich with the case, the appointed liason between the FBI and Metro police. They met the now widow, Margaret Califano, as well as her daughter, Callie Markham, an investigative reporter for The Washington Post. Taking a leave of absense, she’s determined to help the FBI find her stepfather’s killer. And now Ben is stuck with her. And that’s just the beginning of a spark.
Savich, Sherlock and their son, Sean, are spending some family time at a cabin in the Poconos. On his way back from the market, Savich’s SUV blows a tire. Just as he’s done changing it, a woman comes running out of nowhere, not suitably dressed for the weather, screaming about a man in her house. His cell phone all of a sudden not working and unable to call for back-up, Savich goes with the woman back to her house. Making her wait in the living room, he searches the house, and other than a small incident, there’s no one there. Exactly no one, for even the woman has disappeared. The house now seems abandoned, as if it had been that way for years. Had Savich actually been talking to a ghost?
And just when he tries to convince the local sheriff of what happened, Savich and Sherlock are called back to D.C. to head up the investigation of a murdered supreme court justice, Stewart Califano. He’d been murdered right in the Supreme Court Library, and all they have to go on is the guard who’d been knocked out.
Metro detective Ben Raven is helping Sherlock and Savich with the case, the appointed liason between the FBI and Metro police. They met the now widow, Margaret Califano, as well as her daughter, Callie Markham, an investigative reporter for The Washington Post. Taking a leave of absense, she’s determined to help the FBI find her stepfather’s killer. And now Ben is stuck with her. And that’s just the beginning of a spark.
September 19, 2009
The murder of a Supreme Court Justice brings Savich and Sherlock home quick from a vacation that had turned strange with the appearence of a 'ghost' that asked Savich for help. The Justices' stepdaughter, Callie Markham, an Investigative reporter from 'The Washington Post' asks to be a involved with the investigation. Being the stepdaughter, she is paired with Metro Police Detective Ben Raven. Within 24 hours, another murder and then a few days later, another murder all with the same MO. They think they know who, but the why is the biggest mystery.
The ghost side story is very different, but it is an interesting addition. The typical way of Savich and Sherlock let others do a lot and they come to help, not true in this one, they are front and center more so than Callie and Ben. I felt a little cheated not getting to know them as well as most of the past characters. I was also sad to see Sherlock be so wrong about someone, she was duped and that is not her normal.
The ghost side story is very different, but it is an interesting addition. The typical way of Savich and Sherlock let others do a lot and they come to help, not true in this one, they are front and center more so than Callie and Ben. I felt a little cheated not getting to know them as well as most of the past characters. I was also sad to see Sherlock be so wrong about someone, she was duped and that is not her normal.
August 27, 2016
I love this series. I can't remember how i discovered it, but i thank God I did. Love cop books anyway, dammit. I want to go back to the beginning and read these - start to finish. But as i find them at thrift stores, i grab them. Thank God for Goodreads, I did at least quit getting books i already had for my "pending" read.
I love Savich and Sherlock - their brains are awesome. Plus following their relationship while they work together is cool. Could NEVER do that ugh.
I love how, so far, the author weaves a couple of stories together in all of the novels - my ADHD brain gets it.
This one is full of intrigue...politics...a little bit of spiciness too.
I love Savich and Sherlock - their brains are awesome. Plus following their relationship while they work together is cool. Could NEVER do that ugh.
I love how, so far, the author weaves a couple of stories together in all of the novels - my ADHD brain gets it.
This one is full of intrigue...politics...a little bit of spiciness too.
December 11, 2019
I like that Savich had a GHOST come to him! HOW COOL! I read this one out of order. I do believe there is corruption in all 3 branches of Government!
December 19, 2011
It began with this blowout and great ghost story. I really have wanted a good ghost story, but then it left that story alone for the most part to tell another unrelated story. I thought we would tie it all in and they would be related, but they were seperate stories and sadly not related. I guess I'll have to keep looking for a good ghost story. The story probably would have related higher if the two plots would have intertwined, but they never did.
September 12, 2014
Catherine Coulter has hit a home run with her suspense thriller, "Blow Out."
Savich and Sherlock are at it again, this time looking into the past to stop the murders.
This book is perfectly executed; the plot thickens and twists with every turn of the page. The characters are my friends already; Coulter makes me feel that I'm solving the crime with them.
Savich and Sherlock are at it again, this time looking into the past to stop the murders.
This book is perfectly executed; the plot thickens and twists with every turn of the page. The characters are my friends already; Coulter makes me feel that I'm solving the crime with them.
June 8, 2014
I am not a typical mystery reader. My mother and sister got me started on this series of FBI thrillers. It was a well-written and suspenseful tale featuring two FBI agents who are married and work together to solve cases. A good story that kept me guessing until the conclusion.
November 11, 2014
Another excellent book by the prolific writer. I really enjoy reading her FBI thriller series. As usual there are 2 excellent stores running parallel with each other, and as always, ultimately, the good guys win.
July 14, 2019
Page turner
I really enjoyed reading this book. There were suspenseful actions at every turn. Right when you thought you'd figured it out something else happened. Great read!!
I really enjoyed reading this book. There were suspenseful actions at every turn. Right when you thought you'd figured it out something else happened. Great read!!
January 6, 2018
I didn't like this book at all for a couple of reasons. First, a pet peeve of mine is to have female characters called by their last name; especially in their private life. It's like the authors try to show the female leads are strong females by using their last names when I think it's just an ignorant practice. I know plenty of strong women and none ask people to call them by their last name. It's especially ridiculous to me when Lacey's husband calls her Sherlock. I haven't read/listened to the first few books in the series so maybe there is some reason behind this for this series but I still don't like it at all.
More important reason I disliked this book was the fact Eliza was portrayed again & again as this solid, good person. Sherlock even cried over her bc she was such a good person. Give me a break - this was a ruthless, skanky women with no morals who lied to everyone around her, including the FBI. She used her position to begin an affair with a married man and then called his wife to tell her in hopes that she'd divorce him. Eliza cared only about herself and what she could get out of an old yet very powerful man. And the blame didn't just lie with her - all 3 people who were killed in this story were awful, morally corrupt people. It was hard not to cheer the killer on.
The ending and revelation of the reasons the killer attacked was pretty lame. Definitely not a good book.
More important reason I disliked this book was the fact Eliza was portrayed again & again as this solid, good person. Sherlock even cried over her bc she was such a good person. Give me a break - this was a ruthless, skanky women with no morals who lied to everyone around her, including the FBI. She used her position to begin an affair with a married man and then called his wife to tell her in hopes that she'd divorce him. Eliza cared only about herself and what she could get out of an old yet very powerful man. And the blame didn't just lie with her - all 3 people who were killed in this story were awful, morally corrupt people. It was hard not to cheer the killer on.
The ending and revelation of the reasons the killer attacked was pretty lame. Definitely not a good book.
July 15, 2020
Dillon Savich is returning from the grocery store to the cabin in the Poconos he borrowed from his boss, Jimmy Maitland, for a much-needed weekend away when he has a blowout. He calls Sherlock to say he’ll be 20 minutes late. No sooner had he finished than a woman in a summer dress runs out of the woods yelling for help, someone wants to kill her, we have to go back to the house. Dillon calls for back-up but his phone won’t work so he takes her back to the house. He tells her to sit still while he goes through the beautiful house on the hill to see if the person she’s so afraid of is still there. When he returns to the living room, she’s gone. He calls Sherlock, surprised the phone is working again, and visits the sheriff. Surprise! Sheriff takes him back to the house and it’s in an obvious state of disrepair. The woman he saw had died 30 years earlier. But that’s not the main mystery in this thrilling story. Alone, in the Supreme Court Justices Building’s library, a judge is garroted. Savich and Sherlock are called back to DC to head up the case on the order of – ta da – Robert Mueller. I love when they throw in a real person or two.
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