What do you think?
Rate this book
Jack Carpenter #4
The Program
THE PROGRAM
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
From the national bestselling mystery novelist the Wall Street Journal calls “One terrific writer” comes a heart-pounding thriller pitting a deadly serial killer against two determined FBI agents.
Is it possible to create a serial killer? FBI Special Agent Ken Linderman (last seen alongside Jack Carpenter in bestseller The Night Monster) is about to find out. A serial killer has kidnaped seventeen-year-old Wayne Ladd, and is putting the boy through the Program, a fiendish project designed to turn young boys into raging killers. Along with hot-headed FBI Agent Rachel Vick, Linderman must race against the clock to save Wayne before he’s turned into a monster.
With the odds against them and time running out, Linderman and Vick will stop at nothing to save Wayne, and bring a sadistic criminal to justice.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
James Swain is the author of fourteen national bestselling mystery novels. His novels have been translated into Russian, French, Japanese, and German, and have been chosen as mysteries of the year by Publisher’s Weekly and Kirkus Reviews. Swain has received three Barry Award nominations, a Florida book award for Fiction, and the prestigious Prix Calibre .38 for Best American Crime Fiction. Visit his website at www.jimswain.com
PRAISE FOR JAMES SWAIN’S JACK CARPENTER SERIES
“These books are non-stop nail biters.”
– Lee Child
“Swain is one terrific writer.”
–The Wall Street Journal
“Swain uses language with such blunt force he could be hammering in nails.”
–The New York Times Book Review
“The only problem with Swain’s riveting thrillers is they end.”
–Tess Gerritsen,
“Immensely satisfying... evokes memories of Will Graham, the FBI profiler in Thomas Harris’ brilliant Red Dragon.”
–The Providence Journal
“Swain is nothing short of marvelous.”
–Bookreporter.com
“One of today’s best suspense writers.”
–Houston Press
“This series moves like a bullet train on overdrive.”
–Michael Connelly
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
From the national bestselling mystery novelist the Wall Street Journal calls “One terrific writer” comes a heart-pounding thriller pitting a deadly serial killer against two determined FBI agents.
Is it possible to create a serial killer? FBI Special Agent Ken Linderman (last seen alongside Jack Carpenter in bestseller The Night Monster) is about to find out. A serial killer has kidnaped seventeen-year-old Wayne Ladd, and is putting the boy through the Program, a fiendish project designed to turn young boys into raging killers. Along with hot-headed FBI Agent Rachel Vick, Linderman must race against the clock to save Wayne before he’s turned into a monster.
With the odds against them and time running out, Linderman and Vick will stop at nothing to save Wayne, and bring a sadistic criminal to justice.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
James Swain is the author of fourteen national bestselling mystery novels. His novels have been translated into Russian, French, Japanese, and German, and have been chosen as mysteries of the year by Publisher’s Weekly and Kirkus Reviews. Swain has received three Barry Award nominations, a Florida book award for Fiction, and the prestigious Prix Calibre .38 for Best American Crime Fiction. Visit his website at www.jimswain.com
PRAISE FOR JAMES SWAIN’S JACK CARPENTER SERIES
“These books are non-stop nail biters.”
– Lee Child
“Swain is one terrific writer.”
–The Wall Street Journal
“Swain uses language with such blunt force he could be hammering in nails.”
–The New York Times Book Review
“The only problem with Swain’s riveting thrillers is they end.”
–Tess Gerritsen,
“Immensely satisfying... evokes memories of Will Graham, the FBI profiler in Thomas Harris’ brilliant Red Dragon.”
–The Providence Journal
“Swain is nothing short of marvelous.”
–Bookreporter.com
“One of today’s best suspense writers.”
–Houston Press
“This series moves like a bullet train on overdrive.”
–Michael Connelly
322 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 27, 2010
59 people are currently reading
233 people want to read
About the author
James Swain
49 books351 followersJames Swain is the national best selling author of seventeen mystery novels, and has been published in twelve different languages. His books have been chosen as Mysteries of the Year by Publisher’s Weekly and Kirkus Reviews, and have received three Barry Award nominations, a Florida Book Award for Fiction, and France’s prestigious Prix Calibre .38 for Best American Crime Fiction. Born in Huntington, New York, he graduated from New York University and worked as a magazine editor before moving to Florida to run a successful advertising firm. When he isn’t writing, he enjoys researching casino scams and cons, a subject on which he’s considered an expert.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
January 13, 2013
Part of Swain's Jack Carpenter series --I was introduced to Swain with the excellent Valentino books-- Carpenter doesn't make an appearance until about a third into the book. The FBI agent working on the case recommends to a newly in charge agent, Rachel Vick, that she seek Carpenter's advice as one especially knowing about missing persons, abductions, and serial killers, but also as someone more interest in "justice" than in the "law." (Ah, those wanting to make that distinction rearing their ugly torsos since, in my opinion, they should not be separate and to permit individuals to define what constitutes "justice" is dangerous, indeed.)
I have enjoyed some of Swain's other books, particularly his "grifter" series. This one, while a fast read that holds the interest, seemed wildly implausible, with a convict in virtual solitary running a serial killer on the outside who recruits to killing through the "program," which seemed to be hardly novel or unusual. And yet the implausible is intermixed with the prosaic but little actual investigation. And the Danni business. Didn't buy it. But the cookie business was interesting (sorry, you'll have to read the book to see how that fits in.)
I have enjoyed some of Swain's other books, particularly his "grifter" series. This one, while a fast read that holds the interest, seemed wildly implausible, with a convict in virtual solitary running a serial killer on the outside who recruits to killing through the "program," which seemed to be hardly novel or unusual. And yet the implausible is intermixed with the prosaic but little actual investigation. And the Danni business. Didn't buy it. But the cookie business was interesting (sorry, you'll have to read the book to see how that fits in.)
June 28, 2014
It's book four of the Jack Carpenter series -- sort of. In the same way that Lisa Scottoline's Rosatto and Associates series moves the point of view to different protagonists in successive stories, Swain relegates series hero Carpenter to a cameo in The Program. The difference is in the lead-up; in this series the first three books star Carpenter and book four inexplicably switches to FBI Special Agent Ken Linderman. Unfortunately, Linderman is a much flatter character than Carpenter and Swain tests the reader's ability to suspend disbelief in his attempt to add a little more depth.
Linderman tries to solve a series of murders and suspects the mastermind is a serial killer who is already in prison. Swain tries to draft a Hannibal-esque character from Silence of the Lambs all the way down to the muzzle, but it's less creepy and a lot less believable. Predictable, Linderman resolves his sole personal issue by the book's final chapter in a hurry-up-and-finish-the-book sort of way.
The Program isn't very satisfying by Swain standards and the Kindle edition i read was filled with typographical errors that were distracting at times. Fine for the beach, but don't pass on your favorite author's newest to read s one.
Linderman tries to solve a series of murders and suspects the mastermind is a serial killer who is already in prison. Swain tries to draft a Hannibal-esque character from Silence of the Lambs all the way down to the muzzle, but it's less creepy and a lot less believable. Predictable, Linderman resolves his sole personal issue by the book's final chapter in a hurry-up-and-finish-the-book sort of way.
The Program isn't very satisfying by Swain standards and the Kindle edition i read was filled with typographical errors that were distracting at times. Fine for the beach, but don't pass on your favorite author's newest to read s one.
March 30, 2011
Very unfair for this book to be included in the Jack Carpenter series (#4) as Jack is a bit player, appearing in only 3-4 chapters out of as many as 60. That said, FBI Special Agent Ken Lindholm and his protege Rachel Vick get tapped to investigate the kidnapping of a third young man, where the first two have been murdered. Vick quickly figures out that the kidnapper is Killer X, a wanted serial killer of prostitutes and she accidentally gets herself kidnapped too as a deadly pawn. With Jack's help, the FBI figures out there is a mastermind, who himself is incarcerated and Lindholm has to deal with the darkness in his own life, the disappearance of his college age daughter, while trying to save both Vick's and the boy's lives. Suspenseful, for sure.
March 31, 2024
This was a mesmerically suspenseful experience that kept me enmeshed almost at the exclusion of everything else.
A man in a Florida prison bemoans the fact that serial killers seem to be aging out. There are fewer of them all the time, he asserts. To stem that, he developed The Program, a step-by-step guide for grooming already violent-tempered young men to become serial killers.
He finds a Cuban-American serial killer of prostitutes to carry out his program. The first two boys on whom they try it fail, and the serial killer must dispose of them. The third young man, a guy named Wayne, allegedly killed his mother’s boyfriend with a bayonet. He’s perfect for the program, so they think.
FBI Agent Ken Linderman and his associate, Rachel Vick, catch the case, and they must save Wayne before it’s too late if possible.
I’ve done a horrible job of communicating the electrifying plot of this book. I was up well into the early morning hours with it and started again after less than three hours of sleep. Yeah, it really is that good. You don’t have to read the previous books in the series to enjoy this.
A man in a Florida prison bemoans the fact that serial killers seem to be aging out. There are fewer of them all the time, he asserts. To stem that, he developed The Program, a step-by-step guide for grooming already violent-tempered young men to become serial killers.
He finds a Cuban-American serial killer of prostitutes to carry out his program. The first two boys on whom they try it fail, and the serial killer must dispose of them. The third young man, a guy named Wayne, allegedly killed his mother’s boyfriend with a bayonet. He’s perfect for the program, so they think.
FBI Agent Ken Linderman and his associate, Rachel Vick, catch the case, and they must save Wayne before it’s too late if possible.
I’ve done a horrible job of communicating the electrifying plot of this book. I was up well into the early morning hours with it and started again after less than three hours of sleep. Yeah, it really is that good. You don’t have to read the previous books in the series to enjoy this.
April 21, 2018
Bitterly Disappointing
I am a big fan of James Swain,which makes this bad effort doubly hard to swallow. It's like he had three short novellas that he cobbled together and presented it to us as one stinking mess. There is no evidence of Swain's usually scintillating writing and no evidence of any humor. There is plenty of evidence of turgid prose.
I am a big fan of James Swain,which makes this bad effort doubly hard to swallow. It's like he had three short novellas that he cobbled together and presented it to us as one stinking mess. There is no evidence of Swain's usually scintillating writing and no evidence of any humor. There is plenty of evidence of turgid prose.
May 7, 2021
Incredibly good series; never a dull moment
I absolutely loved this series. Entertaining and informative, I hated for the last of the four books to end. James Swain is brilliant. Great characters, excellent plots, and writing that lets you feel like you are there with the characters. When I finished the final book in the series...... I said, "Wow. That was great."
I absolutely loved this series. Entertaining and informative, I hated for the last of the four books to end. James Swain is brilliant. Great characters, excellent plots, and writing that lets you feel like you are there with the characters. When I finished the final book in the series...... I said, "Wow. That was great."
April 4, 2020
Very Good; Continuing character: Jack Carpenter; two FBI agents work to solve the case of a boy's kidnapping by a serial killer who is getting his directions from another killer in prison; Carpenter makes only a cameo appearance
September 24, 2018
Great book
Great energy, believable characters and enjoyable read. Love the detail of profiling for the FBI. Extra great use of human flaws in character development.
Great energy, believable characters and enjoyable read. Love the detail of profiling for the FBI. Extra great use of human flaws in character development.
January 27, 2019
Excellent
James Swain is one of my favorite authors Excellent story i enjoyed this thriller
Yes I recommend this book! Read it
James Swain is one of my favorite authors Excellent story i enjoyed this thriller
Yes I recommend this book! Read it
April 5, 2019
An inside look...
Truly one of the best Mr. Swain has written.
A deep sad look into Satan's world, and
the job of an FBI profiler.
Truly one of the best Mr. Swain has written.
A deep sad look into Satan's world, and
the job of an FBI profiler.
August 9, 2022
If you love to read about serial killers and the FBI’s pursuit of them, this is a really good one!
July 17, 2023
Another good read.
January 17, 2013
I love James Swain's Tony Valentino stories. I like his Jack Carpenter books, too. This one was not really a Jack Carpenter story. Jack is almost a footnote in The Program. While The Program had the same pacing as the 1st 3 Jack Carpenter books, it lacked the realistic details found in the other Jack Carpenter stories.
Also lacking was the wry humor of the Tony Valentino stories. Rachel Vick might be further developed as an interesting character but poor old Ken NEEDS to retire. I found the sub-plot involving his kidnapped daughter to be pure distraction from the main story line (not to mention it's completely bizaar resolution).
Think I'll stick to Tony for now.
Also lacking was the wry humor of the Tony Valentino stories. Rachel Vick might be further developed as an interesting character but poor old Ken NEEDS to retire. I found the sub-plot involving his kidnapped daughter to be pure distraction from the main story line (not to mention it's completely bizaar resolution).
Think I'll stick to Tony for now.
March 20, 2012
A great read! Not a Jack Carpenter book, he makes a small appearance. The story line is gripping and extremely well written.
November 2, 2012
Just a terrific read. Outstanding author. Highly recommended.
January 29, 2013
Loved this book, I hope all of them are just as captivating
February 8, 2014
Great book. I have read many of Swain's books and again was not let down. There really are no dull parts. A real page turner.
August 20, 2014
I enjoyed it. I like James Swain and have read many of his earlier books.
April 1, 2017
Great book
This was an excellent book;-kept my attention from beginning to end. I Love James Swains books. Highly recommend this series.
This was an excellent book;-kept my attention from beginning to end. I Love James Swains books. Highly recommend this series.
May 1, 2017
not really a Jack Carpenter story, though he does appear in it.
Ken Linderman and Rachel Vick are the maon characters.
The plot is an interesting one that seems plausible.
Ken Linderman and Rachel Vick are the maon characters.
The plot is an interesting one that seems plausible.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews