- Paperback: 352 pages
- Publisher: Jove (MM); Reissue edition (Jan 17 2002)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0515130850
- ISBN-13: 978-0515130850
- Product Dimensions: 16.8 x 9.4 x 2.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 45 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
We all had those terrible nights in high school. We borrowed dad's car, and instead of rushing home to meet curfew, decided to indulge in a little mischief: party-hopping, drag-racing on a deserted road, or drinking beer during an impromptu "sleepover." But what if the little violation of parental trust turned into something much worse? What if somebody died during that joy ride? What if the events of that one night changed your life forever?
In Gary Krist's Chaos Theory, two college-bound high school students watch an evening on the town turn into the nightmare of a lifetime. Jason Rourke and Dennis Monroe are smart and respectable boys from a suburban Washington D.C. neighborhood. Jason is white and Dennis is black, and their occasional discomfort over racial identity sometimes leads them to a bit of posing. One Sunday night, Dennis, pretending an urban sophistication, convinces Jason that they should head to the seedy side of D.C. to score some marijuana. Their black Audi is an easy target for the dealer, who attempts to reach into the car and grab the boys. They flee the scene, dragging the man behind the car for a moment before his arm snaps, shots are fired, and he falls into the road. The boys return home, their hearts pounding, feeling fortunate to have escaped injury. But the next morning's paper reports that the man they escaped is now dead. And their failed petty crime inadvertently involves them in a mess of city politics when the dealer turns out to be a police officer in disguise.
Krist carefully unfolds the subsequent investigation as the two boys realize that they can't escape punishment. Gradually, the novel evolves into a briskly paced thriller as the deeper implications of the officer's death--and his connections to an insidious political conspiracy--put Jason and Dennis in fatal jeopardy. Throughout, Krist never abandons the careful control of his prose and his characters; one can't help but see oneself in Jason and Dennis's plight. And Krist's observations about D.C.--its corrupt politics, its tragic separation between haves and have-nots, and its pervasive racial tensions--simmer behind every page. --Patrick O'Kelley --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Publishers Weekly
Spinning a plausible situation into an extraordinary story while training a marksman's eye on character, Krist has conceived a sleek and thoughtful thriller set on the streets of Washington, D.C. Two affluent high school classmates, Jason Rourke and Dennis Monroe, leave a boring party and drive to the rough end of town to buy a couple of joints. They find a street-corner dealer, but he mistakes them for other dealers and pulls a gun. The boys manage to speed off in their car, but in the process, they accidentally drag the dealer along, eventually leaving his mangled body in the street. The next morning, Rourke and Monroe learn that the dealer is dead, with two bullet wounds in his body; worse still, the papers say he was an undercover cop. Or was he? The teens are horrified to discover that this event has put them smack in the center of a sinister conspiracy, in which a criminal ring helps important people who want to escape their troubles to disappear. For a hefty fee, the crooks will stage the death, substituting the body of a physically similar homeless person for the person who wants to be declared dead. Krist swiftly twists his white-knuckle story into a frenzied manhunt as Rourke and Monroe flee the conspirators, who will kill the boys for what they know. The boys' parents, the FBI and one of their teachers, meanwhile, are desperately trying to track them down before the bad guys do. Along the way, Krist (Bad Chemistry; Bone by Bone) shows his flair for portraying characters under extreme emotional pressure. Among his best here is Rourke's father, Graham, a man wracked by guilt about his wife's suicide and about his crumbling relationship with his son. Rourke and Monroe are sharply drawn na?fs, who act tough but are really smart, resourceful middle-class kids who care about their friendship and their college futures. Their adolescent na?vet? provides a clean contrast with the complicated outlook of adults in the story, ultimately commenting on the resiliency of youth. (Jan.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Thought provoking plot...,
By Mo Addams "Mo Addams" (Terra Firma - USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Chaos Theory (Paperback)
Two teenaged boys become bored at a very straight laced birthday party and decide to leave to find a little excitement so the evening isn't a complete bust. Most teenagers do something very similar to what these boys did, and seldom if ever does a lapse in judgement turn out like it did for Rourke and Monroe. But then that's what makes this such a good story and captures the reader's interest from start to finish. The very idea that something like this could really happen is both plausible and quite chilling. Because the plot is an interesting one, and the development of this story is very well done, the book is worth both your money and your time. However, I do believe that the characters could have been better developed. The Jason Rourke character left me completely cold, and he's the one who, in my opinion, should have been the most sympathetic character in the book. Teenagers certainly have their own way of looking at their circumstances, and many do indeed come off as remote, but Jason seemed to be on autopilot from the middle of this book until the end, and given what happened to him, I found that both unsettling and not very credible. I don't think the characterization of his father was much better. But given the strength of the story, this may not be problematic for another reader.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good-Better-Best..... Gary Krist,
This review is from: Chaos Theory: A Novel (Hardcover)
It's a good book about teenagers, who enjoy their lifes with drugs and you can see the reality of police life. I think, Gary Krist told us a bit of the real life in his book. I like his writing style and i only can say to all people: Read the book, it's exciting and adventurous together!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Totally absorbing,
By "voldor" (Jackson MS) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Chaos Theory (Paperback)
I generally don't care much for or about thrillers, but I knew this author from his short story work, so I gave it a try. And I have to say, it hooked me from beginning to end, keeping me awake for most of two nights. The book follows the conventions of the thriller genre, but what makes it (for me) are the characterizations. This is the story of a dozen or so real and believable people, undergoing real and believable turmoil. I think what turns me off to most thrillers is the lack of this sense of real people. If they're just cardboard cutouts, who cares if they're in danger? But the characters in Chaos Theory aren't just complex, the'yre also full of the odd personality bits and pieces that you always have with flesh and blood people. You really feel you know these characters, so you're caught up when things go wrong for them. I really didn't want this book to end, and so my first reaction when I finished was to pick up Krist's other thriller, Bad Chemistry (me, somebody who doesn't read thrillers!) I guess there goes another night or two of sleep.
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