Icarus: Amazon.ca: Russell Andrews, Patrick Lawlor: Books

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CDN $15.99

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Book Description

Release Date: Jun 28 2002

As a young boy, Jack Keller witnessed a life-altering tragedy - the murder of his mother. Thirty years later, Jack has it all - a great marriage, a successful chain of restaurants bearing his name, lifelong friends, and good health. But in one second - it all becomes worthless when a second tragedy occurs during the opening of a new restaurant. As Jack recovers from his injuries and the resulting psychological trauma, he is nursed back to health by Kid Demeter, a mysterious young man who was once as close to Jack as any son could be. As Kid trains his mentor and father figure, he confides to Jack about various women in his life. Each one is identified only by her nickname and each one is presented as appealing, sexy . . . and extremely dangerous. And then a third tragedy occurs. Kid is found sprawled on the pavement after plunging twenty stories to his death. Jack refuses to accept the police theory of suicide. Convinced that one of Kid's women is a killer, he finds himself searching for answers in Kid's world, a world of lap dancing and after-hours clubs, of drugs and violence, and of overwhelming sensuality. But as Jack's suspicions rise, as he draws closer to the truth, an unknown threat lurks just ahead of him, anticipating his every move - and killing whoever is in the way. As past and present merge, as Kid's world overtakes Jack's, as Jack begins to understand just how high the stakes are in the game he has elected to play, he knows only one thing for certain: He must find the killer before the killer finds him.

#outer_postBodyPS { display: none; } #psGradient { display: none; } #psPlaceHolder { display: none; } #psExpand { display: none; } As a young boy, Jack Keller witnessed a life-altering tragedy - the murder of his mother. Thirty years later, Jack has it all - a great marriage, a successful chain of restaurants bearing his name, lifelong friends, and good health. But in one second - it all becomes worthless when a second tragedy occurs during the opening of a new restaurant. As Jack recovers from his injuries and the resulting psychological trauma, he is nursed back to health by Kid Demeter, a mysterious young man who was once as close to Jack as any son could be. As Kid trains his mentor and father figure, he confides to Jack about various women in his life. Each one is identified only by her nickname and each one is presented as appealing, sexy . . . and extremely dangerous. And then a third tragedy occurs. Kid is found sprawled on the pavement after plunging twenty stories to his death. Jack refuses to accept the police theory of suicide. Convinced that one of Kid's women is a killer, he finds himself searching for answers in Kid's world, a world of lap dancing and after-hours clubs, of drugs and violence, and of overwhelming sensuality. But as Jack's suspicions rise, as he draws closer to the truth, an unknown threat lurks just ahead of him, anticipating his every move - and killing whoever is in the way. As past and present merge, as Kid's world overtakes Jack's, as Jack begins to understand just how high the stakes are in the game he has elected to play, he knows only one thing for certain: He must find the killer before the killer finds him.

Product Details

Audio Cassette
Publisher: Paperback Nova Audio Books; Abridged edition (Jun 28 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1587884593
ISBN-13: 978-1587884597
Product Dimensions: 18.1 x 10.9 x 3 cm
Shipping Weight: 168 g

Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (18 customer reviews)

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Product Description

From Amazon

As a child, Jack Keller watched a madman hurl his mother through a high-rise window to her death. Thirty years later, another senseless act of violence takes the life of his wife and nearly finishes him. Now his friend and physical therapist, the enigmatic Kid Demeter, has apparently taken his own life. But was it really suicide? And what does his death have to do with the team, the women in Demeter's life, each known to Jack only by a series of curious nicknames? In Icarus, Russell Andrews's diabolical, fast-paced thriller, Keller will discover the awful truth of the tragedy that has dogged his life--if he can solve the mystery of the team before the killer can catch him.

Icarus is the second novel by Russell Andrews, the nom de plume of book editor Peter Gethers and mystery novelist David Handler. Like their first one, Gideon, Icarus is relentless in its suspense and pacing. Jack Keller is a likable and believable protagonist. Unfortunately, most of the other characters in the book lack enough depth to be much more than cartoon characters; Keller's wife, in particular, seems like a lonely teenager's fantasy of the ideal woman. Still, as a straightforward action thriller, this book delivers, with enough plot twists and turns to keep the avid mystery reader guessing right up to the end. --Perry M. Atterberry --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

From ex-Villard publisher Peter Gethers and mystery writer David Handler, the pseudonymous duo who penned Gideon (1999), comes this overwritten yarn about a restaurateur It seems incredible that flaws such as meandering POV and lapses into journalistic (omniscient) expository asides could come from such well-versed professionals. However, readers who suffer through the sluggish first 100 pages will be rewarded to find that the novel eventually takes hold and moves briskly forward. Fatherless 10-year-old Jack Keller watches a madman hurl his mother out of a Manhattan skyscraper window and is saved from the same fate by his wannabe stepfather, a successful butcher who takes him in. At 20, Jack meets Caroline, a drop-dead gorgeous Virginia belle at Columbia University. They marry and open Jack's, a trendy New York City eatery. In four years, they own branches in Chicago, L.A., Miami and Paris. Unable to have children, they adopt Kid, a charismatic youth who, on his way to athletic fame at St. John's University, suddenly vanishes. To get on with her life, Caroline goes to hometown Charlottesville to open a restaurant. On opening day, she is brutally murdered by a masked man who also wounds Jack so badly he is left in a wheelchair. Soon the chimerical Kid shows up with a degree in physical therapy and gets Jack back on his feet. But Kid doesn't last long. When his leap from his penthouse is ruled suicide, Jack knows he must get to the bottom of the chain of deaths, no matter what the cost. Spoiled by an hors d'oeuvre tray of twists, a buffet of subplots and a glut of trivia, this chiller is plagued by the same flaws as the overstuffed (but bestselling) Gideon.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Customer Reviews

Most helpful customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Gym Book Sep 22 2003

By A Customer

Format:Mass Market Paperback

I had run out of books to read on the stairmaster and found this one on the book swap shelf at the gym. I couldn't put the book down once I got 100 or so pages into it. I read solely to be amused, and ICARUS did just that. The story was great, and while the character development may not have been as detailed as some people like, the use of the many characters was first rate. The plot twists were very good.

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1.0 out of 5 stars Not Gideon, by any means Mar 11 2003

By A Customer

Format:Mass Market Paperback

Save your time and skip this one. Although it has a great opening scene, the rest of the book fails to deliver the sustained pace and excitement of Gideon, which was a great guilty pleasure read. There are several plot twists which are incredible (this is not a compliment) and you will feel at the end of 540 pages you could have done much better. In fact, in one part of the book, Andrews calls out a character who has read everything by authors like Block, Connolly, and others. Read all of them first before you invest time here.

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5.0 out of 5 stars TOO CLOSE TO THE SUN Jan 15 2003

By Michael Butts TOP 1000 REVIEWER

Format:Mass Market Paperback

"Icarus" has one of the most disturbing, unsettling and downright breathtaking openers I've ever read. It reminded me of the frightening opening sequence in the Stallone movie, "Cliffhanger." What makes this so remarkable is that author Andrews accomplishes this without the visuals. The scene of course is the one where Jack Keller's mother meets her fate in a high rise building at the hands of a madman. Wow, goosebumps upon goosebumps in that scene. There are two other scenes in this book that almost match it: the bizarre shootout in the Charlottesville restaurant (where you keep saying, "No, no, don't let this happen..", and the final climactic scene on the terrace of Keller's own high rise.
While the characterizations are nowhere as sharp as others like Greg Iles and Robert McCammon, Andrews manages to weave a tale of mystery and intrigue. A lot of sex, so if that bothers you, you might flinch a little. Although the book is well crafted, and you're never really sure who is doing what, I had my suspicions about the killer, and even though author Janet Evanovich felt it was impossible to detect, somehow through all the red herrings, I figured it out. Pat on back for the year!!!
The supporting characters including Kid Demeter, Bryan Bishop and Dominic are all well developed, and the whole novel is intense and brooding, but a heck of a good read! Would make a tremendous film!!!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

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