- Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
- Publisher: Ballantine Books; Reprint edition (July 31 2001)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0345433483
- ISBN-13: 978-0345433480
- Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 10.7 x 2.7 cm
- Shipping Weight: 204 g
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,618,534 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
Penzler Pick, June 2000: Serial killers are everywhere, but thankfully the most ingenious and uncatchable ones stick to the pages of fiction, where readers can encounter them at moments of their own choosing... and when fully prepared. Ethan Black's Irresistible posits that rarely seen creature, the female homicidal nutcase, who in this instance plies her trade amid the anonymous masses of Manhattan. Obviously, Nora Clay has some troubling secrets in her past, traumas that lead her to slice and dice what turns out to be a carefully targeted group of men. She leaves too few clues behind to enable the cops to get a fix on who she might be and why she's turning guys into lunchmeat. When the first victim is found, with the words "I KNOW YOU" printed in large black letters across his bathroom wall, NYPD sex crimes investigator Conrad Voort has little idea that this crazed killer might "know" him, too. Black, author of the equally grisly and entertaining The Broken Hearts Club, has perhaps gone a little over the top--not in his creation of the death-dealing pocket Venus, Nora Clay, but in his portrayal of Voort, a New Yorker of ancient Knickerbocker lineage who's also rich enough to tool around the city's crime scenes in a $70K Jaguar.
Among my favorite books are those like Agatha Christie's The ABC Murders, Philip MacDonald's Warrant for X, and S.S. Van Dine's The Bishop Murder Case, in which a teasing, taunting killer exhibits lethal behavior while providing notes and clues to challenge the police, all the while remaining hidden in a city's throngs. In this case, as in so many others, what looks to be utter madness has method behind it. What's even more chilling is, finally, the way the driven and camouflaged Nora Clay turns out to be as vulnerable to Voort's manipulations as she was, long ago, to the schoolboys who destroyed her. --Otto Penzler --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
A female serial killer who knows everyone's secrets is at the center of Black's gripping, fast-moving second novel featuring New York City sex-crimes detective Conrad Voort (who debuted in The Broken Hearts Club). As the book opens, Voort is fantasizing about ex-girlfriend Camilla Ryan, host of a TV newsmagazine show and a possible suspect in the vicious mutilation and murder of network executive Paul Anderson. But Anderson is only one of four targets who have been marked for death by the real killer, the vivacious and insane Nora Clay. As the murders continue, Voort tries to balance his longing for Camilla with his feelings for a new (and newly pregnant) girlfriend. Investigators, believing conventional wisdom that serial killers are usually male, are thrown off-track by the clues left in Nora's wake. Voort's search for the common denominator that links the dead men leads to Nora, who works as a transcript typist. Her job gives Nora access to New York's best-kept secrets, which she uses to track her potential victimsAand now Voort is on her list. Black has built his tale on character more than on plotAeverything that Nora does is grounded in her solidly detailed and tragic past, making her a credible villain. He also expertly interweaves recurring themes, such as commitment issues, parenting and knowledge-as-power, to connect even the minor characters to the main mystery. In a single riveting sequence, the climax unites every thread Black has spun into the web of his stylish thriller. BOMC and QPB selections; audio rights to Dove. (Apr.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
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Most helpful customer reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Had a hard time with this one!,
By Moe (Canada) - See all my reviews
Ce commentaire est de: Irresistible (Mass Market Paperback)
Did not really like the author's way of writing. Had a hard time getting into this book and figuring out what was going on. More than halfway through the book, I started to kind of enjoy it. Generally like a book that grabs me by the first page. Not the best!!
5.0 out of 5 stars
The title says it all,
Ce commentaire est de: Irresistible (Mass Market Paperback)
This was probably the best book I've read so far this year. I recently discovered Ethan Black and enjoy his style of writing. What I like most about his books is the character development of his villains. I actually found myself feeling sorry for Nora Clay despite all the horrible things she was doing. Usually making a villain sympathetic doesn't work, but Black somehow pulls it off. The plot was very clever and had me racing to find out how it all turned out. The death scenes were very violent and gory but very well-written, and the ending was just too perfect. Conrad Voort is one of the more interesting detective characters to come along in years, and I found myself as wrapped up in the love triangle subplot as I did the main serial killer plot. I highly recommend this book. You will not be able to put it down because you will just have to know what happens to these characters.
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good, but Dead for Life is better, and...,
By "ake465" (texas) - See all my reviews
Ce commentaire est de: Irresistible (Mass Market Paperback)
Black does an outstanding job of creating a complex villain with a heart-wrenching past here, just as he does in Dead for Life. I have to say, however, that I have come to find Voort's character a little annoying. Depsite Black's efforts to describe Voort, I do not feel like I really know him, beyond the superficial--wealth, clothes, possessions, blonde hair, blue eyes, prestigious family history, etc. And there is way too much description of the superficial, especially the clothes that Voort---and Mickie, his (also rich) partner, wear, and the gourmet food they eat. It probably does not help that Voort is blonde, a look that is more associated than dark hair with spoiled, arrogant, wimp, bore--at least in men. The stuff that works the best for Voort are his flashbacks to lessons from his father and his occasional prayers. He is clearly a man of values, but somehow he comes off a bit like the richy rich that some of his fellow cops call him. Mainly, he just comes off too non-desript, depsite Black's efforts to paint him as some kind of prince. Still, because of the unusually rich development of his villains, and because of the tremendous writing overall, Black is among the best and most entertaining writers out there.
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