- Paperback: 232 pages
- Publisher: North Star Press of St. Cloud, Inc.; Reprint edition (Sep 1 2010)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0878393242
- ISBN-13: 978-0878393244
- Product Dimensions: 17 x 10.9 x 3.8 cm
- Shipping Weight: 159 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,086,373 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
In this quirky and complex suspense novel, Thayer entangles some of the main characters from his debut thriller, The Weatherman, in a re-creation of the Lindbergh kidnapping in present-day Minnesota. While it begins with a provocative premise, the plot loses its edge in an overload of historical detail and an unconvincing conspiracy theory. The kidnapped child is Dylan Beanblossom, son of the famous, stunning ("beauty incarnate") Twin Cities news anchor (and former police officer) Andrea Labore, and star newspaper reporter Rick Beanblossom, an ex-Marine who, in a gothic flourish, wears a sky blue mask to cover a napalm-scarred face, a legacy of Vietnam. Dylan vanishes during a snowstorm on March 1, the anniversary of the Lindbergh kidnappingAthe same day Rick receives a mysterious parcel purporting to hold the missing Lindbergh ransom money. Predictably, Andrea and Rick investigate on their own when many people fall under suspicion: Jasmine, the baby's troubled nanny, who comes from the inner city; Stephanie Koslowski, the FBI agent with a tainted record; Les Angelbeck, a retired city cop; Dr. Freda Wilhelm, the hulking county coroner; Katherine Howard, the grande dame who owns Rick's newspaper; and newspaper pressman Swede Bjorenson, whose wife had ties to the Lindbergh kidnapping. As suspects and subplots accumulate, Thayer inserts a long section set in the 1930s, following Minneapolis reporter Grover Mudd (protagonist of Thayer's first book, Saint Mudd) as he investigates the Lindbergh case. Mudd's excellent analysis of the crime and the beguiling possibilities he raises about its perpetrator are enticing, but just when Mudd's tale gets interesting, readers are jolted back to the present-day events. Yet Thayer manages to pull off his somewhat unwieldy narrative on several fronts. The kidnapper's identity and the links between past and present crimes are real surprises, the laconic dialogue has a true Midwestern flavor and the atmospheric details of Twin Cities weather and landscape are rendered with biting clarity. True thriller fans will probably demand more action and livelier pacing, but history buffs will be intrigued. (Aug.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
This adept and fascinating novel revolving around the Lindbergh kidnapping explores the possibility that convicted kidnapper Bruno Hauptmann had an accomplice. This psychopath is alive today and living in Minneapolis. Now, his victims are Rick Beanblossom, investigative journalist, and Andrea Labore, TV anchor. Local color abounds, exposing Minneapolis' sordid past as well as its pristine present. Thayer flashes back to reporter Grover Mudd (Rick's counterpart or previous life), investigating the original Lindbergh story. Grover's world is in sharp language, reminiscent of Cagney films sans Hollywood censor. The change is jarring and teeters on the edge of heavy-handedness. Thayer does not step over the line, maintaining the integrity of the Beanblossom plot. But in weaving an intricate story line, Thayer may juggle too much. Little is made of a supernatural subplot in which the housekeeper receives messages from a ghost. Another subplot, dealing with the troubled career of an FBI agent, is resolved glibly. These are interesting forays into character, though. Denise Blank
--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
4.0 out of 5 stars
Silent Snow,
By A Customer
This review is from: Silent Snow (Paperback)
In Silent Snow, Steve Thayer "an author who is not afraid of to take chances" provides a great blend of history and fiction that makes it a very enjoyable story. I think this story is both exciting and surprising; it is full of suspense and thrilling events. This story which is about a couple having their brand-new son stolen from a nursery, is a re-creation of the Lindbergh crime, a terrifying story. Silent Snow is probably not Steve Thayer's best selling book or most popular, like the "Weatherman," but it is a very interesting book. I recommend it to every reader.The characteristics and situations of the characters are very well described and shocking. There is a bit of confusion involved, but that only makes it an even more intense and interesting story. The main character of this story is a reporter who shares two different feelings, one is pain for losing his son and the other is anger to track down the kidnapper. He leaves his pain behind and counts on his reporter's instincts to follow the kidnapper's footsteps. This mix of thoughts from one person gives you surprising and thrilling impression all the way to the chilling. It is a good book and if you read it I hope this information helped you make it a more enjoyable and exciting story.
3.0 out of 5 stars
Dense and atmospheric,
By
This review is from: Silent Snow (Paperback)
Minneapolis author Steve Thayer once again returns to the protagonists he used in his bestsellers "The Weatherman" and "Saint Mudd", this time including both the present as well as the past combined to create a unique and mostly exciting thriller.Mixing fact and fiction about the Lindbergh kidnapping and a copycat baby-taking, "Silent Snow" starts out as a hugely entertaining novel. 1930's character Grover Mudd and present-day hero Rick Beanblossom appear to have more in common than can be explained rationally, and the author brings this off quite well. The grim scenery, the wintry climate and the characters are described excellently throughout; Mr. Thayer is certainly an accomplished writer. What I found very disturbing are the mild supernatural topics as well as a lot of threads that are never cleared up during these 400 pages. Also, of the dozen or so German phrases Mr. Thayer incorporates into his narrative, he didn't get a single one right. You should imagine that a well-researched novel as "Silent Snow" ought to try to get these details right as well. The violent ending of this book is way over the top, and spoiled a lot of this novel's charm for me.
5.0 out of 5 stars
MUDD IN THE SNOW,
By
This review is from: Silent Snow (Paperback)
You don't need to read Thayer's "Saint Mudd" to enjoy this excellent thriller, but I would advise it. Reading the "prequel" to this novel will give you a clearer understanding of Grover Mudd.This novel asks was it possible that Bruno Hauptmann, the man executed for the kidnapping and murder of Charles Lindbergh's baby, had a female accomplice. It all starts when Rick Beanbottoms, a hero from Thayer's "The Weatherman" and his lovely anchorwoman wife, Andrea, are the victims of a nefarious kidnapping of their one year old son, Dylan. Rick's search for the villians sends him back into the past to one Grover Mudd, a newspaperman in the 1930's who was somehow involved in the Charles Lindbergh investigation, which eerily parallels the 1999 kidnapping. Using great flashbacks, interpolated with the present dilemma, Thayer craftily constructs a tale of vengeance, murder, sex, duplicity, and loss. The ending in the dome of St. Paul's cathedral is appropriately bizarre and tingling. A good book that stands on its own, but with "Saint Mudd" becomes a wonderful, complex couplet. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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