The Guilty [Mass Market Paperback]

Just as i mentioned on my first review, I am not a huge reader, but The Mark really impressed me. After a long awaited wait to purchase The Guilty, I am far from disappointed. This was another amazing read. It was quick, suspenseful, thorough and exciting. Each page was gripping and each new twist enthralling. I highly recommend this book to anyone and cannot wait until August when Pinter's third book The Stolen arrives. Thanks for another great read.

THE GUILTY is the second Jason Pinter novel to feature Henry Parker, intrepid reporter for the New York Gazette, a newspaper trying to maintain journalistic integrity in a market where such nobility is often appreciated and rewarded in the breach. Pinter has hit upon a winner with Parker, a likable if flawed protagonist whose pursuit of a story, and the truth beneath it, often results in him making subtle use of intuitive and deductive skills not unknown to private investigators. His tragic flaw (every interesting hero has one) is that he is clueless with women, or at least with one lady --- Amanda, to whom he owes his life, and more.

It is accordingly ironic that THE GUILTY begins with the death of a woman --- an icon, actually --- named Athena Paradis, a pop tart flavor of the month who is senselessly cut down by a sniper on the eve of what was to be her jump to major stardom. Parker is on the story but is startled when evidence on the scene suggests that the assailant is attempting to communicate directly with him.

Another murder almost immediately follows, and the evidence --- a bullet from one of the deadliest rifles ever manufactured --- indicates that the solution to the deranged killer's identity may well lie in the past, enshrouded in myth, folklore and legend.

Parker follows the story across the country, attempting to separate fact from fiction and history from rumor. His pursuit of the truth puts not only himself but those he loves --- and has loved --- in terrible danger, leading to a dramatic face-off and a climax in which even the winner will lose something.

Those who enjoy their noir with a dash of real-world research will love THE GUILTY, which serves up a secondary mystery about one of the Old West's most legendary and notorious characters, and how local politics can get in the way of resolving such questions one way or the other. Pinter's over-the-shoulder peek at some of the museums specializing in such memorabilia will also have you plotting out the time to take a road trip to New Mexico and other points west so you can walk in Parker's boot heels. The author also drops other nuggets of information here and there. For example, I had no idea what CATNYP was until reading this book; I am now addicted to it.

And if you aren't addicted to this series by the time you finish THE GUILTY, check out the preview to Pinter's forthcoming Parker novel, THE STOLEN, the first few pages of which are included here. It will give you something to look forward to this summer.

--- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

Incredible and darn near unputdownable! I really enjoy the characters in the series and the new ones that pop up. Lots of action and suspense. Pinter, the author, really pulls you into Henry's world and it stays in your mind long after the novel is finished.

Some may find the plot a little `cheesy', and while I didn't find it the most original, it's how it played out that was the fascinating part. Like a reporter hitting the ground running, you're the reader that's sucked in before the first chapter is even finished, you're hooked, hitting the ground running right along with Henry in the second chapter.

My mistake was reading the excerpt at the back of the novel of the prologue and first chapter from his third novel, The Stolen, coming out in August 2008. I would have been content to eagerly await his third novel, but now I'm impatient waiting, LOL!

To reiterate, great characters, well played-out plot, tons of action and suspense... I couldn't ask for better. A new author has joined the crowd of thriller authors, ladies and gents, and his name is Jason Pinter!

***SPOILER ALERT***

If you intend to read this book, do not read past this point!

I found that Jack was butting in where his nose didn't belong. I would have expected this exact thing from Paulina, not Jack. Not everyone is the same, nor can they cope with the same things in life. Everyone is different and I was angry that Jack would naturally assume that Henry was like him. I don't think Jack would have ever had or every will have what Henry and Amanda have/had.

The ending was sad and a little frustrating. Amanda was safe and sound, Mya was going to survive - he doesn't love Mya, but he's going to stick by her - something he regrets he hadn't been able to do before. He loves Amanda, but he pushed her away `to protect her'. Now both of them are hurting because Henry can't get passed what `almost' happened? Someone (by that, I mean character in the book) should be giving Henry a really good smack upside the head!

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 23 reviews  4.2 out of 5 stars