- Hardcover: 400 pages
- Publisher: Vanguard Press (Sep 29 2010)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1593156219
- ISBN-13: 978-1593156213
- Product Dimensions: 24 x 16.4 x 3.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 635 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #476,188 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
John M. Wills, NY Journal of Books
Carl Sandburg once said, “A woman is like a tea bag. It’s only when she’s in hot water that you realize how strong she is.”
Karen Vail, the protagonist in Velocity, must be one tough cookie because she spends most of this story up to her neck in hot water. Readers were first introduced to Vail in The 7th Victim. In Velocity we once again find Vail back in wine country. The author employs an interesting method, he educates the reader about the art of wine making while weaving in a story about drug smuggling in the same milieu. Jacobson has obviously done his homework, since he uses the right lingo and terminology used by those in the industry. And just like in the second novel, Vail finds herself involved with John Wayne Mayfield, a serial killer. The twist in this story, one of many, is that Vail’s boyfriend turns up missing.
The nonstop action surrounding the frenzied search for her missing boyfriend launches the reader like a steel ball in pinball machine, taking us from Napa Valley wineries, to historical Washington, D.C., to the coveted beaches of San Diego, and then to the absurd glitter of Las Vegas. What a journey! An added bonus will interest readers when they discover the lengths to which drug smugglers go to transport their illegal products. Jacobson has obviously befriended someone in the DEA: It’s all spot on.
The only criticism is the sometimes over-the-top behavior of Karen Vail, in particular, shoving a gun into the forehead of an interviewee. That’s pure fiction—but of course, that’s what fiction is all about. It’s an escape where anything can happen and usually does. Apparently, Alan Jacobson’s readers don’t mind this type of action. It is understandable that two of the author’s books are under development as major feature films.
Jacobson writes for suspense junkies and gets the monkey off their backs; he’s that good.
Michael Connelly, New York Times bestselling author
“From the first page Velocity is as relentless as a bullet. Karen Vail is my kind of hero and Alan Jacobson is my kind of writer!”
Supervisory Special Agent Michael Upchurch, Drug Enforcement Administration (ret)
“Jacobson captures the complexity of the mission faced by DEA, the threat posed to our country, and the constant danger our agents face battling members of international drug trafficking organizations. As someone who devoted his career to carrying out that mission, I can say first-hand that Velocity hits the target. Jacobson’s acquired a new fan.”
Ridley Pearson, New York Times bestselling author
“Alan Jacobson writes with a firm hand, a strong voice, and fine eye for detail.”
Product Description
Renowned FBI profiler Karen Vail returns in Velocity, national bestselling author Alan Jacobson’s most explosive thriller to date. Detective Robby Hernandez, Vail’s boyfriend, has vanished into the dense air of a Napa Valley evening. There are no clues to his whereabouts, other than blood stain and tenuous connections to a vicious serial killer operating it the wine country.
As the task force struggles with Robby’s disappearance, the killer challenges Vail by boldly leaving his high profile victims in public places. Is this offender somehow responsible for Robby’s disappearance? Evidence suggests that he is-but just when Vail and the task force begin to make progress, the FBI orders Vail to return to Quantico to handle a case of vital importance.
Back in Washington, Vail engages convert government operative Hector DeSantos to determine what happened to Robby. It’s a move that backfires when DeSantos’s confidential informants lead them into unforeseen dangers, forcing Vail to face off against powerful foes unlike any she’s ever encountered, threatening her life, her career…all that she holds dear.
In a frantic race against time that takes them from the monuments of Washington D.C. to the wealthy beach enclaves of San Diego and the bright excesses of Las Vegas, shocking truths emerge-truths that will forever change Karen Vail.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
captivating,
This review is from: Velocity (Mass Market Paperback)
After reading the book "Crush" you have to read "Velocity" to get the end of the story, the first book leaves you hanging, so had to purchase "Velocity", I am half way through it, and believe me I do not want to put it down.Looking forward to the ending. It is a story that really keeps you on your toes, never knowing what is going to happen next. He writes a very captivating book. Will look for more by this author.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fabulous!,
By
This review is from: Velocity (Hardcover)
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary defines "velocity" as "The speed and direction of motion of a moving body." FBI Profiler Karen Vail is that moving body and she is running to beat the clock with a fiery momentum to find her missing boyfriend who has disappeared into thin air with no clues but a possible connection with a serial killer. Unusual in the mystery/thriller series genre, Velocity picks up right where Crush ended. Literally starting with the next chapter. The plot starts off highly connected with book 2, followed by a resolution, then continues on with book 3's unique plot which always centres on the missing boyfriend, police detective Roberto Hernandez.I loved this book! Jacobson keeps getting better and better. Velocity takes off in different directions, plot-wise, than either of his previous books making it more than just a serial killer case (not that there's anything wrong with that.) These new directions are surprising and unexpected reveals create a story that is much more than one at first assumes they are reading. Certainly plot is the mainstay of Velocity but, as often happens in mysteries, it has *not* been done so at the expense of characterization. Book 2 took us away from Karen's Quantico colleagues and Velocity continues with the now familiar California characters for whom we've grown fond (or not). But Karen gets sent back to Quantico where we are reintroduced to the characters from Book 1 and Jacobson has done a good job bringing these folks back to the reader's mind, especially giving significant development to Vail's boss, Gifford. The book ends with the completion of the plot; the unique experience of a two-parter within a series is over but the personal lives of the main characters continue on, ending with a new trajectory for one of said characters and an interesting reveal which we can expect to be explored in the next book. I'm very much looking forward to the next book, which one can only hope is "in the works".
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
4.0 out of 5 stars (42 customer reviews) 7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
4 and 1/2 stars,
By M. A. Filippelli "Marc12074" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Velocity (Hardcover)
This novel comes at the reader with "Velocity". This is the third installment in the Karen Vail series. Vail is a forensic artist working for the FBI for whom trouble always seems to find.The reader should be warned that this story starts to unfold two thirds of the way through the second book "Crush" but Jacobson gives the reader enough of the back story in Velocity in the first couple chapters so that reading Crush isn't necessary but I highly recommend it because Crush is a good read and gives the reader a good feel for the two main characters going into Velocity. The reader is re introduced the many of the characters that were introduced in the first book "The 7th victim" but were largely absent from "Crush". In Velocity Author Alan Jackson has Vail looking for her boy friend Robby Hernandez who has disappeared while on vacation with Karen in the Napa Valley. Vail finds herself in many situations that force to her buck authority in search of the greater truth about what has happened to Robby. Jacobson uses Vail to take the reader on a fast paced journey through several States and harrowing situations involving the DEA, FBI and Mexican drug cartels. Jacobson takes the reader through the wine country describing the detail of the breath taking scenery and beauty of the Napa Valley. The reader a good insight into the wine making business and the politics of the wine making business. There are many secrets that unfold throughout the story to keep the reader involved and intrigued. The visions of the scenery along with Jacobson's brilliant story telling make this an outstanding read. Make no mistake about it, this is a fast paced adventure that moves at the speed of light so fasten your seatbelt and hang on for the ride. 11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fabulous!,
By Nicola Manning - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Velocity (Hardcover)
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary defines "velocity" as "The speed and direction of motion of a moving body." FBI Profiler Karen Vail is that moving body and she is running to beat the clock with a fiery momentum to find her missing boyfriend who has disappeared into thin air with no clues but a possible connection with a serial killer. Unusual in the mystery/thriller series genre, Velocity picks up right where Crush ended. Literally starting with the next chapter. The plot starts off highly connected with book 2, followed by a resolution, then continues on with book 3's unique plot which always centres on the missing boyfriend, police detective Roberto Hernandez.I loved this book! Jacobson keeps getting better and better. Velocity takes off in different directions, plot-wise, than either of his previous books making it more than just a serial killer case (not that there's anything wrong with that.) These new directions are surprising and unexpected reveals create a story that is much more than one at first assumes they are reading. Certainly plot is the mainstay of Velocity but, as often happens in mysteries, it has *not* been done so at the expense of characterization. Book 2 took us away from Karen's Quantico colleagues and Velocity continues with the now familiar California characters for whom we've grown fond (or not). But Karen gets sent back to Quantico where we are reintroduced to the characters from Book 1 and Jacobson has done a good job bringing these folks back to the reader's mind, especially giving significant development to Vail's boss, Gifford. The book ends with the completion of the plot; the unique experience of a two-parter within a series is over but the personal lives of the main characters continue on, ending with a new trajectory for one of said characters and an interesting reveal which we can expect to be explored in the next book. I'm very much looking forward to the next book, which one can only hope is "in the works". 6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
2.0 out of 5 stars
Painfully clumsy,
By Laurel B "Urban Shopper" - Published on Amazon.com
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This book seemed promising at the start. The plot is fairly fast-moving and obvious research has gone into the drug smuggling storyline. However...the Karen Vail character is fatally flawed, and not in a good way. This is a vehicle with a poorly-developed female character who is supposed to be a bad-ass FBI agent. I found the unfortunate conflicts in the development of her character to be very distracting to the story. It's a problem sometimes found in female characters conceived by male authors. Sorry Alan Jacobson, you don't "get" what makes strong women tick.Some examples of issues I had with the character... Karen has a child, but considers her own safety and the potential impact of danger on her child's life in only a very superficial, passing way throughout the book. She is so concerned about her boyfriend's well-being (he's been captured/tortured) that she has no appetite, but slurps down a chocolate milkshake for the sugar rush (how sterotypical is that?). I could go on and on, but why should I? The book speaks for itself. I thought it would never end. |
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