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The Art of Breaking Glass: A Thriller
 
 

The Art of Breaking Glass: A Thriller (Hardcover)

by Matthew Hall (Author) "The trick was not to think ..." (more)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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From Amazon.com

The odd couple at the heart of this extremely impressive first thriller--a psychotic genius and a sensitive, scarred psychiatric nurse--have already led to the inevitable comparisons to The Silence of the Lambs. But Bill Kaiser is no Hannibal Lector: he uses his formidable physical and mental skills for a good cause, the preservation of historic buildings. And Sharon Blautner doesn't go up against Kaiser to further her career, like FBI agent Clarice Starling: she's already lost her job because of an act of kindness toward Bill, and seems to genuinely care for him. What's also amazing is how much author Matthew Hall knows and communicates about everything from how to fake mental illness to the way painters create their works.

From Library Journal

Wealthy entrepreneur Edward Mackinnon wants to purchase a prestigious New York City building and transform it into the first private, for-profit prison. The fact that it will displace hundreds of New York City's lower-middle-class citizens and destroy a community is not his concern. Enter Bill Kaiser, a brilliant, charming psychotic with his own idea of justice. After planting a bomb in one of the developer's apartments, Bill mutilates himself in an attempt to avoid arrest, which lands him in a psychiatric hospital. There he meets Sharon Blauntner, a psychiatric nurse who reveals to Bill her secrets and desire for vengeance. Bill incorporates Sharon into a repertoire of worthy causes and imagines a nonexistant relationship between them. Hale's novel is an enthralling, action-filled story of a killer's twisted conception of love and justice. Highly recommended for most libraries.?Georgia Panos, Johnson Cty. Lib. System, Leawood, Kan.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Customer Reviews

6 Reviews
5 star:
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4 star:
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3 star:
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Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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5.0 out of 5 stars Very awsome!, May 7 2000
By Kelly Hempel (New Mexico, USA) - See all my reviews
This was one of the first "real" books that I read. It is a little bit confusing at first, because there are so many characters, but after the first couple of chapters you won't want to put it down! I hope that if you are doubting about buying this book, STOP! This is an awsome book I recommend it to anyone that likes to read! I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did!
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5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific Book!!!, Sep 11 1999
By A Customer
The best Thriller I've read in Ages!!! Matthew Hall is a fantastic writer, and I can't wait until he writes another book!!!
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5.0 out of 5 stars As beautifully crafted as it is gripping..., Aug 6 1999
By A Customer
When I got this book, I immediately read it twice. Once, within 48 hours, because the suspense was killing me. A second time to relish the writing and characterization. I don't make it through most mysteries even once -- after I've unraveled the plot, the writing often isn't good enough to hold my interest . How rare to find a mystery like this which can tether one to the plot with a strong thread of suspense, yet pleasure one with the deliberate nature and freshness of the writing.

What I enjoyed most about the book was the moral complexity of the characters. Too many books have the clearly evil and the clearly good. In my experience we all have a few blemishes to our souls, a few dings in our characters, and an inconsistency or two in our ethics. This book steps out of a world where characters are as flat and two-dimensional as a soap opera heroine, and into a world where people are as intriguing, mystifying, and unpredictable as they really are in life. Here are people who walk hand-in-hand not just with the companions of their days but with the ghosts and demons of their own pasts and with the shadow side of their own natures.

We are introduced to Bill, a Robin Hood of sorts, an activist for the rich history and community and thriving life of the urban landscape -- at the same time in which he is psychotic killer, an evil genius, inflicting his peculiar notions of justice on people and property as well. In Bill's case, he has an almost terrifying consistency in his ethics. (I can't tell you to how many people I've read the violence-against-women vengeance sequence in the book, and how many of them copped to having similar fantasies.)

Sharon, our heroine, is torn between her own ethics, and those she shares with Bill. She is more effective at solving puzzles than most of the detectives she encounters -- even as she clings to her own mental equilibrium with an at times very tentative hold. Sharon -- along with a third character, Eric -- are engaging as decent people trying to deal compassionately and appropriately with an insane world.

It was delightful to find a mystery in which the ethical questions and the characters were as gripping as the plot.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Well done
Entertaining, with a good blend of action, horror and humor. I did, however, have to accept a major coincidence, that Sharon's uncle just happens to be Bill's major nemesis. Read more
Published on Aug 3 1999

5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely Original.. with a twist.
I must admit the thing that made me want to review this book most was Mr. Hall's rich mesmerising words and style. Read more
Published on Mar 1 1999 by supplyme@index.com.jo

3.0 out of 5 stars Appealing
I read this book pretty fast because it was quite a read. In the end it got a little much. I just can't imangine Sharon being such a hero and outwitting the FBI so many times;... Read more
Published on Oct 14 1998

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