The Straw Men: Amazon.ca: Michael Marshall: Books

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Product Description

From Publishers Weekly

Marshall's debut thriller, which is essentially two seemingly independent stories that meet in the middle, takes its time hooking readers. But once the complex and disparate plot lines meld, this expansive work demands the readers attention. In Dyersburg, Mont., narrator Ward Hopkins, attempting to make sense of the accident that killed his parents, discovers a note and videotape that lead him to believe their lives (and deaths) were not as they appeared. Meanwhile, the abduction of 14-year-old Sarah Becker renews the search for a serial killer who scalps his victims, embroiders their names into sweaters using their hair and then delivers the clothing to the victims parents. As Ward and his CIA buddy slowly unravel the mystery surrounding Wards parents, FBI agent Nina Baynam and former LAPD homicide detective John Zandt search for the elusive killer. Their paths cross when a series of connections is made between the victims and a bizarre cult known as The Straw Men. Marshall's book is filled with pages of uninterrupted description, which, while compelling, doesn't make for fast reading. But, to borrow a cliche, the devil is in the details. Thats certainly the case with this novel, whose graphic scenes of child abuse and dismemberment depict humankind at its most evil.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Stephen King

It's brilliantly written and scary as hell.

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Inside This Book (Learn More)
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First Sentence
THE FUNERAL WAS A NICE AFFAIR, IN THAT IT was well attended and people dressed appropriately and nobody stood up at any point and said, "You realize this means they're dead." Read the first page

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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

54 Reviews

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(4)

Average Customer Review

3.8 out of 5 stars (54 customer reviews)

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Most helpful customer reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars OK, maybe 3 and a half stars, Jan 24 2006

By	Just another reader (Ontario) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Straw Men (Paperback)

It was suspenseful enough to make me keep turning the pages.
Not so bad a book however like many other reviewers were saying there were some things that weren't really explained. Maybe Marshall wanted to leave them up to the readers' imagination.
For example, I am still curious on why Ward's Dad left him the note in a very hard-to-find spot ?...and that the note really meant nothing after all..

As a whole, the story is well-written. I wouldn't mind reading the sequel, The Upright Man.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Decent from start to finish, Jul 17 2004

By	C. connolly (Webster NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Straw Men (Paperback)

The book is a smooth read. Somewhat predictable but good character development and a ending that welcomes a sequel that has just been released. Defiantly a must have book for the beach or camping trip. I give it a 7.5 out of 10.

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2.0 out of 5 stars Be prepared to feel cheated..., May 15 2004

By	sign-in-stranger "sign-in-stranger" (Northern California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Straw Men (Paperback)

At this point I don't think I need to go over what the book is about, the other reviews do that quite well. I am not the type of person who has to have all the loose ends tied up for me when I read a story or watch a film. I do not need everything neatly concluded and explained at the end. However, this book has some major issues with the believability of the circumstances that result in the twists and turns of the plot. It also has a problem with bringing the numerous story lines of the novel together. I don't mind a novel that leaves me with a little thinking to do, a need to perhaps go back over what has happened in the story to piece together some clues on my own. What I do mind, however, is an ending that is almost deliberately void of ANY conclusions regarding the mysteries that have kept me turning page after page. It is very easy to start a story, very easy to build suspense. It's not so easy, I guess, to end a story in a coherent and believable fashion. People want some reward for the suspense the author has easily created, not to be completely let down for their efforts----their efforts in following the story, keeping all the different plot twists and characters in mind, etc. I felt that the characters in this novel were not very well drawn. The main character, Ward Hopkins---not once could I even remotely picture him as a CIA agent, ex- or otherwise. The FBI agent, Nina---not one glimpse of who she was as a person ever came across, she seemed to be simply a mannequin used to fill the need for a certain type of character in the story. The characters of CIA agent Bobby, and detective Zandt, seemed more real. In one chapter, Ward goes to visit his childhood home, in which someone else is now living. It seems as though this would have something to do with the plot----it occurs smack in the middle of the heightened suspense of the novel. But nothing happens---Nothing. In the middle of the gun battles, the murder, the serial kidnappings, etc., the main character just pays a visit to the house. The lady of the house offers him coffee, he looks around at his old bedroom, and leaves. That's it. The reason stated for his visiting the house doesn't mesh with where the plot is going at that point in the novel. At some other place in the storyline, it may have fit. The main "bad guy" in the novel---who was he? I was never given a glimpse. Yes, he's identified with a name and his relationship to one of the other characters, but that's it. And the twists and turns that would have to occur for him to turn out to be who he is, and for him to even know about how he is related to one of the main characters, and for them to meet each other under the circumstances they meet under---it just strains the bonds of believability past the breaking point. Who the Straw Men are, and how they live and operate, can not be reconciled with the way in which Ward finds out about their building complex when he is at a local realtor's office. The other characters---Ward's parents and their friends---the motivation for their actions in this novel are the flimsiest I think I've ever encountered. The plot has more holes than a Swiss cheese, more loose ends than a tatty old afghan knitted a couple of decades ago and used as the family cat's favorite blanky.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Michael Marshall = The Best Thing Going in Current Thrillers
THE STRAW MEN plays out like a dream-team collaboration by Stephen King (who hailed the book a masterpiece), Dean Koontz, Thomas Harris, and Michael Slade. Read more

Published on April 20 2004 by Scott Bradley

5.0 out of 5 stars New book out!- Sequel!
I see there's a new paperback out, featuring Ward Hopkins, which I assume is a sequel. Due out 3/30/04. The Upright Man, Michael Marshall. I can't wait to get my hands on it!

Published on Mar 24 2004 by cakhuxel

5.0 out of 5 stars Will leave you pining for the sequel
Excellent read. The Straw Men has it all. Intriguing main characters, compelling plot, and mind-blowing plot twists. I have no idea why others hated it. Read more

Published on Dec 17 2003 by M. H. Mosher

5.0 out of 5 stars James Patterson Plus
Michael Marshall is the thinking man's James Patterson. It's a shame more people haven't heard of him or more importantly, his book, The Straw Men, which is really more like two... Read more

Published on Dec 5 2003 by Patrick Carlin