The Blue Hour

Starred review from May 3, 1999
The plot may sound familiar, but surehanded thriller writer Parker (Where Serpents Dance) proves ever-surprising in his latest novel, the story of an unusual pair of police protagonists and a serial killer stalking beautiful women in California's Laguna County. Tim Hess is a retired cop, fighting lung cancer, who's called back to active duty to find the diabolical killer who "signs" his murders by eviscerating his victims. His boss and partner in the investigation is an attractive, brusque detective named Merci Rayborn, who quickly dismisses the lone suspect in the case, a paroled, chemically castrated Romanian rapist living under virtual house arrest in an apartment complex near the latest crime scene. Hess stays on the rapist's trail, though, tracking an embalming machine that may be part of the killer's bizarre m.o., but by the time the clues come together, Merci is in murderous hands. Parker places his building blocks with meticulous precision, balancing the feisty yet somewhat melancholic interaction between Hess and Rayborn with a terrifying portrait of a psychopath, although the physical relationship between the two cops does seem a bit forced. The details of the crime are presented with judicious authority as Parker consistently underplays the more sensational aspects of the homicides to keep the narrative unpredictable and dynamic, making it far more gripping than the average serial-killer thriller. Author tour.

December 21, 2009
This blast from Parker's past is as fresh today as when first published a decade ago. The plot may be familiar—a seemingly mismatched cop duo searches for a shrewd serial killer—but the spin the author gives it is as original and surprising as his characters. Tavia Gilbert is particularly on target in giving voice to the ambitious, over-achieving young detective in charge of the investigation, Merci Rayborn. Gilbert begins with a brusque, abrasive approach that softens slowly as Merci comes to appreciate and even love her partner, Tim Hess, a 70-year-old, recently retired cop undergoing cancer treatment. Gilbert's vocal treatment of Hess isn't quite as successful. She captures his sense of professionalism and confidence, but does not convey his age and weariness. She uses subtle but effective changes to distinguish the rest of the cast, saving her better interpretations for two of the detectives' prime suspects—a credible European accent for a creepy Romanian former sex offender, and a sarcastic tone for an obnoxious self-styled “golden boy” who thinks of himself in the third person as Big Bill Wayne. She also adds her own enhancement to Parker's uniquely thrilling and poignant finale. A Hyperion hardcover.