Close to the Bone

This book is amazing, the first thing I mention when telling people about this book is that one of the main character in it, kills/disables people by jamming objects so hard into his ear and through his skull that he causes permanent brain damage, plus it has a sexual, lusty side to it also. I loved this book and am an avid reader, I read it when I was only 14 or 15, and now, at 19, I can't wait to go back and read it again, see if my opinions have changed. It's very unlikely butit will be interesting to see if it still holds that excitement.

Author David Wiltse must be prescient. A friend loaned me his copy of this wonderful book which is out of print (why?) and I was bowled over. It's about the search for a terrorist in New York City. Talk about relevant after September 11. But for all the adventure and plot (and what a great character John Becker is) he also has a very moving portrayal of a young woman in conflict with herself and her yearning sensuality. My only regret is that I didn't read it when it first came out so I could be rereading it now.

David wiltse's follow-up to his magnificient A PRAYER FOR THE DYING is a dynamite entertainment which reveals more and more about its landmark hero John Becker. What was implied about Becker's demons in the first outing is explained in more detail here, exuding dramatic plausibility and disturbing undertones. And Bahoud makes for a very worthy adversary, a man who's not too behaviorally different from the man hunting him. Bogs down a little in Bahoud's scenes with the handicapped Myrtle, and maybe Becker picks up his trail a little too implausibly at times. But the overall result is a definite winner.

In "Close to the Bone" John Becker is after a different kind of killer, a paid assassin with skills nearly matching his own. The characters are vividly drawn by this expert of suspense. David Wiltse did it again with this book. Be prepared to hold on to this book with both hands and make sure your doors are locked. Excellent! Wiltse is truly the master of keeping the tension building