Parallel Lies

Set in the east, goes from fast to unbelievable. Yet is believable. The mystery is new. The technology is cool. The ease with which a smart detective can follow someone's trail in the modern world is scary. We are not anonymous anymore. Great book Mr. Pearson. Still love Lou and Daphne, but Peter and Nel are wonderful too. Will we ever see Umberto again? I hope so.

Parallel Lies by Ridley Pearson is absolutely terrific. It had everything I have come to expect from a Ridley Pearson novel; rich, real and compelling characters, an interesting premise, a fast moving story and just enough high tech detail . The extra twist of having bad good guys and a good bad guy made it an even more enjoyable read. I was reading at 180 miles per hour just to try to keep up. It is great entertainment. Ridley is going to have to write faster. We're going to need a new Tyler/Priest book and a new Boldt/Matthews book every year. His old fans will really enjoy this book and this one will attract many new readers who haven't had this kind of experience before. It's just great.

What would you do if your world were torn apart? If everything that had meaning were lost? These are questions dealt with by two very different characters in Ridley Pearson's Parallel Lies. Umberto Alvarez lost his family. His wife and twins were killed when a train hit their van at a crossing. Peter Tyler lost his job. He lost control and beat a suspect he saw severely abusing a baby. As a free-lance investigator for the NTSB, ex-cop Tyler finds himself chasing Alvarez to solve what he believes is a murder. In the course of the chase Tyler discovers a cover-up by the railroads, leading him to an understanding of Alvarez's desperation. Is Alvarez the 'bad guy' or a victim? Will Tyler become a victim again? As suspense builds towards the trial run of a new high-speed train, F-A-S-T Track all of the players come together for a heart stopping race against time across the tracks. It's a stand alone story with real characters that are neither all good nor all bad. If you haven't read Pearson's other books this is a good place to start. If you have read him then you know that you're in for an exciting read. A great book to read if you're flying, but you might not want to take the train for a while!

I have read all of Ridley Pearson's novels that he has written and he is definitely one of my favorite authors. He defintely ranks right up there with James Patterson, John Sandford, and Jonathan Kellerman. I believe that "Parallel Lies" was one of his best novels yet! I received an Advanced Reading Copy of "Parallel Lies" two months ago and I was shocked at how good it was. This novel could definitely be a movie because Ridley paints such a great picture of the setting and the surroundings, especially during the train rides. The plot: A man by the name of Umberto Alvarez holds a grudge against one of the biggest railroad companies because their lights and warning signals around a railroad track crossing failed to warn his wife and children that a train was approaching. His whole family was killed by the train. Umberto feels a need to try and destroy all of this companies railroad cars. Peter Tyler is the investigator called in to try and determine who is wrecking these trains. Peter must try and stop Umberto before he gets to the companies new FAST Train and ruins that one. Unfortunately, Peter discovers some rotten details about the companies' way of running business. The ending of this novel was WONDERFUL! I felt so satisfied at the end. If you are going to read one novel this summer, read "Parallel Lies!" Oh, by the way, you might want to fasten your seatbelts.

As a true fan of mystery thrillers by Patricia Cornwell (when she was still writing good fiction) and Iris Johansen, I was thrilled to stumble across a view of this book that placed it right up with some of my favorites. On a whim, I bought Parallel Lies and immediately read it in one sitting. I just couldn't put it down...I loved the twists and turns in the plot, and really enjoyed that we knew information about the mystery that the protagonist didn't. The plot is oddly remanisant of last years "Railroad Murders", and I suppose this is the author's purpose since the crimes share so many similarities. If you're a fan of just a really good thriller that isn't so complicated (like Anne George, a great writer, but much to tedious of a read for summer), you won't regret buying this book! Give it a try!