The Inquisitor

May 01, 2012 Jeanette rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: all-fiction, four-star-fiction, suspense-thriller

Geiger is a torture artist, but he prefers to call his work "information retrieval." He has a special gift in that he can always tell when someone is lying. He also has a soft spot for kids, but he's not aware of how soft that spot is because he has never hung out with any kids. When twelve-year-old Ezra appears in Geiger's "studio," we begin to see a side of Geiger no one knew existed -- including Geiger himself.

The Inquisitor is one darned good debut thriller. Mark Allen Smith has some years...more

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Mar 22, 2013 Emma rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: torture, spy, meh, not-mm, not-my-thing

You know what this book needs? A good dose of slash.

First half = very good.
There were even two small sections that were absolutely marvellous; kind of restoring my faith in contemporary fiction marvellous.

Second half = weak.
Smith didn't fully utilise all the plot elements he'd so carefully set up in the first half, and despite some nice imagery it fizzles away to something generically ordinary.

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Aug 25, 2012 aPriL MEOWS often with scratching rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mysteries-suspense-thrillers

A new kind of anti-hero, and otherwise a very competent thriller. Geiger can't remember his past. He woke up as a teen on a bus, and immediately began to take care of himself, drawn to certain things like carpentry work. While working in a construction site, and also bedding down there at night, he overhears some trespassers planting bugs in the walls mention names. He goes to the criminal mentioned and asks to be his 'information retrievalist' - torturer - in order to help him find out who betr...more A new kind of anti-hero, and otherwise a very competent thriller. Geiger can't remember his past. He woke up as a teen on a bus, and immediately began to take care of himself, drawn to certain things like carpentry work. While working in a construction site, and also bedding down there at night, he overhears some trespassers planting bugs in the walls mention names. He goes to the criminal mentioned and asks to be his 'information retrievalist' - torturer - in order to help him find out who betrayed him to the FBI. So begins his career.

There are a few squeamish moments in the novel and I definitely could not recommend this book to sensitive folks. Geiger is sort of a torture whisperer, so he's not an over the top sadist, but an in-control artist who prefers mental tricks over actual shedding of blood. He prefers to use the threat of pain or tricks similar to using an ice cube on a blindfolded victim and convince him he's being burned. However, there are torture scenes (not horribly drawn out, but a few pages worth of action) here and there, and a little boy is brought to Geiger for torture by a client. The presence of the boy shakes Geiger, and he begins to have flashbacks and nightmares later, but in the moment, Geiger begins to have the first emotions in his memory.

Geiger grows on you, and his friends are a bit stock-character familiar from most cable TV programming, so they are easily absorbed. It's a high energy cinematic thriller, the man behind the curtain isn't obvious, and Ezra, the boy, is spot on and a five-star personality.

I read a some of the other reviews, and I recommend reading Andrew Wilmot's for the best one closest to my other observations and opinions. He says it better than I could.

I want to mention that Geiger has suppressed memories, which I believe is a real psychological condition that exists in real life. I read a review that scoffed at this (ever hear of amnesia? Or traumatic loss of memory in certain conditions? I have, and I've experienced it myself) and it pissed me off there are still people out there arguing about this. Anyway. Geiger is seeing a psychiatrist, and his therapy is sketchily described. It is the what, why, where and how behind the motives and actions of Geiger. I think whether one can get into the book may depend on the believability of the childhood scenario set up by the author. I found myself having doubts about some of the cause and effect of Geiger's past on his personality, but not enough to stop my interest on how it all would turn out. (less)

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Oct 25, 2012 Raven rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Time to enter the world of the mysterious Geiger- just Geiger- no other name- a character with layers of secrecy about him that are instrumental to his employment as an Information Retrieval specialist. As the story opens we witness Geiger's more unorthodox techniques to elicit information from imprisoned individuals- quite simply Geiger is a man that can extract the truth but who only works on his terms and at his own behest. He is a damaged individual mentally and physically, the causes of whi...more Time to enter the world of the mysterious Geiger- just Geiger- no other name- a character with layers of secrecy about him that are instrumental to his employment as an Information Retrieval specialist. As the story opens we witness Geiger's more unorthodox techniques to elicit information from imprisoned individuals- quite simply Geiger is a man that can extract the truth but who only works on his terms and at his own behest. He is a damaged individual mentally and physically, the causes of which manifest themselves throughout the course of the book, as he becomes involved in a shady interrogation. This puts him and those around him in harms way, becoming embroiled in a desperate race to uncover some damaging information and resulting in a tense and well-plotted thriller. The character of Geiger is extremely well-drawn and probably the most compelling aspect of this tale because as a reader you are genuinely intrigued by him and the complexity of the emotions he undergoes both as an individual and in his somewhat dubious but quite fascinating employment. Unfortunately, most of the characters are very reminiscent of a fairly bog-standard movie script- the partner, Harry, with the screwed up past and a mentally challenged sister who puts him in peril, Ezra, the cutesy kid complete with violin who gets kidnapped- then rescued- then kidnapped again and add to this the waitress in the local diner with the heart of gold, the earnest psychiatrist who seeks to plumb the depth of Geiger's mind but unsurprisingly finds himself caught up in action, and the disabled Vietnam veteran plying his trade on the streets as a memory man and waxing lyrical on the human condition whilst foiling the bad guys in their pursuit of Geiger and Harry. However, these fairly stereotypical characters all add to the mix quite effectively and did not impinge on my overall enjoyment of the book as a felt that the main plot itself was unlike many thrillers I have read and seemed fresh and new. A perfectly readable thriller whose excellent plot is slightly undermined by some lazy characterisation but still worth a read... (less)

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Oct 18, 2012 Michael Schmid rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Gott sei Dank bin ich auf diesen Thriller aufmerksam geworden und habe ihn mir durch Amazon Vine schicken lassen. Ich bin immer noch hin und weg. Dieser Thriller hat endlich mal wieder alles, was ich an einem echten Thriller liebe. Einfach fantastisch. :D

Aber was hat mich eigentlich so begeistert. Allem voran natürlich der Hauptprotagonist Geiger, der einfach eine Klasse für sich ist. Nicht nur, dass er ein professioneller Folterer ist (was zwar nicht ganz auf Geiger zu trifft, aber im Großen un...more

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Sep 17, 2012 Mhrormhr rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

At first, for the first half of this novel, I was truly entranced, and thought it brilliant. Sorry to say, it didn't quite live up to those expectations. The characters of Geiger, and Harry -- who is as necessary to the plot as Geiger is -- are amazing. What might seem at the outset to be a "genre" novel of murder and torture is, in reality, a compelling psychological insight into flawed characters who, at the end, strive to overcome their tragic histories and do good.

That said, where the novel...more

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Aug 09, 2012 Doreen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: kindle

Geiger is a detector of lying who specializes in information retrieval, a euphemism for torture, although he uses more psychological than physical coercion. He has a personal code of ethics, one tenet of which is that he will never work on a child. When an unscrupulous client brings him a 12-year-old boy, Ezra Matheson, Geiger kidnaps the boy to protect him. The chase begins. Not only must Geiger save himself and Ezra, the fates of Harry and Lily Boddicker, his business partner and his psycholog...more Geiger is a detector of lying who specializes in information retrieval, a euphemism for torture, although he uses more psychological than physical coercion. He has a personal code of ethics, one tenet of which is that he will never work on a child. When an unscrupulous client brings him a 12-year-old boy, Ezra Matheson, Geiger kidnaps the boy to protect him. The chase begins. Not only must Geiger save himself and Ezra, the fates of Harry and Lily Boddicker, his business partner and his psychologically damaged sister, also rest with him. In addition, the arrival of Ezra affects Geiger’s subconscious mind where lie deeply repressed memories of his traumatic childhood.

Geiger is a frightening yet fascinating character. He has no name other than the one he chose for himself, no memories of his childhood or his life prior to 15 years ago, no emotions, and almost no ability to feel pain. His psychiatrist (shades of "The Sopranos") finds him “the equivalent of an intelligent stone.” He is also described as “a scarred, aching body with an unencumbered mind, a human machine without a memory card. He ran solely on instinct.” His partner realizes that Geiger has “more demons than a Hieronymus Bosch painting.”

Despite his unsavory profession – and he is a consummate professional – the reader comes to admire Geiger because gradually his nascent humanity is revealed. In some respects he is similar to the hangman in Oliver Potzsch’s novel "The Hangman’s Daughter." In how Geiger protects Ezra, he becomes almost a father figure to the pre-teen. It is also clear that he has clearly been damaged by a very traumatic upbringing, so his behaviour becomes understandable. His psychiatrist concludes, “He was a crippled man-child, his psyche the handiwork of immeasurable cruelty.” The fact that Geiger does have a moral code, especially given the circumstances, is admirable. Dalton, another expert in torture, “used a more single-minded, head-on application of brutality” and “has a reputation for getting carried away,” so he serves as a foil to Geiger.

The novel is not without its flaws. Some of the minor characters are stereotypes: an overly earnest psychiatrist, a waitress and a Vietnam veteran with hearts of gold, and a cute kid capable of stealing hearts. The plot is also rather derivative: the rough and tough guy who is capable of redemption. It has its mandatory prolonged chase scene with several narrow escapes and a predictable ending.

The writing however is of a quality not always encountered in thrillers. While walking near Central Park West, Geiger sees “joggers stretching voluptuous hamstrings at red lights as they waited to enter the park; [and] olive-skinned men trudging through the gutters, pulling their hot dog and souvlaki carts behind them like broken penitents.” There are allusions to art, literature, and classical music. Harry observes that “within every man is his own Caesar and Brutus.” Examples of synesthesia abound: “The cello painted long, aquamarine streaks that tasted sweet and cool. The violins splashed hot red lines with hints of cinnamon.”

The novel is also thought-provoking. It forces one to consider whether torture should ever be allowed (with indirect reference to Abu Ghraib), and whether there should be limits to government secrecy (with more direct reference to WikiLeaks).

This thriller is sometimes an uncomfortable read, but nonetheless worthwhile.
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Aug 08, 2012 Miss Clara rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It was amazing! I love the plot truly.

I have no time to put on a review But I really want a sequel!!

And I want more of Geiger's past. Sure, he's invisible, his dad taught him to embrace pain and all those cuts but it wasn't enough!! Like how he come up with his name? OR what's he gonna do next? Will he contact Harry? How about his mom? Why he doesn't do kids? He's got no girl? He's not married? And Lily's craziness, I want it to be further explained. >.<

I like the twist about the package....more

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Jul 22, 2012 Raven rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Time to enter the world of the mysterious Geiger- just Geiger- no other name- a character with layers of secrecy about him that are instrumental to his employment as an Information Retrieval specialist. As the story opens we witness Geiger’s more unorthodox techniques to elicit information from imprisoned individuals- quite simply Geiger is a man that can extract the truth but who only works on his terms and at his own behest. He is a damaged individual mentally and physically, the causes of whi...more Time to enter the world of the mysterious Geiger- just Geiger- no other name- a character with layers of secrecy about him that are instrumental to his employment as an Information Retrieval specialist. As the story opens we witness Geiger’s more unorthodox techniques to elicit information from imprisoned individuals- quite simply Geiger is a man that can extract the truth but who only works on his terms and at his own behest. He is a damaged individual mentally and physically, the causes of which manifest themselves throughout the course of the book, as he becomes involved in a shady interrogation. This puts him and those around him in harms way, becoming embroiled in a desperate race to uncover some damaging information and resulting in a tense and well-plotted thriller. The character of Geiger is extremely well-drawn and probably the most compelling aspect of this tale because as a reader you are genuinely intrigued by him and the complexity of the emotions he undergoes both as an individual and in his somewhat dubious but quite fascinating employment. Unfortunately, most of the characters are very reminiscent of a fairly bog-standard movie script- the partner, Harry, with the screwed up past and a mentally challenged sister who puts him in peril, Ezra, the cutesy kid complete with violin who gets kidnapped- then rescued- then kidnapped again and add to this the waitress in the local diner with the heart of gold, the earnest psychiatrist who seeks to plumb the depth of Geiger’s mind but unsurprisingly finds himself caught up in action, and the disabled Vietnam veteran plying his trade on the streets as a memory man and waxing lyrical on the human condition whilst foiling the bad guys in their pursuit of Geiger and Harry. However, these fairly stereotypical characters all add to the mix quite effectively and did not impinge on my overall enjoyment of the book as a felt that the main plot itself was unlike many thrillers I have read and seemed fresh and new. A perfectly readable thriller whose excellent plot is slightly undermined by some lazy characterisation but still worth a read...
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May 29, 2012 Tonya rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really enjoyed this book, found myself wanting to find our more about the mysterious Geiger and had a hard time putting it down. This is definitely adult material and language. Geiger is involved in "information retrieval," using any means to get someone to talk. He leans strongly toward psychological torture more than physical torture, but he does basically torture people for a living. Someone described Geiger as a Jason Bourne-esque character, and I agree. He has certain skills but doesn't k...more

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Apr 20, 2012 Autumn rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Posted on From the TBR Pile 4/21/2012

This was another of my random audiobook picks of the week. I didn't know anything about it when I picked it up, but after I listened to it I went poking around on the internet. Turns out it's the debut novel of Mark Allen Smith. I'm impressed, I really liked it.

Geiger is a character that definitely stands alone. He's a professional torturer. He's hired by the government, the mafia, corporations, whoever has the money and needs information extracted from an un...more

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Mar 03, 2012 Jacqui rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: thriller-mystery

Mark Allen Smith's debut thriller, The Truth Hurts... (aka, The Inquisitor, from Henry Holt and Company 2012) introduces Geiger, one of the most unique characters in fiction since the arrival of Robert Crais' Joe Pike and T. Jefferson Parker's Joe Trona. Geiger, like Pike and Trona, is a non-verbal protagonist whose to-the-point actions speak loudly about what's going on inside his head. He has no last name and no childhood, and arrives in New York with no memories, no emotions and almost no abi...more Mark Allen Smith's debut thriller, The Truth Hurts... (aka, The Inquisitor, from Henry Holt and Company 2012) introduces Geiger, one of the most unique characters in fiction since the arrival of Robert Crais' Joe Pike and T. Jefferson Parker's Joe Trona. Geiger, like Pike and Trona, is a non-verbal protagonist whose to-the-point actions speak loudly about what's going on inside his head. He has no last name and no childhood, and arrives in New York with no memories, no emotions and almost no ability to feel pain. He falls into a job working for a mob boss and finds he has a knack for convincing people to tell their secrets, using his own method of carefully administered psychological and physical torture. His life bumps along nicely until he is asked to work on a twelve-year-old boy--and everything falls apart, including the subconscious walls that have protected Geiger from the truth of his past. As he his fleeing for his life, insistent upon protecting this child he barely knows, pieces of his past filter forward until the whole truth crashes down on him like a dump truck full of wet cement.

It quickly becomes apparent to the reader that the plot has less to do with Geiger's torture techniques (what he calls 'information retrieval') and more to do with the man's search for his own truth--his past. As a result, I found myself liking this muscle-bound, amoral guy as I might like a over-sized bumbling puppy who doesn't know the rules of the household yet, but wants to learn. Smith provides just enough childhood details at all the right moments that I feel sorry for the youthful Geiger and as a result don't hate the adult nearly as much as I should considering his profession.

It doesn't hurt that Smith is a true artist with words. Check out some of these great lines:

*Now Harry [Geiger's sidekick] was forty-four, and his body, once a brother-in arms against the world, could no longer be trusted. He knew from all the lives he'd sifted through that within every man is his own Caesar and Brutus
*Harry envied Geiger. [but] He wouldn't change places for any price--clearly, the man had more demons than a Hieronymus Bosch painting
*Geiger stopped his nighttime run just long enough to lay out the punks in a blur of lethal hands and feet, and then go on his way before Harry could summon breath to speak
*[Geiger explains to Harry why he jumped in to defend him against the 'punks']: It had nothing to do with you. If they'd been kicking a dog I would've done the same thing.
*You know that sensation...when you feel like you've hit bottom and you realize you're right where you belong?

What thriller aficionado could not love this man's wordsmithing skills? In fact, the more I read of Mark Allen Smith's story, the more I realized this was a man with that rare ability to spin a fully fleshed emotion with just a few words, that the reader can fully relate to. Try this one--They were joined at the hip [referring to Harry and Geiger], light-years between them. Smith writes some of the best descriptive passages I've ever read

The story is like an out-of-control freight train barreling toward a crowded terminal. The action never stops, with just a few inconsistencies at the end, but they are forgiven, lost in the richness of the climax and final surprises. If you like mysteries, thrillers, crime drama, you don't want to miss this one.(less)

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Jan 14, 2012 Cheryl rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Inquisitor by Mark Allen Smith is a unique, interesting, and thought-provoking novel. The story is centered around a fascinating, complex, damaged character called Geiger, who is in the business of "information retrieval" (finding out the truth using torture, primarily psychological). Part of the intrigue of the story is reaching an understanding of how a person could end up being good at torturing others, and Geiger himself struggles with the same issue. He has no memories of his childhood,...more

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Jun 27, 2012 Anthony Pacifico rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a thriller in the classic sense. In this debut novel, the author Mark Allen Smith introduces Geiger, who is in the "Information Retrieval" business. In other words, Geiger is a professional torturer and uses his skills to get information from individuals who know or have something that someone else needs to have. Also known as "The Inquisitor", Geiger also has a heart and refuses to perform his special skills on children or the elderly.

This story revolves around Geiger being asked to re...more

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Jan 15, 2012 Andrew rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Geiger’s mind was sent reeling away from the dark forest, defying the vision’s gravity and seeking refuge beyond it. But what came before him was a floating curtain, and then, as the curtain parted, it revealed the long shelf carrying all his session books: the black binders, the hundreds of Joneses, the thousands of pages filled with strategies and methods, reactions and conclusions. Geiger could see the faces of his subjects, he could hear every epithet and plea ever uttered, every sound a hum...more Geiger’s mind was sent reeling away from the dark forest, defying the vision’s gravity and seeking refuge beyond it. But what came before him was a floating curtain, and then, as the curtain parted, it revealed the long shelf carrying all his session books: the black binders, the hundreds of Joneses, the thousands of pages filled with strategies and methods, reactions and conclusions. Geiger could see the faces of his subjects, he could hear every epithet and plea ever uttered, every sound a human can make in fear or pain. Confronting him was a compendium of the darkest of man’s arts—and a garish portrait of a monster that now, for the first time, he recognized as himself.

***

Geiger: Information Retrieval specialist. Interrogator. A torturer of a kind; a man with a strict moral code—something that cannot necessarily be said of his contemporaries. Mark Allen Smith’s first novel, The Inquisitor is a brisk thriller that hedges its success on an unconventional protagonist with a mysterious past.

In the off-the-books world of information retrieval, Geiger is a known quantity on a very short list. He’s efficient. He gets what he needs, and he does it without bringing extensive physical harm to his subjects. Mental anguish however… that’s an issue for another day. Geiger gets the call when the Jones—the individual he is hired to withdraw information from—needs to be broken without leaving bodily evidence to be mopped up in the aftermath. He lives a restricted, Spartan lifestyle, and adheres to a personal code of ethics. His past is a mystery, even to himself, but his talents are without question. When a not-entirely-on-the-level case is offered to him, Geiger is forced to decide whether or not to deviate from his code and interrogate a child—a young pre-teen named Ezra. Should he refuse, the information retrieval will fall to another in his line of work—a notoriously blunt instrument named Dalton.

The Inquisitor doesn’t try to hide its hooker-with-a-heart-of-gold roots: Geiger, though violent and at times highly unstable, is our man on the inside, the good guy with the shady past whose sins—dark though they may be—are not beyond absolution. Smith isn’t interested in challenging us with a thoroughly detestable main character; he wants us to sympathize with and, in time, understand Geiger’s behaviour. His past, his motivation, and his abilities create a wholly sympathetic social outcast with precious few confidants in his closed-off world. Yes, he has certain unscrupulous connections and has done some unforgivable things in his career, but his code, which removes him from his role as interrogator and installs him as Ezra’s protector, is noble and unshakable.

While Geiger is certainly an intriguing, Jason Bourne-esque personality, the book’s remaining characters run the gamut from the hard-on-his-luck “best friend” and accomplice, to by-the-numbers mobsters and are-they-or-aren’t-they government agents, and one very off-kilter sister, whose presence provides the narrative with a certain amount of pathos. The most fascinating of the side characters, interestingly enough, is Geiger’s vile counterpart, Dalton. The pairing of the two in the book’s third act offers the story’s strongest character development. Dalton is what Geiger could be, were he to completely discard his code of ethics.

The Inquisitor is at times an uneven experience. While I appreciated the lean and energized narrative (with its obvious allusions to Wikileaks), the quick character turns—the willingness to abandon a career so dramatically when ethically challenged—left me feeling winded. It was as if an earlier novel developing Geiger’s modes and methods of operation had been written and discarded in favour of what at times feels more like the second chapter of a series, and not an introduction. Though his interaction with Ezra works to humanize Geiger, it feels as though we’ve missed out on an opportunity to further explore his interactions with other Information Retrieval specialists. Granted this could be done in the future with prequels or flashbacks, should Geiger become the star of his own series, but as a singular instalment I found myself more fascinated with the implications and details of his dark industry than with any late-in-the-game character revelations.

In spite of these reservations and a forced, Friday the 13th hand-out-of-the-water climax that falls into slightly comic territory, The Inquisitor is still an exciting page turner, and I’d love to know where Smith takes the character from here. I just hope the road to Geiger’s salvation is a little rockier and more challenging from here on out.(less)

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Aug 24, 2012 Michael Johnston rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I like the theme of this book and the main character offers fascinating potential, but to put it simply, this book had too much violence. It's not that I have a problem with violence in thrillers - a good fight scene ala The Bourne Identity adds to the edginess and excitement. However, the detailed, cut-by-cut descriptions of torture (although few in number) were too graphic for me. And that is too bad, because I see interesting plot and character development opportunities for a series based on...more

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Mar 02, 2013 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ah, I don't even know where to start..

Firstly, I was mesmerized by the type of work Geiger does. Until I read this book, it never even occurred to me that "information retrieval" and the torture it includes is actually a form of art. So many different types and ways to inflict pain - physical, psychological, emotional; its array of creativity knows no bounds.

This book succeeds in questioning the reader's moral to the concept of torture. On the one hand, it is obviously inhumane and wrong, but th...more Ah, I don't even know where to start..

Firstly, I was mesmerized by the type of work Geiger does. Until I read this book, it never even occurred to me that "information retrieval" and the torture it includes is actually a form of art. So many different types and ways to inflict pain - physical, psychological, emotional; its array of creativity knows no bounds.

This book succeeds in questioning the reader's moral to the concept of torture. On the one hand, it is obviously inhumane and wrong, but this view is altered once one sees it from Geiger's point of view. He does not inflict pain for his own pleasure (as Dalton does), but does so to find truth. And one starts to wonder - if inflicting a certain type of pain is what drives a person to tell the truth, then so be it. Because truth is what we all seek.

Despite Geiger's strange personality, his dislike of closeness, his rigidity, and dark profession, it is impossible not to like this character. There is something magical about him, and one comes to admire his beautiful mind. I particularly enjoyed his relationship to Ezra, which displayed a completely different side to him. The vulnerable, protective side, the instinct to keep the child safe, even if it meant risking his own life. The similarities between them were heart-warming, particularly their deep love for music. That in itself spoke volumes. Near the end of the book, it was clear that there was an underlying closeness to Harry and Corley too, something they also came to realize.

Lastly, I must say the last chapter kept me on my toes; I was deeply hoping for Geiger to reappear somehow despite the drowning incident. I was seeking a happy ending, as I was not at all ready to say farewell to this character. I was overwhelmed with relief and happiness (something I have never really experienced with other novels) when at the end of the book it spoke of a man who scratched Cat's scar and then placed him over his shoulder - things only Geiger knew the cat loved.

I absolutely loved this book. I highly, highly recommend it.(less)

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Aug 29, 2012 Michael rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I found this book to be somewhat of a disapointment. I guess I was hoping for a more sophisitcated story like something a LeCarre would write than a run of the mill thriller. Even that would have been OK if it were written with the same descriptive energy that, say, Lee Child uses for his Reacher books.
Geiger is in "the information retrieval" business. He found this calling early in his life, that he was good at extracting information from people through one means or another - psychological or p...more

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Aug 01, 2012 Barry rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-thrillers

I have certain reservations when reading about torture. Firstly, I don't like it - I feel uncomfortable with the idea of inflicting pain on somebody to 'get answers'. Secondly, I am not convinced of its worth. After all, if somebody has torture inflicted upon them, it seems only reasonable that they will tell their inquisitors what they want to hear in order to make the pain stop. To paraphrase Blackadder (prior to torture commencing): "I am prepared to tell you absolutely anything!"

So, a book w...more I have certain reservations when reading about torture. Firstly, I don't like it - I feel uncomfortable with the idea of inflicting pain on somebody to 'get answers'. Secondly, I am not convinced of its worth. After all, if somebody has torture inflicted upon them, it seems only reasonable that they will tell their inquisitors what they want to hear in order to make the pain stop. To paraphrase Blackadder (prior to torture commencing): "I am prepared to tell you absolutely anything!"

So, a book whose central character is a torturer is going to have to go some to make me feel any empathy with that individual. To a great degree Mark Allen Smith has achieved this for within his novel we have Geiger who works in 'Information Retrieval'. In order to make the character more palatable the author has Geiger as somebody who goes about his business not with instruments found in the Tower of London, but rather through the use of psychology and an innate understanding of areas of the body where it possible to inflict the most pain. Pressure points and such like.

Geiger also addresses my second point, in that he knows when somebody is lying and indeed the whole inquisitor/victim interaction is seen as a sort of dance towards the [victim's] inevitable revelation.

Geiger also has morals - he will not retrieve information from women and children. So he is obviously a bit put out when one of the people sent for his attention is a child.

The story really picks up at this stage (following a brief introduction the main characters) and I must tread warily, as I am fearful of spoilers. Put basically, Geiger, the child and various allies attempt to flee from a trio of nasty chaps (these being the people that sent the child to Geiger).

In fact, the bad guys are one of the novel's strengths. I loved the way that Smith manage to flesh these individuals. Why they are doing this, what they think of each other, what they think of Geiger and, in some cases, what they think of the wider world. This bulking out of the novel was done with surprising but effective brevity.

The actual chase which makes up the bulk of the book is fairly standard stuff. As with so many novels from this genre, you must be willing - in places to suspend belief. Some of violence is quite graphic - but it must be said, not as bad as I anticipated and certainly nothing that I would consider gratuitous. As mentioned above, the characterisation is the Inquisitor's main strength. Geiger (who visits a psychiatrist - a possible nod to The Sopranos) is developed nicely. There is a section where this obvious misfit has to engage with society at a more normal level (via shopping, and which reminded me of Leon) the description of this scene made me smile. Not something one would expect from this type of novel. The people that flow about this island of a man are what do it for me - they are almost everyday individuals.

Ultimately this is a good thriller - with some very exciting moments - that is spoilt slightly by what I feel is a rushed and somewhat predictable ending. (less)

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Jun 22, 2012 Deb rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Inquisitor was my book club's monthly selection. I was caught off guard in that I actually liked this book. My thoughts were that I would be reading "once again" a bestseller that screams, "I'm a best seller and who knows why!" The character development was the strongest and most enjoyable part for me. All the characters were fleshed out, enigmatic and likable (even the bad guys). I also enjoyed the writing style: lean, insightful and at times, comedic. This author can truly put words togeth...more

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Dec 04, 2012 John rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audio, 2-star, action-thriller, crime, mystery, suspense

This book was doing OK until the the very end. Geiger is a professional torturer. And he is arguably the best Information Retrieval specialist currently working (though Dalton may argue that point). One fact that makes him stand out within his profession is his ability to extract the truth with much less blood than others, and that he has never accidentally killed an 'interviewee'. OK, so naturally something will go wrong, and it does. Geiger wrestles with a past he can't remember, but that is c...more

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Feb 13, 2012 Scartowner rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: advance-readers-edition

I'm very excited to have an Advance Reader's Edition, final copy due out in March.

UPDATE: The hardcover is due out on April 10, 2012 and can be pre-ordered on Amazon. I highly recommend this book if you want a unique reading experience. Because I don't have the final print, I am not allowed to quote from the text.

Main character Geiger is a man with a past unknown to himself and a present known to a very few. He is an expert in getting the truth out of his clients's targets, who have information...more

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Oct 04, 2012 Kristen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a very intense and disturbing story, but as strange as it sounds this was in a good way and I enjoyed this book.

Geiger is in what he calls "IR" or information retreival. He is who people call when they need someone to be made to tell the truth. Geiger's methods are varied and include physical and psychological tactics but he always gets the information eventually. He's a shadowy individual who very little is known about, no history, no details. He does his work and then he disappears.

Bu...more

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Mar 31, 2012 Dan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Geiger is a retriever of information and uses a sort of mental torture to get the information his clients wants. And his clients consist of the mob, corporate bigwigs and even the government. One thing is that he doesn’t interrogate kids, people with heart conditions and the elderly. His business is based only on referral. When he takes on a new client and finds out it is a kid they want him grab to get to the boy’s father, he refuses but takes the boy to protect him. He had his scruples, but no...more

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Sep 19, 2012 Tanya Patrice rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks

I listened to the audiobook version. The narrator was okay - took me a minute to get used to his voice, and I found the reading a bit slow at times. The book itself is really good - although it's a bit movie-esque, so it didn't come as a surprise that the author is a screenwriter (among other things). But, he was able to make a fantastic character driven book. Geiger, the main character, was really the focus of the book ... wait, so was Harry, his associate. They are so different, but both are c...more

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Jun 01, 2012 Jodi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-audiobooks, ll12, audiobook

This blew me out of the water. Geiger is in the Information Retrieval business. Or in plain English, he's a professional torturer. But he rarely draws blood. He doesn't need to. He uses the victim's own psyche against him and draws it out until the victim tells the truth. Geiger has one rule, though. He doesn't work on kids. So when a kid is brought in, Geiger entire life plan changes. Geiger is such a fascinating character because he is partially a blank slate, even to himself, and because he k...more

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Feb 24, 2013 Knit Spirit rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

En ce moment, j’enchaîne les polars et ce n’est pas pour me déplaire, ce sont un peu mes livres de prédilection.
Celui-ci m’a tout d’abord surprise par la nature du héros qui s’apparente plus à un anti-héros à la Dexter, on sait qu’il fait des choses hors la loi mais il a quand même l’air sympa et on ne peut pas s’empêcher de l’apprécier. C’est un peu ce qui s’est passé pour moi en découvrant Geiger, cet homme torturé au passé plus que mystérieux (il n’en a lui même aucun souvenir – mais ça ne va...more

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Dec 22, 2012 Marc Leonard rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I'm not sure I read the same book as some of the other reviews... Yes the idea is original and interesting, as are the characters. But the writing is at times labored to the point of distracting and the story after a while becomes tiring with its repeating cycles of follow, chase, capture, escape. The characters are a little hard to believe, maybe if the writing were more finessed it would've been easier for me to buy into them. I found myself thinking about Murakami's characters who are equally...more

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May 23, 2012 Michael Clifton rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Mark Allen Smith's debut novel, The Inquisitor, was an excellent read. It started fast out of the gate, dragged a bit toward the middle of the novel, and then picked up steam toward the climatic ending.

An action-packed thriller laced with psychological twists and turns, The Inquisitor's main character, Geiger, is a most unlikely hero. Geiger is an "information retrieval" expert...he tortures people to gain information from them. Geiger's clients range from shadowy underworld figures, to governme...more Mark Allen Smith's debut novel, The Inquisitor, was an excellent read. It started fast out of the gate, dragged a bit toward the middle of the novel, and then picked up steam toward the climatic ending.

An action-packed thriller laced with psychological twists and turns, The Inquisitor's main character, Geiger, is a most unlikely hero. Geiger is an "information retrieval" expert...he tortures people to gain information from them. Geiger's clients range from shadowy underworld figures, to government agencies such as the CIA. Geiger's methods of "torture" however, are less physical in nature and more psychological. Geiger prefers to use mental coercion and games of the mind to force the "Jones" (his victim) to offer up the truth and divulge the information his clients are seeking. It is a slick approach which involves Geiger manipulating the Jones' senses so that the Jones "thinks" he is being tortured.

A humanitarian method of torture...sort of.

It turns out that Geiger does have standards, and one of those is that he doesn't retrieve information from children. When one of Geiger's clients deposits a twelve year old boy at Geiger's "office" and tries to force him to break this rule, all hell literally breaks loose. Geiger and the boy go on the run with the former client pulling out all the stops attempting to find them. Trying to shield the boy from harm triggers a reaction within Geiger which forces him to deal with his own dark and tortuous past...something which proves to be as great or greater a struggle for Geiger than those pursuing him.

Smith was very, very good with his descriptive metaphors, and for a debut novel, I found that amazing. I really like how Smith writes! About the only negative was a bit of political sermonizing on (you guessed it!) government sanctioned "torture". On this, Smith went off the rails for awhile espousing the evils of waterboarding, etc., etc., against "helpless" Muslim terrorists. As a former screenwriter living in New York City, I don't suppose Smith could help himself.

Subtract one star for the politically correct soapboxing, and an enthusiastic Four Stars for The Inquisitor by Mark Allen Smith!(less)

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Mar 26, 2012 Randy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Geiger's life began when the bus driver shook him awake. He didn't know who he was or remember anything about his past. He got his name, as in counter, from a poster for a book on the works of artist H. R. Gigir, the e added because he liked the look.

In the years since that beginning, he'd forged a business, Information Retrieval. You see, Geiger had a unique talent. He could recognize a lie the instant it was said.

With his partner, Harry Boddicker, they specialized in getting things found out....more Geiger's life began when the bus driver shook him awake. He didn't know who he was or remember anything about his past. He got his name, as in counter, from a poster for a book on the works of artist H. R. Gigir, the e added because he liked the look.

In the years since that beginning, he'd forged a business, Information Retrieval. You see, Geiger had a unique talent. He could recognize a lie the instant it was said.

With his partner, Harry Boddicker, they specialized in getting things found out. Harry ran the website, judged the contacts, and arranged for the "Jones" to be brought to their facility. There Geiger used his talents to learn the truth, whatever the customer wanted found out. What he did might be called torture by some, but it was less that than the idea of it.

Geiger did have some rules though. He didn't question anybody that had had ever had a heart incident, he didn't question anybody over seventy-two, and he didn't question kids. If the client wanted his information ASAP, that was a case-by-case judgment on Geiger's part.

So when the new client wanted an expensive painting recovered as soon as possible, Geiger agrees to see the Jones. Things get crossed up when the client delivers a twelve year old boy, saying the father had bolted and the kid probably knew where he was. He even offered an extra five thousand cash. When Geiger refused, the client promised to take the boy to a competitor, one who had no rules and didn't mind, even relished, a little blood.

Geiger did the only thing he could under the circumstances.

He clocked the client and ran with the boy.

That's when Harry and he found out just how dangerous thsi client was. It soon became apparent that whatever information he wanted, it had nothing to do with a painting. They needed to find out exactly what was going on here to protect the boy and themselves.

If that was even possible.

A truly original protagonist with a lot of problems of his own. And those bits of his past were starting to emerge even as he runs around trying to solve the current mess.

I liked this one. Mark Allen Smith looks to have a bright future in the thriller business. (less)

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