George Gates used to be a travel writer who specialized in places where people disappeareds brief life and uncertain fate. And as he goes deeper, h...
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reviews
Jun 28, 2011
Laura
rated it: 
This was such a bizarre novel. It was hard to follow the substory, the one written by by the missing character, Katherine Carr. Only towards the end, where the main character and his friend discuss her story was I able to make sense of what was going on. And the ending was delightfully mysterious.
A major complaint about this novel was that the main character, George, reflects way too much on things outside of current happenings. This usually isn't a problem but the way the author would More...
A major complaint about this novel was that the main character, George, reflects way too much on things outside of current happenings. This usually isn't a problem but the way the author would More...
May 31, 2010
The Fate of Katherine Carr, by Thomas H. Cook, b-plus, narrated by Brian Hutchinson, produced by Recorded Books, downloaded from audible.com.
George Gates was a globe-trotting travel writer until his young son was kidnapped and murdered. His body was found so much later that it was impossible to pin down exactly what happened to him. He leaves his travel writing position and takes a quiet newspaper position writing boring articles. Then he meets a police officer who is retiring in More...
George Gates was a globe-trotting travel writer until his young son was kidnapped and murdered. His body was found so much later that it was impossible to pin down exactly what happened to him. He leaves his travel writing position and takes a quiet newspaper position writing boring articles. Then he meets a police officer who is retiring in More...
Aug 28, 2009
Tony
rated it: 
Cook, Thomas H. THE FATE OF KATHERINE CARR. (2009). ****. Cook has written over twenty novels, many of them mysteries. This one is a mystery clouded in the world of the supernatural – which also seems to interest Cook a lot. George Gates’ son has been murdered by a killer who has never been identified or captured. He meets a retired detective at a local bar. They begin to talk and Gates learns that this man, Arlo, was once in the Missing Persons Division. Gates asks him if there was one
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Mar 22, 2010
Sue
rated it: 
I have always been a fan of Thomas Cook. This book did not disappoint me. One thing he does well, is character development. Though this book has many complexities, his characters are the most amazing. George Gates is a travel writer struggling with the guilt of the disappearance and murder of his 8 year old son. If only he hadn't.... but throughout the story though we know the guilt we also know that he is struggling to get on with his life. He interviews a former detective for a fluff piece he
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Nov 28, 2009
Kat
rated it: 
This book really disappointed me and I am quite mad at the author. I had to read thru pages upon pages of heart-wrenching grief and guilt (well-written, I grant you that) of a father whose young son got kidnapped and murdered. I had to read in great detail about a young girl dying from a cruel disease, not to mention innumerable description of terrible atrocities. For what? I don't want to spoil it for those who want to read it, but there are absolutely no resolutions in this book unless you buy
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Jul 09, 2009
Gary
rated it:
Thomas H. Cook is an American treasure. This novel is not an easy read as it has a Gothic like atmosphere, a convuluted plot, many characters who are essential to the story, and does not give you all the answers. For my reading tastes, I love that kind of an effort.
The basic plot revolves around a guilt ridden travel writer who now hides out in a small town writing features for the local newspaper. The reason is that one day he was supposed to pick up his son and instead chose t More...
The basic plot revolves around a guilt ridden travel writer who now hides out in a small town writing features for the local newspaper. The reason is that one day he was supposed to pick up his son and instead chose t More...
Nov 06, 2010
Rebecca
rated it:
This is the story of George Gates whose son was murdered. The case was not solved and the murderer never caught. George used to be a travel writer and fascinated by the "disappeared". But now he is a feature writer for his local paper until he meets a retired cop. He decides to write a feature on the cop and the one case he couldn't solve, the disappearance of Katherine Carr. He also meets Alice who has progeria, the premature aging disease but who loves the stories of true crime.
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Mar 24, 2010
Roberta
rated it:
I really enjoyed this one. Once I got into the first 30 pages, I could not put it down. Gates (do we ever learn his first name?), a onetime travel writer and feature writer for a small town newspaper recounts the story of Catherine Carr while on a boat trip in Asia. I don't want to give anything away so I'll just say that the plot is intricate and unusual and the story of Catherine Carr, a victim of a violent crime and who subsequently disappeared without a trace, Alice 12 years old and dying
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Aug 26, 2009
Britney
rated it:
I picked this up at the library not knowing anything about it and having never heard of it. It was fast-paced and enjoyable, but secretly I was hoping for a more cliched ending; it would have been more satisfying...at first. It almost seemed as if Cook sat around for months just concocting some fancy ending that no one would guess - so fancy in fact that it seemed ridiculously out of place and too sci-fi for the rest of the book. That was my initial reaction...but the next day when I was thin
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Jul 30, 2011
Sherry
rated it:
I just whipped through this book, it was so wonderful. I was just swept up in it. I want books to capture me & take me away and this story did just that. But a word of warning; this is a sad story. There are vicious terrible things that happen in it. Mr. Cook does not pull any punches at all. Very dark and grim and at times it breaks your heart. I loved it though. Very much. One of the best writers out there. He should win every award, and everyone should read his books. He just has
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Jan 13, 2010
Beth
rated it:
This book was disappointing and just a little too "mysterious" for me. The book was pretty well-written and I can see why some people might enjoy it. I picked this book up thinking it was a mystery, which it was. As a reader, I have certain expectations about what a mystery is going to do. This is one of those books in which the narrator actually says, "If this were a mystery book this is what would happen..." or "if this were a typical detective story this is what
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Jun 29, 2010
Alicia
rated it:
I am struggling with the rating of this...more of a 3.5 than a 4 book. The story is based on tragic circumstances, the kidnapping and killing of a child and the attack and subsequent isolation and then disappearance, of different people and the despair that follows. It is a story within a story, within a story. Unfortunately, there is no real resolution which is a little unsatisfying but which is in keeping with the book. I think any other ending would have not fit in with the rest of the bo
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Nov 24, 2011
Michelle
rated it:
George Gates is a former travel writer, who after the disappearance/kidnapping and murder of his son, now writes "puff" pieces for the local paper. A chance encounter leads him to a former detective, Arlo, who tells him of a missing persons case that continues to haunt him, Katherine Carr. We follow George as he investigates and tries to learn more about Katherine and what happened to her. Her story is convoluted by a brutal attack years prior to her disappearance and her writings, inc
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Mar 08, 2011
Anne Hawn
rated it:
I wouldn't call this a mystery book. It is a story within a story. The first is the story of George Gates, whose 8 year old son was kidnapped and murdered. His young wife also died and now he is alone. He was a travel journalist who specialized in places where people disappeared, but after the tragedy, he became a reporter for a small newspaper. A retired detective got him involved in the disappearance of a poet, Katherine Carr who had previously been assalted and left for dead.
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Mar 28, 2010
Dani
rated it:
Everyone has a certain storyline that is difficult for them to read. For me, it is stories about the death of young children. Once I became a mother, I could no longer accept such a thing as just part of the plot. So here is fair warning: if you have trouble with that sort of story, too, then you may want to turn away from this book.
It took a long time for this book to grab me, but I can't fault the writing. Cook's descriptions of George's anguish over the loss of his son were so viv More...
It took a long time for this book to grab me, but I can't fault the writing. Cook's descriptions of George's anguish over the loss of his son were so viv More...
Dec 31, 2011
pjreads ♫
rated it:
Not worth the effort. Author tries to hard to create atmosphere but is too obviously manipulative. Lots of serial killers, murder victims, dying kids are thrown in coldly and unemotionally. Frame story, main story, nested story and lots of side stories stuck together like a jumble of pieces from different jigsaw puzzles jammed in to one another any which way.
2 stars because despite the irritating style I did read to the end struggling against the hook in my curiosity the whole way.
2 stars because despite the irritating style I did read to the end struggling against the hook in my curiosity the whole way.
Oct 30, 2011
Steve
rated it: 
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Aug 30, 2009
Cynthia
rated it:
I can go months and read mostly "beach" books, and then, wham! two really gripping ones in row: Larsson, and this.
Cook manages to tell his story with rich language and a tight, well-edited novel. A story within a story, coiled within yet another. It's the rare book you don't want to put down for insignificant things like eating or work.
N.B. to any bad guys. You might find this a particularly vivid moral lesson.
Cook manages to tell his story with rich language and a tight, well-edited novel. A story within a story, coiled within yet another. It's the rare book you don't want to put down for insignificant things like eating or work.
N.B. to any bad guys. You might find this a particularly vivid moral lesson.
Jul 04, 2011
Biblophile
rated it:
Convoluted, rambling, and ambiguous story by an otherwise wonderful author. I skipped over much of the book but didn't seem to miss much. The often rambling remembrances of the main character added nothing to the tale.
The story itself was rather intriguing....a story within a story, and often left one wondering what was real and what was not.
Would have been a good book with some vigorous editing.
The story itself was rather intriguing....a story within a story, and often left one wondering what was real and what was not.
Would have been a good book with some vigorous editing.
Feb 23, 2010
Joan
rated it:
It would be a mistake to regard this as a mystery. Like many of Cook's books, it is a meditation. In this case on survivors, those left behind to make some sense of senselessness. He is a remarkably good writer, but can be frustrating. His books often begin slowly and never really have a crescendo. The journey, not the destination, I guess. I did not love this as I had some of his earlier books.
Oct 14, 2009
Kara
rated it:
I had a difficult time getting into this book; new threads were often introduced and I began to lose patience with it. and yet, I kept reading. I quite liked the ending, as it happens, but it didn't really seem to fit the tone of the story. I have not read any other books by Thomas H. Cock, so I can't really compare how it stacks up. Chances are I will not pick up another of his works. Fans of Mr. Cook might feel differenly.
Dec 30, 2009
Joy
rated it:
This was a book I found on the new fiction shelf at the library. It took me most of the month to read it. I never did get interested in the fate of Katherine Carr and found it extremely tedious. This is the
reason I'm going with reading classic novels recommended by the reviewers in the book Philip Yancey edited.
reason I'm going with reading classic novels recommended by the reviewers in the book Philip Yancey edited.
Jul 14, 2009
Debbie
rated it:
I really would rate this somewhere between a 3 and a 4 star. It really was a book about a number of stories going on at once....a very strange kind of mytery novel with a definite twist at the end. At times it seemed kind of dark. Not sure if I would try another of his books or not.
Jan 23, 2010
Cheryl
rated it:
This book was creepy, one that I wouldn't read when I was alone in the house. I have the sense that the plot had holes in it, but didn't care enough about the story to go back and reread to find out for sure. Having said that, it was a "different-in-a-good-way" book that made me think.
Jul 29, 2009
Karen
rated it:
This book is designed to keep the reader guessing. The ending, to me, was perfect though I suspect some readers might feel frustrated. Other readers might not get it at all. Here is a dark novel, blending together several tales of the missing, the avenged, and their avengers. I'll be reading more of this author.
Aug 25, 2010
Thomas
rated it:
I was expecting a good mystery, but found the book is full of torture and despair with only a hint of hope based on a vague, undefined supernatural force. It was written well enough to keep my interest and to keep reading, but left me feeling empty.
Oct 05, 2009
Leslie
rated it:
Oddly amorphous, Cook's latest feels more like a fairy tale than a cold case mystery. The vanished protagonist, Katherine Carr, along with the narrator's dead son, are nearly more vivd than narrator George Gates himself, along with those with whom George interacts.
Recommended for readers of Kate Atkinson, Patricia Highsmith, and perhaps Joyce Carol Oates....
Recommended for readers of Kate Atkinson, Patricia Highsmith, and perhaps Joyce Carol Oates....
Feb 13, 2011
Librarian2191
rated it:
A confusing story within a story with a equally confusing ending that requires thinking about. The whole strains the "suspension of disbelief." Perhaps it's just that it is so different from anything else I've ever read.
Mar 08, 2010
Rick
rated it:
Lurid, muddled, story-within-a-story-within-a-story ad nauseum about a murder, an unexplained disappearance and the World's Greatest Pity Party. Enough child-kidnap-torture-murder schlock to annoy even the SVU crowd. Gag.
Mar 30, 2010
Tim
rated it:
There were numerous times I just wanted to put this book down and not look back, however, the author had a way of writing one or two lines that kept me interested. As a father of 3 small children, with 2 of them being the same age as "Teddy", it was hard for me to get through some of this. I guess I was reading toward an ending that would be somewhat rewarding, but all got was a feeling of relief that it was over. Some of the things in the book were so off the map, that I truly didn
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