On the foggy streets of Seattle, a serial killer known as the Street Butcher is terrorising the city. Newspaper photographer Nick Wilder is accusto...
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Feb 16, 2010
Nancy
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jan 16, 2012
Richard
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Rating: a revolted 3* of five
I don't think thrillers are all created equal. I think this book is a thriller because there isn't a sales category called "Noir" although, given the rate at which this kind of novel is being published, there soon will be.
I wasn't thrilled by the gory, bloody, lovingly depicted death and torture in the book. I wasn't thrilled by the editor's decision to leave a dizzying number of time-shifts in place. I wasn't thrilled by the sheer vilen More...
I don't think thrillers are all created equal. I think this book is a thriller because there isn't a sales category called "Noir" although, given the rate at which this kind of novel is being published, there soon will be.
I wasn't thrilled by the gory, bloody, lovingly depicted death and torture in the book. I wasn't thrilled by the editor's decision to leave a dizzying number of time-shifts in place. I wasn't thrilled by the sheer vilen More...
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Jan 17, 2010
Michelle
rated it:
This book was like a grade-A steak sandwich on moldy bread. I hated the beginning and end, loved the middle. It started off very slowly, which is an odd thing to say for a story that begins with a murder. Larsen's descriptions of scenery seem like filler rather than setting any mood, and slow the pace down. But with the introduction of the character of Sara Garland, the story becomes much more intriguing. The author's frequent use of flashbacks creates a disorientating effect that echoes and all
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Feb 25, 2010
Jay
rated it:
I was lucky enough to win this book because otherwise I would have steered well clear of it for the simple reason that I don't like 'thrillers'. I tend to avoid these books because the majority of them are simply a series of predicable, violent episodes strung together by a chase. While this book is referred to as a thriller, it is more a mystery with strong psychological elements.
I enjoyed this book so much that it practically read itself - I finished it in three days and was left feelin More...
I enjoyed this book so much that it practically read itself - I finished it in three days and was left feelin More...
Jul 25, 2010
Ines
rated it:
Suspect everyone!
When I first started reading this book, the switching back and forth from present to past threw me off a bit, as I found it wasn't too clear about what time the author was describing. That being said, the more I got into the book, the more everything started to make more sense and the more the flashbacks worked. There was even one point in the book where I thought the protagonist had dreamed it all and none of it really happened (I don't know if this would have been More...
When I first started reading this book, the switching back and forth from present to past threw me off a bit, as I found it wasn't too clear about what time the author was describing. That being said, the more I got into the book, the more everything started to make more sense and the more the flashbacks worked. There was even one point in the book where I thought the protagonist had dreamed it all and none of it really happened (I don't know if this would have been More...
Mar 18, 2010
Kari
rated it:
On the rainy streets of Seattle, Nick Wilder is leaving a bar with his brother one moment, waking up and finding his brother dead the next. Nick is a photojournalist for a newspaper and with the snap of a finger, things start getting stranger and stranger for him. He starts blacking out and people start dying. Is he the one doing the killing? Why is he always around when the victims are found? And why are so many homeless men involved in murders?
This is one of those books that I can More...
This is one of those books that I can More...
Nov 13, 2009
Gareth
rated it:
Rarely if ever have I read a book that is disturbing and enthralling in equal measures.
From the opening, disorientating chapters in which the reader is introduced breathlessly into the present, hurled to the past and dragged kicking back into the here and now, there is a masterfully crafted sense of paranoia and delusion, the purpose of which only becomes apparant towards the end.
The main protaganist is Nick Wilder, a down on his luck freelance photographer, whos job is to be f More...
From the opening, disorientating chapters in which the reader is introduced breathlessly into the present, hurled to the past and dragged kicking back into the here and now, there is a masterfully crafted sense of paranoia and delusion, the purpose of which only becomes apparant towards the end.
The main protaganist is Nick Wilder, a down on his luck freelance photographer, whos job is to be f More...
Jan 15, 2010
Nancy
rated it: 
Nick Wilde, photographer for the “Seattle Telegraph”, lives in a tiny studio apartment, just making ends meet. One night when he is out with his brother Sam, the two are attacked after leaving a bar. Sam is brutally murdered and Nick manages to survive a beating. Everything from that night is a blur to Nick, and as time passes, he wonders if he is going crazy. A month before the attack, Nick met a beautiful woman named Sara Garland in a coffee shop and the two became lovers. Sara confessed to Ni
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Mar 07, 2010
Batsap
rated it:
I won this book through a first reads giveaway, so thank you to Craig Larson for sending me a copy.
Centering on the events surrounding the death of protagonist Nick Wilder's brother, this novel immediately drew me into the confusing and claustrophobic mental world that Nick inhabits. Almost from the very first sentence I could feel the cloying anxiety that seemed to effect Nick.
Frequent flashbacks throughout the novel also add to the atmosphere. Each time there is a flash More...
Centering on the events surrounding the death of protagonist Nick Wilder's brother, this novel immediately drew me into the confusing and claustrophobic mental world that Nick inhabits. Almost from the very first sentence I could feel the cloying anxiety that seemed to effect Nick.
Frequent flashbacks throughout the novel also add to the atmosphere. Each time there is a flash More...
Jan 25, 2010
Tom
rated it:
This book was a really good first effort by the author. The beginning and the end of the story were disappointing but the middle kept me hooked and reading late into the night.
I found his use of the flashback to be somewhat distracting, but effective. Unfortunately, it takes a long time care much about the main character. He is difficult to like from the start since he seems to be such a shallow and self absorbed person. Once you get into those flashback, you begin to see him in a li More...
I found his use of the flashback to be somewhat distracting, but effective. Unfortunately, it takes a long time care much about the main character. He is difficult to like from the start since he seems to be such a shallow and self absorbed person. Once you get into those flashback, you begin to see him in a li More...
Feb 05, 2010
Jerry
rated it:
Wow. Without meaning to sound totally cliche, this book is really quite unpredictable. I thought it was going to be some typical psychological thriller, where the main character suffers from blackouts and kills people; or where the events are really figments in the mind of a hospitalized psychopath. It wasnt.
Once I'd realised that this book wasn't going in that typical psychological thriller direction, I really had no idea where it was going! There were a number of subplots going on More...
Once I'd realised that this book wasn't going in that typical psychological thriller direction, I really had no idea where it was going! There were a number of subplots going on More...
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Feb 19, 2010
♦Jennifer♦
rated it:
I won on first reads
Mania is a suspense/thriller that I feel definitely fit the bill. It had an ending that I didn't see coming, and that is a plus. Seriously, when the ending was reveled my mouth dropped. Your led to believe that someone else is behind everything, and then BAMB turns out that someone completely unexpected was pulling the strings all along.
Right off the bat ,in the first couple pages, you are brought into the murder of Nick's brother Sam. Nick and Sam are More...
Mania is a suspense/thriller that I feel definitely fit the bill. It had an ending that I didn't see coming, and that is a plus. Seriously, when the ending was reveled my mouth dropped. Your led to believe that someone else is behind everything, and then BAMB turns out that someone completely unexpected was pulling the strings all along.
Right off the bat ,in the first couple pages, you are brought into the murder of Nick's brother Sam. Nick and Sam are More...
Aug 20, 2011
Kena
rated it:
Wow, I was enthralled when I read this novel. It has been over a year since I have been able to pull a random novel off the shelf and not be able to put it down before it would bore me. This one was thrilling and suspenseful from beginning to end. The fact that it took place in Seattle interested me since this is where I reside, and many of the locations I am very familiar with. But the characters were believable, and there were many exciting twists. In the end it was a little predictable, and s
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Jan 13, 2010
Christine
rated it:
I really want to give this book 2.5 stars, but as goodreads doesn't have a half star option yet, I'll rate high because I'm generous that way. Craig Larsen has a decent-enough story here, and he does a fantastic job creating an atmosphere of disorientation and dread. I was literally a little sick to my stomach while reading this, because the feelings are so well developed. Ultimately, though, the characters are a little one-dimensional, and the conspiracy-theory finish is kind of overwrought
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Mar 06, 2010
Gina
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Mar 22, 2010
Brian
rated it:
I received this book from a goodreads giveaway. I entered mostly on the strength of a Harlan Coben blurb and the plot synopsis.
Overall I enjoyed the book, though it almost lost me at the beginning. The prose was a bit over-wrought as the author describes an attack that happens to the main character and his brother. This turns out to be a minor quibble as the author settles down into the meat of the story.
The story follows Nick Wilder, a photographer for a Seattle newspaper More...
Overall I enjoyed the book, though it almost lost me at the beginning. The prose was a bit over-wrought as the author describes an attack that happens to the main character and his brother. This turns out to be a minor quibble as the author settles down into the meat of the story.
The story follows Nick Wilder, a photographer for a Seattle newspaper More...
Jan 17, 2010
Mary (MrsBrownsFan)
rated it:
Won this on GR...can't wait to read it!
ETA - This is unlike the usual books I read, in that the deepest I usually go into the thriller category is James Peterson's Women's Murder Club books and Patricia Cornwell's Scarpetta series. And my affinity to those books is tied to the fact that I have gotten to know the characters over the course of the series and look forward to learning more about their lives. However, I entered to win this with the hope that I could pass it on to my hus More...
ETA - This is unlike the usual books I read, in that the deepest I usually go into the thriller category is James Peterson's Women's Murder Club books and Patricia Cornwell's Scarpetta series. And my affinity to those books is tied to the fact that I have gotten to know the characters over the course of the series and look forward to learning more about their lives. However, I entered to win this with the hope that I could pass it on to my hus More...
Jan 27, 2010
Jason
rated it:
This was an interesting read although it was confusing in the way that it jumped from present to past and back again. It began with the murder of Sam Wilder and then jumped back a month earlier to begin the story. From there it jumped to after the murder, then to Sam and his brother's childhood, then to differing points within the month leading up to the murder. This alone would not have dropped the rating to 3 stars if the ending which explained the murder and his brother's related issues More...
Mar 03, 2010
Cathie
rated it: 
My copy of "Mania" was part of the Goodreads giveaways, so I'd first like to give a *HUGE* thank you to the author, Craig Larsen, for sending this copy to me.
I've really agonized over how to rate this book. In the end I gave it only 2 stars - not because it was a bad book - but because I felt it was too predictable. That is to say that I felt like I knew who the bad guys - or most of them - were from the first page of their introduction, so when they turned out to be the More...
I've really agonized over how to rate this book. In the end I gave it only 2 stars - not because it was a bad book - but because I felt it was too predictable. That is to say that I felt like I knew who the bad guys - or most of them - were from the first page of their introduction, so when they turned out to be the More...
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Jan 31, 2010
Linda
rated it:
Mania is a good thriller with enough twists and turns to keep you interested, but a problem with the flow of the story. The first part of the book seems slow, jumping back and forth between time periods, dreams, and hallucinations, that lead to some confusion. Near the end the action picks up and the pieces of the puzzle that is the life of Seattle news photographer Nick Wilder began to fall into place as I suspected. Even a surprise at the end.
Mr. Larsen weaves and good story but More...
Mr. Larsen weaves and good story but More...
Jul 04, 2010
Leslie
rated it:
The successful brother of down-and-out photographer Nick Wilder is stabbed on the streets of Seattle while they are on the way home from a club, and Nick, who awoke dazed and partly amnesiac some distance from the scene, finds his story of a deranged homeless man looked at skeptically by the police. After all, his fingerprints are on the knife, and he has shown up suspiciously close on the heels of two similar murders. Searching for the truth, he finds other cases in different cities, all with a
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Feb 15, 2010
Paulette
rated it:
Won this on Goodreads Giveaway! Unpredictable, page-turning thriller! While walking to the car after dinner out one evening, Nick Wilder and his brother Sam are attacked. Sam was stabbed to death and Nick was left badly wounded. Since Sam’s death, Nick suffers hallucinations, flashbacks, black outs and loss of time and can’t remember what happened that evening. More deaths follow and the killer is dubbed the “Street Butcher”. Nick thinks it may be possible that he may have killed them. He is dia
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Jan 20, 2010
Bill
rated it:
I received the book through the first reads program. Craig, thanks for the personal note. It's #2 on my pile and will get to it over the weekend. Based on the description I'm looking forward to it. More later.
I just finished the book and gave it three stars for a good effort that was not quite pulled off to my staisfaction. I found the plot fairly well thought out, the main characters nicely drawn but not necessarily interesting, the minor characters generally were drop-ins for fille More...
I just finished the book and gave it three stars for a good effort that was not quite pulled off to my staisfaction. I found the plot fairly well thought out, the main characters nicely drawn but not necessarily interesting, the minor characters generally were drop-ins for fille More...
Jun 10, 2011
Georgiann
rated it:
Mania is an interesting read. Nick Wilder is a photographer for a newspaper he mostly photographs crime scene s. But when his brother Sam is murdered by the Street Butcher. Nick finds the case is getting to him in more ways than one. He,s not sleeping , he has disturbing dreams and flash backs to his child hood. Nick doesn,t know what is happening is he losing his mind. As the motives multiply and the suspects narrow , the cold stark Seattle winter gets even colder. the ending is a little confu
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Mar 17, 2010
LuAnn
rated it:
I’ve mentioned before how much I enjoy reading books where the characters are journalists. I love reading how authors portray the passion that comes with the business of reporting.
Why? Because it’s what I do. It’s how I make my living and it’s what defines me as a writer. It’s in my blood and I can’t ever imagine doing anything else with my life.
That said, I now turn to “Mania.” This book puts the reader right into the crime scene so he or she can view it from a reporter’s eyes.
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Why? Because it’s what I do. It’s how I make my living and it’s what defines me as a writer. It’s in my blood and I can’t ever imagine doing anything else with my life.
That said, I now turn to “Mania.” This book puts the reader right into the crime scene so he or she can view it from a reporter’s eyes.
More...
Jan 16, 2010
Nathan
rated it:
Because I haven't ventured often into this genre, I was looking forward to reading an exciting but dark and disturbing tale. While the story lives up to "dark and disturbing," I found myself wanting more from the book. The story is well-crafted and the author uses many flashbacks and memories to make the reader feel a sense of disoriented mania, the excitement of a thriller is somewhat lacking. I kept thinking, "If only this were in first person..."
Having said More...
Having said More...
Mar 14, 2010
Djrmel
rated it:
Disclosure: I received this book for free through the Goodreads First Reads Program.
Read in the context of this being Larsen's first published work, this is pretty good book. It's a little disjointed, perhaps a little over populated with characters (mostly noticible when they conveniently disappear, as in the case of the girlfriend who's forgotten for the sake of a whirlwind trip out of town by the protagonist), and it definitely takes too long to get to anything that resembles a cl More...
Read in the context of this being Larsen's first published work, this is pretty good book. It's a little disjointed, perhaps a little over populated with characters (mostly noticible when they conveniently disappear, as in the case of the girlfriend who's forgotten for the sake of a whirlwind trip out of town by the protagonist), and it definitely takes too long to get to anything that resembles a cl More...
Jan 14, 2010
Robin
rated it:
This is a thriller/mystery by a new author and I am still trying to decide if I liked it or not and really, really wish the ratings would allow for ½ star as I would give it a 3.5. Nick, a newspaper photographer, witnesses an attack on his brother by a man who could be the Street Butcher and then everything goes black. When Nick comes to, he finds the police have arrived and his brother is being carried away. He then launches an investigation on the dark and seedy streets of Seattle to find who
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May 05, 2010
Mandy
rated it:
Mania is a thriller with twists and turns that will keep you reading and guessing right to the very end. The title is very apt as mania = “a mood disorder; an affective disorder in which the victim tends to respond excessively and sometimes violently” and this is what you get but the real question is who is the victim? Craig Larsen has produced a fast-paced thriller which will see you turning the pages faster than you can say Mania.
The main character Nick Wilder is a newspaper photog More...
The main character Nick Wilder is a newspaper photog More...
Oct 05, 2011
Michelle
rated it:
Mania by Craig Larsen is an exciting book, I'll definitely give it that. I'm not much of a mystery/thriller reader (I couldn't get through five pages of The DaVinci Code because the prose was so terrible) I've basically pigeon-holed myself into Raymond Chandler and Agatha Christie books when I want a mystery, but Mania kept me reading, at the very least, to find out what the hell was going on.
Basically, protagonist Nick Wilder is a semi-freelance photographer for the Seattle Telegrap More...
Basically, protagonist Nick Wilder is a semi-freelance photographer for the Seattle Telegrap More...
