Lee Allen's Blog - Posts Tagged "david-ellis"

Invisible by James Patterson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A fast-paced serial killer thriller by James Patterson and David Ellis.

Emily "Emmy" Dockery, a Research Analyst with the FBI, is currently suspended - having been accused of making improper advances towards her superior after she rejected his own improper advances – but she has been dedicating her time to working on a case of her own. Her sister died earlier in the year in a house fire, which was ruled an accidental death. Emmy, however, is not convinced. She has reviewed cases of multiple fires across the US, all of which resulted in fatalities, all deemed accidental. From all of these cases, a pattern emerges - one that points to there being a cunning and devious serial killer operating across the country, undetected.

Calling on ex-agent and her ex-boyfriend Harrison "Books" Bookman, Emmy is determined to be taken seriously and finally get the chance to get justice for her sister and all the other victims. But this isn’t going to be an easy task – up against a boss determined to avoid allegations of sexual harassment and multiple law enforcement agencies who do not believe a crime has taken place.

Meanwhile, the killer is always a few steps ahead and, as Emmy, Books and the team close in, becomes ever more dangerous.

Emmy is an endearing character - spunky, emotionally scarred, always determined to do the right thing, sometimes a little too reactive and so driven by what is immediately in front of her to consider the ramifications of her words and actions. For me, her relationship with Books was one of the most enjoyable elements of the novel - it clicked with me from their first interaction and I hoped they'd somehow rekindle their relationship. The sub-plot of the sexual harassment by her boss is particularly timely, something I hope we’ll see explored further in the future.

As well as the investigation of the case from Emmy's perspective, we also learn about the crimes from the perspective of the killer through transcripts of recordings. Narcissistic, manipulative and resourceful, this is a killer who will challenge the FBI agents and may outwit them to the end.

This devious, twisted journey delivers multiple climatic moments told through Patterson’s trademark short, sharp chapters, in the build-up to the final twist; ‘Invisible’ is a gripping psychological thriller.

Emmy returns in James Patterson and David Ellis’ sequel 'Unsolved', which promises to pit her against another devious and invisible killer.



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Unsolved by James Patterson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


In a gripping sequel to ‘Invisible’, Emmy returns to hunt another elusive serial killer.

Emily "Emmy" Dockery, Research Analyst with the FBI, has acquired a modicum of fame for detecting and hunting down a serial killer several years earlier. Yet admitting serial killers of whom no one is aware may be continuing to kill is embarrassing for the FBI, so Emmy’s work remains unauthorised as she continues to trawl through data, searching for the patterns that may indicate more previously undetected predators.

Emmy’s fiancé, Harrison "Books" Bookman, has retired from the FBI and now runs a struggling bookstore. Called upon by his old mentor and now FBI director, Books finds himself tasked with investigating leaks about a moral crusader terrorist to a local reporter – which the FBI suspects Emmy to be responsible for.

With no one believing in her theories and feeling as if everyone is turning against her, Emmy is determined to hunt down the killer whom she’s been tracking for months – one who is always one step ahead, none of his murders believed to be homicides, and who has now turned his sights on her. Emmy finds herself up against an adversary more dangerous than any she’s previously encountered, in a cat and mouse game she may be unable to wriggle free from.

Told in Patterson’s trademark short, lightning-paced chapters, ‘Unsolved’ is an FBI procedural jam-packed with twists and turns and plenty of sleight-of-hand writing to keep you guessing and second-guessing as the plot races towards its conclusion. The clues are all there, yet you still may not see the well-executed twists coming until they are right upon you; throughout, we gain detailed insights into the killer’s psyche without giving too much away before each revelation.

I find Emmy a very endearing character – her determination to ferret out the truth, even when she is the only one who has faith in what the data suggests, and her willingness to go against the male-dominated FBI hierarchy is admirable. Yet we find her more damaged, her scars and her obsessiveness having a detrimental effect on her health and her life.

I adore Emmy and Books’ relationship - they bring the emotion to the story, whereas the case itself is heavily procedural, as we don’t often get an insight into the experience of the victims or their families. Despite the challenges to their relationship, their differences of opinion, and what feels like an almost inevitable conflict and disintegration within their relationship, there is an unshakable bond between them that keeps them in each other’s orbit and you hope will keep them coming back stronger.

Like its predecessor, ‘Unsolved’ is a gripping, page-turning thriller. I do hope we will get a third chapter in Emmy and Books’ story, complete with another of Emmy’s analytical hunts for a serial killer.



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