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Molly Cates #2
Under the Beetle's Cellar
For forty-six days, bus driver Walter Demming and eleven schoolchildren have been buried underground, held captive in the fortified compound of a fundamentalist cult. Deprived of daylight, fresh air and contact with the outside world, they endure the terrifying rants of the cult's leader, the charismatic Samuel Mordecai. He joyfully predicts the arrival of Armageddon - in exactly five days' time.
All attempts at negotiations have failed. Enter tenacious crime reporter Molly Cates, the only journalist ever to have interviewed Mordecai. It was the worst assignment of her life - until this one. She has gained his trust before, and she must try again. But this time the stakes are impossibly high. And she has just five days...
All attempts at negotiations have failed. Enter tenacious crime reporter Molly Cates, the only journalist ever to have interviewed Mordecai. It was the worst assignment of her life - until this one. She has gained his trust before, and she must try again. But this time the stakes are impossibly high. And she has just five days...
339 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1995
19 people are currently reading
463 people want to read
About the author
Mary Willis Walker
10 books40 followersMary Willis Walker is the author of Zero at the Bone, which won both the Agatha and Macavity awards and was nominated for an Edgar; The Red Scream, winner of the Edgar Award; and Under the Beetle's Cellar, recipient of the Hammett Prize, the Anthony Award, and the Macavity Award. She lives in Austin, Texas, where she is now at work on her fifth novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews
May 14, 2011
So, I'm not entirely sure if this book deserves the five star rating I'm giving it, because I read it back when I was in high school, something like fourteen years ago, and I'm not sure if my high school self can be trusted to accurately remember how good the book was. HOWEVER, I've remembered how much I enjoyed this book for all these years, so it clearly made quite an impression on me. It's the story of a war vet turned school bus driver who is kidnapped with his entire busload full of kids by a cult leader. He and the kids are imprisoned inside the bus, and the story of their daily lives as prisoners unfolds in a thoroughly thoughtful and riveting way. Very fascinating and suspenseful. Apparently this book is one in a series of books about the adventures of a crime reporter named Molly Cates and I can't exactly recall how she becomes involved in the story, I remember her being a pretty fascinating and cool character as well. I'll have to re-read and see if the five star rating holds up!
January 30, 2021
For 48 days, bus driver Walter Demming and eleven children in his care have been held captive in an underground cellar by an apocalyptic cult. He may not know exactly what cult leader Samuel Mordecai has planned for them, but he has a pretty good idea - and their time is running out. Outside, an FBI taskforce is still debating whether to launch an assault. Meanwhile, journalist Molly Cates, who once profiled Mordecai and his cult for the magazine she writes for, digs into his mysterious past in hopes of finding something that might give the negotiators an ace in the hole.
I picked this up as a random second hand purchase years ago and it had been sitting on my shelf gathering dust ever since. Turns out I had an excellent thriller waiting for me all this time. Taut suspense that keeps ratcheting up and had me glued to the page, especially during the last quarter.
I picked this up as a random second hand purchase years ago and it had been sitting on my shelf gathering dust ever since. Turns out I had an excellent thriller waiting for me all this time. Taut suspense that keeps ratcheting up and had me glued to the page, especially during the last quarter.
March 20, 2023
Обществените проблеми на 80-те и ранните 90 години в САЩ вече до голяма степен са минало. Много от нас не са чували за Уако, за сектантския фундаментализъм и за домашно отгледания тероризъм на Америка. Днес, само няколко десетилетия по-късно, сюжети като този на "Там, в царството на бръмбара" (което се оказа стих от поема на Емили Дикинсън) изглеждат фантастични и изсмукани от пръстите. Когато излиза тази книга в средата на 90-те обаче, това са били темите на деня, защото подобни неща като описаните от Уокър са се случвали съвсем наяве и нерядко.
Иначе продължавам да твърдя, че Мери Уилис Уокър пише на нивото на Керин Слотър и Патриша Корнуел и само фактът, че рязко преустановява творческата си кариера, води до нейната сравнителна неизвестност.
Иначе продължавам да твърдя, че Мери Уилис Уокър пише на нивото на Керин Слотър и Патриша Корнуел и само фактът, че рязко преустановява творческата си кариера, води до нейната сравнителна неизвестност.
March 4, 2020
This book was a cannot-put-down book from the get-go! The religious aspect was heavy and made for several uncomfortable pages, but in the end, the feelings this book evoked in me wouldn't have been as strong had I not read those pages. What an emotional story of wrong place, wrong time, life or death situations, unlikely guardianship, immense love and incredible loss.
October 14, 2017
Not my thing....2star
August 24, 2023
Wow! This was intense.
November 19, 2018
Had no idea about this book before I started it. It seems it is the second part of a "Molly Cates"-series. But at the same time it seems that I did not miss anyhting by not reading the first part as there are no mentions to happenings from the first book.
Anyway the book is mostly nicely written. It's a pretty basic thriller. No more, no less. I had some problems with the book. Mainly with the characters who were all stereotypical. Also Mollys reactions to different situations and especially to the debriefing the police gave at the end just doen's make sense. She has been living together with a police, she goes out with a police, she has for years written about criminal investigations and stuff... Why would she be surpired?
Anyway, it was a ok book to read but will probably not read it again.
Anyway the book is mostly nicely written. It's a pretty basic thriller. No more, no less. I had some problems with the book. Mainly with the characters who were all stereotypical. Also Mollys reactions to different situations and especially to the debriefing the police gave at the end just doen's make sense. She has been living together with a police, she goes out with a police, she has for years written about criminal investigations and stuff... Why would she be surpired?
Anyway, it was a ok book to read but will probably not read it again.
September 21, 2025
Under The Beetle's Cellar is the second in Mary Willis Walker's 3 book Molly Cates series. Like her debut stand-alone, Zero at the Bone and her first Cates mystery, The Red Scream, it derives much of its suspense from the time constraint - in Zero at the Bone, the heroine has only weeks to claim her father's promise of financial security before she loses everything to bankruptcy. In The Red Scream, journalist/author Molly Cates is faced with the possibility that a death row convict who is only days away from his execution may be innocent, which would compromise the case for his guilt made in Cates' true crime bestseller.
In Under the Beetle's Cellar, the stakes are higher. A bus driver and eleven children are kidnapped by a fringe religious cult and held in a buried school bus while the cult awaits the apocalypse. The chapters set in the bus, with the solitary post-war (VietNam) veteran attempting to keep the children alive, distracting them with anecdotes and an improvised fairy tale, are alternated with chapters detailing Molly's investigation into the cult leader's background, and her access to the hostage negotiation team.
Based on the 1976 Chowchilla kidnapping of school bus by three well-to-do men, the story plays out over weeks, rather than the 16 hours of the Chowchilla incident. Here, Walker's villain is a maniacal leader of a fringe Christian group, and despite the comparisons to Silence of the Lambs, the villain hasn't the originality and sophisticated menace of Hannibal Lecter - in fact, I found it a very implausible stereotype of religious mania. And the attempts to position Molly so that she is integral to the investigation and rescue attempts, never quite ring true.
Despite a plot that is more sensational (even to the point of being lurid) than The Red Scream, I found TRS more compelling because Molly remained center stage, and because of the unique moral dilemma she had to resolve. On the plus side, it is well paced, and much better crafted overall than many of the very recent novels I've read in this genre.
In Under the Beetle's Cellar, the stakes are higher. A bus driver and eleven children are kidnapped by a fringe religious cult and held in a buried school bus while the cult awaits the apocalypse. The chapters set in the bus, with the solitary post-war (VietNam) veteran attempting to keep the children alive, distracting them with anecdotes and an improvised fairy tale, are alternated with chapters detailing Molly's investigation into the cult leader's background, and her access to the hostage negotiation team.
Based on the 1976 Chowchilla kidnapping of school bus by three well-to-do men, the story plays out over weeks, rather than the 16 hours of the Chowchilla incident. Here, Walker's villain is a maniacal leader of a fringe Christian group, and despite the comparisons to Silence of the Lambs, the villain hasn't the originality and sophisticated menace of Hannibal Lecter - in fact, I found it a very implausible stereotype of religious mania. And the attempts to position Molly so that she is integral to the investigation and rescue attempts, never quite ring true.
Despite a plot that is more sensational (even to the point of being lurid) than The Red Scream, I found TRS more compelling because Molly remained center stage, and because of the unique moral dilemma she had to resolve. On the plus side, it is well paced, and much better crafted overall than many of the very recent novels I've read in this genre.
May 11, 2024
I picked this book up in an airport many years ago - it must've been 2003 - because it was all in Spanish and I was about to travel to Madrid for summer classes. However, I got distracted by other books I'd been reading, and at the time my Spanish wasn't good enough to get me through Chapter One.
My Spanish has improved a lot since then and my new job looks positively at bilingual employees, so I decided to pick this book up this last week. I was totally riveted. This book also seems very relevant right now, as it talks about the dangers of religious cults, what pregnant women go through psychologically when they feel they have no one to help them, and even what to do about a K9 dog that has the energy of a hurricane. It didn't help that I am also a native Austinite, and most details Walker gives about the Austin area are spot on.
I enjoyed the chemistry that Molly has with her ex-husband and the positive relationship she has with her daughters. And, oh, how I felt for each and every kid trapped in that bus - I even began to have sympathy for Walter a few chapters in since, at first, I wasn't sure about him- and I wanted to kick at doors and scream when Josh got really sick and no one from the cult was helping. But just a word of caution: the first thirteen chapters are super long, while the last six chapters are more pared down since they focus in on the action. Boy, my heart just pumped with every scene and potential disaster that could have happened. I gave an audible sigh of relief when the rescues were finally happening.
Great book! I may want to read the book that comes before this one in her series. At least now I have the option of reading it in English. RIP, Mrs. Walker.
My Spanish has improved a lot since then and my new job looks positively at bilingual employees, so I decided to pick this book up this last week. I was totally riveted. This book also seems very relevant right now, as it talks about the dangers of religious cults, what pregnant women go through psychologically when they feel they have no one to help them, and even what to do about a K9 dog that has the energy of a hurricane. It didn't help that I am also a native Austinite, and most details Walker gives about the Austin area are spot on.
I enjoyed the chemistry that Molly has with her ex-husband and the positive relationship she has with her daughters. And, oh, how I felt for each and every kid trapped in that bus - I even began to have sympathy for Walter a few chapters in since, at first, I wasn't sure about him- and I wanted to kick at doors and scream when Josh got really sick and no one from the cult was helping. But just a word of caution: the first thirteen chapters are super long, while the last six chapters are more pared down since they focus in on the action. Boy, my heart just pumped with every scene and potential disaster that could have happened. I gave an audible sigh of relief when the rescues were finally happening.
Great book! I may want to read the book that comes before this one in her series. At least now I have the option of reading it in English. RIP, Mrs. Walker.
December 10, 2023
Opens and closes a little slow, but is considered one of the more important thrillers of the early 2000s as the genre was changing tempo.
Walker's real beauty with this book is that most of the characters are everyday normal people put in spectacular circumstances. There is something critically special about the images of Grady, Molly, and Walter in my head. Their descriptions are minimal in the book, but so ordinary. It made the novel all the more well-written and original.
The premise is solid, but some of the believability factors were lacking. I didn't quite follow certain decisions that were made, and yet it didn't detract from the book at all. Walker is a fine writer, and I love that she lives in Austin, and the book takes place in Austin as well. As certain setting pieces were written, I was like "yep that's Austin." Worth a quick read. Not a book that is easily forgettable but ultimately not life-changing either.
Walker's real beauty with this book is that most of the characters are everyday normal people put in spectacular circumstances. There is something critically special about the images of Grady, Molly, and Walter in my head. Their descriptions are minimal in the book, but so ordinary. It made the novel all the more well-written and original.
The premise is solid, but some of the believability factors were lacking. I didn't quite follow certain decisions that were made, and yet it didn't detract from the book at all. Walker is a fine writer, and I love that she lives in Austin, and the book takes place in Austin as well. As certain setting pieces were written, I was like "yep that's Austin." Worth a quick read. Not a book that is easily forgettable but ultimately not life-changing either.
July 23, 2023
❥ Recension
🖋️ Under skalbaggens bo - Mary Willis Walker
◾ Del 2
Alltså wow, den här boken fullkomligt blåste omkull mig! Detta är inte en en-i-mängden-deckare, den är SÅ mycket mer. Den berörde mig på ett sätt få böcker gör, den fick mig att gråta och det händer i princip aldrig när jag läser.
Mary Willis Walker är en otrolig berättare. Hennes personporträtt är levande och berättelsen är både detaljerad och målande. En berättelse full av liv helt enkelt. Den har något magnifikt över sig och jag säger hatten av.
Boken är skriven 1995 och det är den första av Mary Willis Walker som släpptes på svenska, det är den andra boken i serien om kriminalreporten Molly Cates. Sen översattes även första och tredje delen (självklart har jag kastat mig över Bokbörsen och köpt hem de andra två: Det röda skriket och ...och de döda ligger ner.
Läs, läs, läs! 🤓
Boken får 🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲 av 5.
🖋️ Under skalbaggens bo - Mary Willis Walker
◾ Del 2
Alltså wow, den här boken fullkomligt blåste omkull mig! Detta är inte en en-i-mängden-deckare, den är SÅ mycket mer. Den berörde mig på ett sätt få böcker gör, den fick mig att gråta och det händer i princip aldrig när jag läser.
Mary Willis Walker är en otrolig berättare. Hennes personporträtt är levande och berättelsen är både detaljerad och målande. En berättelse full av liv helt enkelt. Den har något magnifikt över sig och jag säger hatten av.
Boken är skriven 1995 och det är den första av Mary Willis Walker som släpptes på svenska, det är den andra boken i serien om kriminalreporten Molly Cates. Sen översattes även första och tredje delen (självklart har jag kastat mig över Bokbörsen och köpt hem de andra två: Det röda skriket och ...och de döda ligger ner.
Läs, läs, läs! 🤓
Boken får 🌲🌲🌲🌲🌲 av 5.
April 13, 2018
I picked this book up on a whim at a very large annual used book sale in our area. I remember when the Chowchilla kidnappings occurred and thought this might be tied to that incident. It wasn't, might have been the catalyst for the story, but the chilling descriptions of the children's lives as they endured the kidnapping did make me feel for the victims of the Chowchilla incident. It was a easy quick read and held my attention. The characters were flawed which I like. I didn't guess the ending which is a little unusual for me but some of the characters and story lines were a little obvious, especially when first introduced. I think the rest of the series would probably be fun reads as well. I actually thought this would make a good movie as I was reading it.
December 14, 2020
Tycker att denna var lite svår att betygsätta. Intrigen var intressant, en fanatisk religiös sektledare kidnappar en skolbuss med barn och chaufför och håller dem inlåsta i femtio dagar i väntan på jordens undergång.
På utsidan väntar föräldrar, polis och massmedia och alla hoppas på att det går att förhandla med sekten.
Det kommer förstås inte att gå så lätt.
Emellanåt finns det en viss spänning och det är mest vad som händer mellan barnen och busschauffören som gör det värt att läsa.
Annars går det precis som du kan tänka dig själv, så har jag inte sagt för mycket.
Betyg: 3 skadade hundöron av 5
På utsidan väntar föräldrar, polis och massmedia och alla hoppas på att det går att förhandla med sekten.
Det kommer förstås inte att gå så lätt.
Emellanåt finns det en viss spänning och det är mest vad som händer mellan barnen och busschauffören som gör det värt att läsa.
Annars går det precis som du kan tänka dig själv, så har jag inte sagt för mycket.
Betyg: 3 skadade hundöron av 5
April 2, 2024
Великолепно написан динамичен и интелигентен трилър, който не нанася обида на читателите си, представяйки им очевидното като загадка и създавайки „съспенс“ от тривиалното. Бих могла да намеря недостатъци, ако се постарая, най-малкото в някои клиширани образи – разтропаната журналистка с морални устои от корабни въжета, умореният каубой, пардон полицай, ветеранът-герой от Виетнам... обаче въпреки използваните работещи модели, образите са пълнокръвни и с добавени съвсем човешки кривини, които ги правят истински. Действието се развива бързо, има привнесен хумор и определено те държи на нокти. Един от най-добрите трилъри, които изобщо съм чела.
July 16, 2023
Alkuun melko tylsä, mutta parani loppua kohti. Tarina oli mielenkiintoinen, mutta siitä ei jostain syystä tullut mitenkään henkilökohtainen: missään vaiheessa ei hirveästi jännittänyt kenenkään kohtaloa, koska FBI oli paikalla panttivankitilanteessa armeijan ja tankkien kanssa, joten oli aika selvää, miten homma päättyisi.
Oli myös harmillista, että kidnappaajaa ei saatu syväesiteltyä tämän enempää. Tässä hahmossa olisi ollut potentiaalia, mutta se jäi harmillisen vajavaiseksi.
Ihan ok, kevyttä lukemista.
Oli myös harmillista, että kidnappaajaa ei saatu syväesiteltyä tämän enempää. Tässä hahmossa olisi ollut potentiaalia, mutta se jäi harmillisen vajavaiseksi.
Ihan ok, kevyttä lukemista.
October 11, 2018
Ein sehr dichtes, atemloses Buch, das stellenweise ein bisschen ins zu sehr Drumherum abdriftet. Aber die Autorin schafft es, den Bösewicht tatsächlich so grässlich darzustellen, dass man sich wünscht, die Waffe, die er ständig gegen die Kinder und den Busfahrer richtet, würde sich auf seinen Kopf richten und losgehen.
Diese Autorin werde ich mir merken.
Diese Autorin werde ich mir merken.
November 23, 2021
I truly love Mary Willis Walker’s writing. When writing about Walter and the children, you are right there with them buried in a bus in a pit subject to the Jeezrelites’ crazy rantings. You’re right there with Molly as she confronts Samuel Mordecai and, like Molly, you really want out of there. It is a very compelling and well-written story and you feel every character’s fears and emotions.
October 14, 2022
Absolutely brilliant! This is the first novel I read that is related to cults and I never thought I'd enjoy it as much as I did. The writing was good! Despite the long chapters, the plot flowed smoothly and it kept me on the edge of my seat. I cared for the characters, especially Walter Demming. The ending was sad, but realistically so and I love the book even more because of that.
October 4, 2025
Завладяваща история, която те хваща и се развива толкова бързо и динамично, че те кара да прелистваш страница след страница, докато не стигнеш до финала и развръзката. Хареса ми начинът, по който е разказана историята, харесаха ми и главните герои. Нямам забележки. Насладих се на книгата от корица до корица както се казва.
March 1, 2020
The blurb and cover gripped me but I didn't get the much anticipated surge of adrenaline until a certain point in the book. The author did a good job with the characters and thus broke my heart in a way I'm sure she seems proud. All in all, I give it a 3-star rating. It was quite a good read.
Read
January 10, 2021A very interesting book that starts out with a bus driver and kids kidnapped by a religious fanatic. At first I was kind of going "really". But it turned out to be a really good book with all the twists and turns. Even made me get out my bible and read "Revelations". I would recommend it!
May 23, 2021
This book has a heartbreaking premise and an author with a real knack for weaving two stories together. TW kidnapping, children in danger, cults, claustrophobia
I really enjoyed watching the story unfold.
I really enjoyed watching the story unfold.
December 18, 2018
Great Read
This was my first reading of a book by this author. Outstanding and well written! Truly look forward to reading ,ore.
This was my first reading of a book by this author. Outstanding and well written! Truly look forward to reading ,ore.
June 8, 2019
Lu en français.
Pas si mal, je m'attendais à pire et j'ai été prise par l'intrigue directement.
Par contre, la fin très américaine m'a un peu déçue...
Pas si mal, je m'attendais à pire et j'ai été prise par l'intrigue directement.
Par contre, la fin très américaine m'a un peu déçue...
August 30, 2019
not for me . . .
December 4, 2019
From an author I have never read - this was a well written novel that tugs at the emotions throughout the book. Very good read
March 17, 2020
The story was pretty good, but wasn't a big fan of the writing. So very predictable, and the dialog needs lots of work.
March 21, 2020
Great read! Heart wrenching and ful of suspense. Cried a lot. LOL
September 8, 2020
GREAT book!
October 25, 2020
Loved this book! What an emotional rollercoaster!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 100 reviews