Wireman

by Billie Sue Mosiman

A homicidal maniac whose weapon of choice is a wire garrote is on the loose, and with every life he destroys, he becomes even more powerful and brutal, while an entire terror-filled city anxiously awaits for the police to find and capture the unknown killer. Original.

Genres: Horror, Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Crime

272 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 1984

About the author

Edgar Award Nominee for Best Novel
Stoker Award Nominee for Superior Novel

Novelist, short story writer, columnist, writing instructor, editor.
My published novels are now available at Kindle.com, along with new short story anthologies and novellas.

Reviews

[M.L. Roos · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this story about two brothers, one with a dark secret and the other with a darker secret.

[Brandon Roy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The past...

Is haunting and never really let's go. This was a soild book about a serial killer set in the 70s. One issue and I don't know if it is my copy being from early on but there are a lot of typos and mistakes. I don't normally notice but there were enough to take me out of the story several times.

Otherwise it is a fine story. Nothing new or different if you are a horror or thriller fan but it has some brutal kills and does a decent job with the creepy characters.

[Jeffrey Kosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most Chilling Tale Ever Read!

I’m a fan of the genre, so I could be biased here, yet I must admit being surprised by such a masterpiece. I knew Billie Sue Mosiman as en excellent author of supernatural stories, but I didn’t know the ‘true’ dark side of her.

As a ‘Sladist’ (a fan of Michael Slade’s thrillers, that is), I’m into this kind of literature by the ‘80s. I’m an avid reader of Val McDermid, Thomas Harris, and lately, Jeff Lindsay. Nonetheless, Wireman reminded me the early Robert Bloch, with its elegant prose and suspense-rising crescendo.
This psychological thriller really hits on your nerves, having your reading experience being like a spook-house: a shock after another.
Her killer makes my Axel J. Hyde (Feeding the Urge) look tame.

Billie Sue Mosiman story is a page-turner of the highest order and was able to let me turn aside a novel from a far-famed author (I’m not going to say his name, for obvious reasons) just to rush to the ending.

Thriller fans, here’s the greatest choice for a new adventure into the genre, and we must be thankful to Mrs. Mosiman for transposing this masterpiece on Kindle.

[Catie Rhodes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love crime noir, and Billie Sue Mosiman is a recent discovery.

Wireman takes us into the mind of a very evil man. We start with scenes from his abusive childhood and track his budding sociopathic behavior. Then, we follow him to Vietnam. In Vietnam, this man commits a gruesome murder with a garrote. He comes back home to Houston, Texas, and a gruesome string of murders starts up.

One of the victims is the son of Houston rookie cop, Jack DeShane. Jack becomes obsessed with finding his son's murderer. With the help of a retired homicide detective, Jack goes on a journey of madness that ends with a fabulous twist.

Ms. Mosiman possesses a rare talent at drawing the reader in to her characters' heads. I found myself unable to quit reading even when I was horrified. Every character was well drawn and interesting...even if I wondered why they interested me.

[Stefan Vucak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wireman is a straightforward story with simple plotting and minimal characterization. What distracts the reader is the pervasiveness of punctuation, spelling and grammar errors; something that thorough proofreading would have eliminated. The book touches fleetingly on several characters, but leaves the reader frustrated at lack of depth. The ending is contrived, as the author has not laid any basis for it within the work.

Billie Mosiman has tremendous potential as a writer, and some passages in Wireman compels the reader to want more, but the writing is inconsistent. Attention to plotting, characterization and diligent application of writing tools will see Billie Mosiman turn into a fine writer.

[Fri · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG! I have talked about this book since I was sitting at the bus stop reading one of the passages out to my horrified friend and an old lady overheard and was aghast at me! I would have been 13 in 1998. I loved this book. This is actually the first place i've found it since! cool. Remember it being very graphic, and gripping.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good....super creepy

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book! A real page turner! I couldn't put it down!

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a strange story about 2 even stranger brothers. Someone is going around killing people and decapitating them. Different type of a serial killer. The worst part was the narrator who talked too low and in a monotone voice. Maybe it would be a little better in written form. Story was average, and no real character development. Plot was basic and nothing really stood out with the story.

[Kavita Favelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, more than I thought I might. Stories of post traumatic stress in war veterans aren't something I'm usually drawn to, but this one was so beautifully pulled together, with such clever characterisation and plot, and plenty of suspense and surprise, that I was utterly drawn into it, not to mention terrified. An excellent read.

[Melissa Herman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read!!

[Samaya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice Twist at the end!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wireman is a book about a serial killer like no other. How are the police supposed to understand the mind of a serial killer that has no pattern. This book reaches into the darkness and plays on quite a few fears that each of us have, the main one being, are we ever safe.
This book will have your emotions going in so many different directions that it just adds to the suspense and over all fear that you are left with till the very end. This is a must read book for any horror reader or anyone who loves a good dark mystery.
Billie Sue Mosiman has such a wonderful way of making all of her characters so real to the readers that you cannot help but to be pulled into every sentence of the book.
Thank you Billie Sue for all you do!!
I read the ebook edition.

[Vincent Hobbes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book perhaps ranks in my top three, maybe five, of the author's novels. She's better than most authors I've read, even famous ones. If you're looking for an author to follow, step into her world and you won't be disappointed. I've yet to read anything bad from her, and always anxious when she releases a new one. I wish I could give it ten stars.

[Muriel · Rating 2 out of 5]

The beginning was so gruesome, I almost quit then, particularly with all the writing errors. It was like word correct was totally in control. I can't stand sloppy writing. I did want to see if my suspicion was correct (it was), so I did manage to finish. I don't believe I will read any more by this author.

[Michelle [Helen Geek]]

Free today on Amazon 03/23/2012.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was a bit slow to start with but once it got going it was a bit hard to put down. The ending was predictable though. Would definitely recommend it.

[Shalonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good. Wasn't expecting the killer to be who they said it was.

[Ken Weinert]

False