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River
It is America's most notorious, unsolved, serial murder case: the Green River Killer slaughtered at least fifty women in the Seattle-Portland area during the 1980s and was never brought to justice. Now, in this gripping novel, the bestselling author of The Detective and Diehard presents his own horrifying portrayal of the Green River killings. River unmasks the Green River Killer and reveals why he was never caught--a story no true crime account has ever been able to tell.
Phil Boudreau is a veteran detective with the Seattle vice squad. Tough, smart, impatient, he appreciates beautiful women and genuinely cares for the throwaway kids on his beat. Boudreau knows from the first that the murderer is cunning and brilliant. Then the details of one of the killings burn a name into Boudreau's mind: Garrett Richard Lockman.
Sent to jail by Boudreau years before, Garrett Lockman is society's worst nightmare: a shrewd, manipulative career criminal driven by an unstoppable will and insatiable sexual needs. When Boudreau learns that Lockman had escaped from prison before the first killing, the detective conceives an obsession of his own: prove that Lockman is the perpetrator of the most sadistic crimes one human being can commit against another.
But Boudreau is powerless to act--through Lockman's machinations, he, himself has become a suspect. As Boudreau stalks Lockman for eight grueling years, he realizes to his horror, that the police department has become an accomplice in the unspeakable crimes. River reaches its shattering climax in an agonizing power struggle between psychopath and cop--a contest that Boudreau can win only by dispensing justice as cruel as Lockman's crimes.
No other writer has probed the evil depths of a serial killer's mind as unflinchingly as Rod Thorp does in River. No other crime writer has rivaled Thorp's mastery of the paralyzing labyrinth of the criminal justice system. River is a brilliant portrait of heinous criminality that starts with the reported facts and explodes into fiction of unsurpassed intensity. Relentless in its suspense, chilling in the dark truth it explores, River is an overwhelming journey into the nightmare of evil that surrounds us all.
"River is the perfect serial killer novel. Horrifying, dark, procedurally fascinating, unrelenting in its suspense."
--Jonathan Kellerman
Phil Boudreau is a veteran detective with the Seattle vice squad. Tough, smart, impatient, he appreciates beautiful women and genuinely cares for the throwaway kids on his beat. Boudreau knows from the first that the murderer is cunning and brilliant. Then the details of one of the killings burn a name into Boudreau's mind: Garrett Richard Lockman.
Sent to jail by Boudreau years before, Garrett Lockman is society's worst nightmare: a shrewd, manipulative career criminal driven by an unstoppable will and insatiable sexual needs. When Boudreau learns that Lockman had escaped from prison before the first killing, the detective conceives an obsession of his own: prove that Lockman is the perpetrator of the most sadistic crimes one human being can commit against another.
But Boudreau is powerless to act--through Lockman's machinations, he, himself has become a suspect. As Boudreau stalks Lockman for eight grueling years, he realizes to his horror, that the police department has become an accomplice in the unspeakable crimes. River reaches its shattering climax in an agonizing power struggle between psychopath and cop--a contest that Boudreau can win only by dispensing justice as cruel as Lockman's crimes.
No other writer has probed the evil depths of a serial killer's mind as unflinchingly as Rod Thorp does in River. No other crime writer has rivaled Thorp's mastery of the paralyzing labyrinth of the criminal justice system. River is a brilliant portrait of heinous criminality that starts with the reported facts and explodes into fiction of unsurpassed intensity. Relentless in its suspense, chilling in the dark truth it explores, River is an overwhelming journey into the nightmare of evil that surrounds us all.
"River is the perfect serial killer novel. Horrifying, dark, procedurally fascinating, unrelenting in its suspense."
--Jonathan Kellerman
Paperback
First published June 1, 1995
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About the author
Roderick Thorp
28 books71 followersRoderick Mayne Thorp, Jr. was an American novelist specializing mainly in crime novels.
As a young college graduate, Thorp worked at a detective agency owned by his father. He would later teach literature and lecture on creative writing at schools and universities in New Jersey and California, and also wrote articles for newspapers and magazines.
Two of his best known novels were adapted into popular films: his 1966 novel The Detective was made into a 1968 film of the same name, starring Frank Sinatra as Detective Joe Leland, and his 1979 sequel to The Detective, Nothing Lasts Forever, was filmed in 1988 as Die Hard, starring Bruce Willis. Though Die Hard was relatively faithful to Nothing Lasts Forever, it was not made as a sequel to the film version of The Detective. Two other Thorp novels, Rainbow Drive and Devlin, were adapted into TV movies.
Thorp died of a heart attack in Oxnard, California.
As a young college graduate, Thorp worked at a detective agency owned by his father. He would later teach literature and lecture on creative writing at schools and universities in New Jersey and California, and also wrote articles for newspapers and magazines.
Two of his best known novels were adapted into popular films: his 1966 novel The Detective was made into a 1968 film of the same name, starring Frank Sinatra as Detective Joe Leland, and his 1979 sequel to The Detective, Nothing Lasts Forever, was filmed in 1988 as Die Hard, starring Bruce Willis. Though Die Hard was relatively faithful to Nothing Lasts Forever, it was not made as a sequel to the film version of The Detective. Two other Thorp novels, Rainbow Drive and Devlin, were adapted into TV movies.
Thorp died of a heart attack in Oxnard, California.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 13, 2021
Thorp took me into the thoughts and actions of a serial killer. I wanted to escape the terror, but I couldn't stop turning the pages.
Horrifying and disgusting, Lockman is a character I'll not soon forget, as much as I may try.
The main cop character, neither detestable nor very likable, did move the story along nicely and added interesting insight into police work and politics. ( Disclaimer: I know nothing about police work or politics)
I had to give it 5 stars after reading the ending. In the past, I've knocked a star off for ridiculous endings on otherwise perfectly written books ...this was a great read (for those who can stomach the depravity) where the ending was a sickly sweet icing on the cake that earned it an extra star.
Horrifying and disgusting, Lockman is a character I'll not soon forget, as much as I may try.
The main cop character, neither detestable nor very likable, did move the story along nicely and added interesting insight into police work and politics. ( Disclaimer: I know nothing about police work or politics)
I had to give it 5 stars after reading the ending. In the past, I've knocked a star off for ridiculous endings on otherwise perfectly written books ...this was a great read (for those who can stomach the depravity) where the ending was a sickly sweet icing on the cake that earned it an extra star.
May 24, 2018
I picked up this book and finished it only a couple of days later. For that, I give it a mandatory 3 star. Otherwise? Ehhh, the lead detective is kind of gross in my opinion. The killer is constantly touching himself (and the author spends a lot of time talking about sex and penises). The ending raises ethical questions that I didn't really appreciate as someone who was hoping to find the plot at least somewhat tied to the actual justice system. Really, by the end of the book, I found myself looking at the picture of the author on the back and thinking, "what a pig." Next.
May 8, 2024
This book, though long, will have a short review. It kept my interest the whole time, but that's about as far as my analysis will go.
It was a pleasant (not pertaining to the subject matter, of course) read, and I liked the way it all wrapped up, but I don't think it will end up being memorable in any way.
The truly fascinating (and sad) thing about this book is really the fact that the author, obviously obsessed by the Green River killer, missed the resolution of the case by a just few years.
As for the book itself, it was decent. No more, no less.
It was a pleasant (not pertaining to the subject matter, of course) read, and I liked the way it all wrapped up, but I don't think it will end up being memorable in any way.
The truly fascinating (and sad) thing about this book is really the fact that the author, obviously obsessed by the Green River killer, missed the resolution of the case by a just few years.
As for the book itself, it was decent. No more, no less.
May 4, 2021
Read in 1996. A fictional solution to the unsolved murders of 50 some prostitues in the Pacific Northwest in the 1980's.
December 4, 2008
Roderick Thorp. Who's that? Think of a book called Nothing Lasts Forever. Doesn't ring a bell? How about the movie Die Hard? That's the book the movie was made from.
In 1995, Ballantine Books published Roderick Thorp's book River. I confess that I'd never heard of Thorp or his book until my mom passed the paperback along to me. I was visiting family in the Pacific Northwest when I started reading it. While it's a bit unsettling to follow the activities of a serial killer in places familiar, I have to say that Thorp did an extraordinary job of bringing the people and locations to life, from detective Philippe Boudreaux in his King County habitat dealing with the politics of policing to serial killer Garrett Richard Lockman, nephew/foster son of Spokanites Al and Hazel Lockman. The chapters switch from one's world to the other's without becoming confusing.
Thorp's talent lies in his storytelling. He's worked as a private detective (for his father) and as a crime reporter, and it shows. His research is great, he keeps a good pace throughout, and he draws the reader right into his trap, complete with a surprise - if somewhat "Hollywood" - ending. That he could pull off having just two main characters when the real investigation had as many as 56 officers in 1986, is impressive.
In 1995, Ballantine Books published Roderick Thorp's book River. I confess that I'd never heard of Thorp or his book until my mom passed the paperback along to me. I was visiting family in the Pacific Northwest when I started reading it. While it's a bit unsettling to follow the activities of a serial killer in places familiar, I have to say that Thorp did an extraordinary job of bringing the people and locations to life, from detective Philippe Boudreaux in his King County habitat dealing with the politics of policing to serial killer Garrett Richard Lockman, nephew/foster son of Spokanites Al and Hazel Lockman. The chapters switch from one's world to the other's without becoming confusing.
Thorp's talent lies in his storytelling. He's worked as a private detective (for his father) and as a crime reporter, and it shows. His research is great, he keeps a good pace throughout, and he draws the reader right into his trap, complete with a surprise - if somewhat "Hollywood" - ending. That he could pull off having just two main characters when the real investigation had as many as 56 officers in 1986, is impressive.
October 8, 2009
Another great police suspense story from Mr. Thorpe. Taking place in the Pacific Northwest, Thorpe delivers a little bit of "meta-fiction" in this story--taking actual events of the Green River serial killer and incorporating his characters into the action. Definitely a page-turner.
October 10, 2013
a little hard to get into, but interesting.
June 20, 2021
I never read anything by this author before but I definitely want to read more. This book kept me hanging on the edge of the seat. You never knew what was going to happen within the book.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews