The Hundredth Man by J.A. Kerley
If you haven’t yet succumbed to the world of Kindle or e-books then you surely must soon. I love books, I totally agree with the often made comment that I’d rather have the feel of a book in my hands. However, without my Kindle I would not have discovered many of the authors I am now reading, and one of them is J.A.Kerley.
Kerley is a psychological thriller crime writer, currently the most popular genre. His main character is Carson Ryder who works in partnership with Harry Nautilus in the Mobile Alabama Police Force: Mobile in this case being a place rather than an adjective. Ryder is no ordinary police man; he and Nautilus are a special unit on their own, dealing with particularly difficult and grisly crimes, often serial killers.
The Hundredth Man is the first in a series of eleven books (at the time of writing – when I found Kerley he was up to number nine) – trust me – you will want to read them all. The headless body of a man is found in a rough piece of parkland. At the post mortem some strange ink writing is found on his body. Of we go on an evil twisted tale which is classic Kerley.
For those of us who need it, there are personal stories within the life of this criminal detective. There is always a hint of romance; Ryder is an attractive character who lives in a house on stilts over the marshy salt waters outside the city. He also has a softer side. He has a psychopathic brother with multiple personalities, Jeremy, who resides in a secure unit within a mental institution. Jeremy has special intuitive qualities and despite the efforts of Ryder to stay away from his brother there are times when he becomes very useful in solving cases.
There is a quality about Kerley’s writing that I found particularly appealing, down to earth, no messing, grisly, twisted but at the same time, human and empathetic. He knows Carson Ryder and every book in the series will make you want to reach straight for the next one. Each book is a stand alone story in its own right, but there are references to previous cases in each book so it pays to read them in order, the order list can be found on the internet.
By Janice Clark
There is also the opportunity to win your own copy of the new Agatha Christie’s Poirot book, The Monogram Murders written by Sophie Allen! All you have to do is send a review of your favourite book to tina.foster@maturetimes.co.uk. Good luck!
