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When a skier goes missing from a Sun Valley mountaintop, Sheriff Walt Fleming's crack search and rescue team becomes a target. Waist-deep in snow and neck-deep in lies, Walt suspects that people of great wealth and power-including a former state senator-want to keep him where he started: out in the cold.
Pearson returns to his favorite protagonist as Sun Valley Sheriff Walt Fleming must race against the clock to uncover a volatile biohazard operation and head the search for his best friend who's disappeared. Christopher Lane reads with a firm, unwavering voice that captures the heightened tension in Pearson's prose without sounding too urgent or manufactured. Lane's slightly underplayed tone is fairly straightforward, but his characters are steeped in reality and, more importantly in a commercial thriller such as this, believability. Lane's reading does the story justice, managing to draw listeners into the mystery and set their pulses racing with every twist and turn. A Putnam hardcover (Reviews, May 19). (July)
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Ridley Pearson is the author of more than twenty novels, including the New York Times bestseller Killer Weekend; the Lou Boldt crime series; and many books for young readers, including the award-winning children's novels Peter and the Starcatchers, Peter and the Shadow Thieves, and Peter and the Secret of Rundoon, which he cowrote with Dave Barry. Pearson lives with his wife and two daughters, dividing their time between Missouri and Idaho.
Pearson is renowned for fast-paced, thrill-a-minute suspense novels that include "a rare humanism and attention to detail" (Publishers Weekly). In a Greenwich Magazine interview he called his work "aerobic fiction, because I hope to get your heart pounding and get you turning pages." Entertainment Weekly dubbed him "the thinking person's Robert Ludlum."
As his fans know, Pearson works hard at nailing the details of forensic investigation and police procedure. In Undercurrents (the first novel in his Seattle-based Lou Boldt mystery series) his research was so thorough—he consulted an expert in oceanography—that the book helped convict an actual murderer. A Washington state prosecuting attorney happened to be reading it while working on a case similar to Pearson's fictional one: A woman's body had been found in a bay, and at first it appeared that she had committed suicide by jumping off a bridge. The oceanographer mentioned in Pearson's acknowledgments was called in as an expert witness to help prove that, based on tidal currents, the woman must have been dead before the time her husband claimed to have last seen her. Due largely to the expert testimony, the victim's husband was convicted of second-degree murder.
Of course, there's more to a Pearson novel than research. "Just what is it about Ridley Pearson that makes him the best damn thriller writer on the planet?" mused Bill Ott in BookList. "We've celebrated the forensic detail, the taut plotting, the multidimensional characters, and the screw-tightening suspense, but lots of fiction writers do all that. Here's a theory: Pearson is a master at manipulating opposites. His stories are forever jumping from high concept to small scale, from positive to negative charges, manipulating our emotions and minds with their polar hip-hopping."
When he's not writing, Pearson still makes music—he's the bass guitarist for the Rock Bottom Remainders, an amateur rock band made up of professional writers including Stephen King, Dave Barry, Amy Tan, and Mitch Albom (the group's motto, coined by Barry: "We play music as well as Metallica writes novels").
It was while Pearson was in Miami to play with the Rock Bottom Remainders that he told Barry about his idea (actually, daughter Paige's idea) for a prequel to Peter Pan. The two authors had such a good time hashing out possibilities over breakfast that Pearson asked Barry to write the book with him. Published in 2004, their clever collaboration Peter and the Starcatchers became a huge bestseller, spawning two sequels (Peter and the Shadow Thieves in 2006 and Peter and the Secret of Rundoon in 2007) and a series of spin-off children's chapter books.
Even though Pearson thoroughly enjoys crafting juvenile fiction, his adult fans need not worry that he's abandoned his high-voltage crime novels. Indeed, he has said that writing gives him the same "adrenaline rush," no matter which audience he is targeting: Readers of all ages appreciate the imagination, suspense, and an impeccable eye for detail he brings to all his fiction.
Pearson loves to travel, especially to southern France, with wife Marcelle and second child Storey, who is adopted from China. We're certain to do a good deal of international travel in the years to come. He also attends local symphony and theater. But his "favorite avocation is to spend an evening around our dining table with two or three other couples. This, I feel, is where many of the world's ills are solved, and many souls restored. Mine, especially."
Sansabiel
Posted September 5, 2012
Good characters, unusual circumstances, you can't guess "who done it" until he tells you at the end.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 4, 2008
Got on my snowshoes and fought thru to p.253, then decided it just wasn't worth the effort. Loved many of his other books, didn't seem like the same author.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 5, 2008
This is the first book I have read from this author...picked it up because i've been to Hailey/Sun Valley and have family there. This book was non stop action and I couldn't put it down. Will definately look forward to reading more from him.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.A skier goes missing on Galena Summit, Idaho. In spite of the snowstorm making conditions treacherous even for experienced individuals, Blaine County Sheriff Walt Fleming bring together his Search and Reduce team to make a concerted effort to find the lost skier. However, during the dangerous trek, a shot is heard and they find crewman Randy Aker dead.---------- Not long afterward, Randy¿s brother and fellow S&R member veterinarian Mark Aker disappears though his best friend Walt worries about him he assumes his buddy needs some alone grieving time. However, Walt revises his assumptions when an unknown adversary molests a veterinary assistant and there is a major increase of sick employees at a water-bottling plant and numerous animals reported dead. He begins to wonder if someone is slowly and diabolcially cleverly working a terrorist campaign in Sun Valley.------------------ This one sitting police procedural will hook the audience from the onset with a need to know what is going on as the plot twists plausibly with every new incident or clue that Walt encounters. The story line is fast-paced and filled with a strong cast. The setting is electric the Sun Valley area comes across beyond its geographical beauty as a two caste social system symbiotic tied togetehr economically. Ridley Pearson provides a strong Idaho mystery as readers get a KILLER VIEW of Sun Valley.----------------- Harriet Klausner
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 16, 2012
I did not like the way this book began; therefore, did not purchase it. Would not recommend.
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Posted July 7, 2011
It was not a bad book but this character is just not as interesting as Lou Boldt is. I am not sure if we will ever see another Boldt novel but if this is his replacement character for adult crime novels I will have to pass. I have tried all the Fleming books but they just do not grab me like all his other books have.
My wife started reading all his book I have on the shelf and after the first Fleming book she came to the same conclusion -- guess we are odd?
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I really enjoyed the book. The kind of book that you thought about when even not reading it. Loved the characters evem the rolls the bad guys played. The story line was great also the place where this all took place. I hope this is not the end of Walt. The end of the books left so many places for the story to continue. Will definately purchase more of Mr. Pearson's books. But will keep looking for Walt to be continued.
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Posted April 19, 2010
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I really enjoyed reading this book. It had some unusual twists & kept me in suspense until the end.
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Posted February 4, 2009
The book was a good book but I didn't get sucked into the story. Ok if you want to read something on a rainy day.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.My first novel from this author and I wonder why I haven't read him before. This was an edge of your seat thriller and I couldn't put it down. Walt was an everyday small town sheriff, coping with being a single father, then plunged into these complicated and deadly circumstances. To make it even worse, his best deputy was having an affair with Walts soon to be ex-wife. And was the cause of the soon to be ex situation. They managed to put personal feelings, most of the time, on the back burner and solve this nightmare. A most exciting and dramatic novel.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Topnotch author Ridley Pearson has lived in the Sun Valley area for some twenty years, so he knows the setting for his story well. Perhaps that's one reason why his scenes are so vivid, seeming to appear before our eyes in full color. Of course, setting is not all this writer knows well as the number of his books on bestseller lists clearly show. He knows how to spin a thriller from opening line to often shocking finish, which he surely does with Killer View. Sun Valley Sheriff Walt Fleming doesn't hesitate for a nano second when he receives a nighttime call saying that a skier is missing. He assembles his top men as a search and rescue team and goes out into the bone chilling blackness. With him are his best friend, veterinarian Mark Aker, Mark's brother, Randy, and deputy Tommy Brandon. Walt feels little friendship for Tommy due to the deputy's history with Walt's former wife. But Walt is a professional and a job needs to be done. That job immediately takes a surprising twist when Randy is fatally shot and Mark disappears. It isn't long before a young girl who works at the veterinarians' office is cruelly assaulted. She arrives at a local hospital with no memory of her attacker. Now, Walt is faced with a murder, a missing man, and an assault victim. As he proceeds with his investigation he becomes aware that sheep in the area are falling ill. How does all or any of this tie together and why would a prominent congressman call Walt of all possible sheriffs and tell him to come to Washington to fill in for a conference drop out? Following Pearson's finely, logically constructed story is both exciting and absorbing. A narration by Audie Award winner Christopher Lane lends additional pleasure, leaving this listener hoping to hear much more from him in the future. - Gail Cooke
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Posted August 10, 2008
Ridley Pearson brings back Sheriff Walt Fleming in his new suspenseful story, Killer View. With well developed, intriguing characters and a stunning setting in Sun Valley, Idaho, Pearson has readers unable to put this mystery down as its intricately woven plot keeps you captivated. When the story opens, a skier is reported missing on Galena Summit in Sun Valley so Sheriff Fleming is immediately alerted. Fleming brings together his top-notch rescue team. Mark Aker, who is Walt¿s best friend, and his brother Randy, round up their tried and true team of search and rescue dogs. Dividing up the dogs, Mark and Walt take off one way, while Randy who has more experience heads out in another area. Suddenly, Walt and Mark hear what sounds like a shot and that ignites the story with one plot twist after another. They also can¿t get a hold of Randy, and it isn¿t long before they find him dead from what appears to be an accident, dropping off a cliff. Finding Randy, protected by his faithful dog, the sheriff notes there is no blood so he didn¿t die from a gunshot wound. Although, when Walt thinks about it, perhaps the shot was what drew Randy¿s attention away from where he was headed? If so, who fired that shot and why? Sadly, Walt lifts Randy¿s body to take him back as his brother Mark is devastated. The next morning, Walt discovers that now Mark is missing. Sheriff Fleming first wonders if Mark just needed some time alone to grieve. But the search continues with intensity as Mark appears to also now be lost. However, Mark Aker¿s survival in a very remote area introduces another character for readers to ponder and decide what part of the puzzle he is involved with. The question of if Mark will escape keeps the readers on edge but all the while in an structured manner so you don¿t have to take notes to enjoy this fast paced flurry of activity on the snow filled mountains of Sun Valley. Into what is becoming a multifaceted plot, comes Deputy Tommy Brandon, who is known to be sleeping with Walt¿s soon to be x-wife. Too good a deputy to be fired without charges of discrimination, Walt has this thrown in his face daily as he must work along side Tommy. Next in this picturesque setting, Walt discovers that mountain sheep are mysteriously dying, a local bottling plant contains contaminants causing workers to be hospitalized, and finally that a very powerful political figure may be involved in all of this. The sheriff begins to suspect that terrorism may even be playing a part of the picture. With the help of his deputy and a photographer, the female love interest, the story¿s pacing amazingly allows the reader to be able to keep all the clues straight albeit not necessarily connected until the end. Will Mark be found? What part will Fiona, the photographer, play in the scheme of things and in Walt¿s life? Will Mark finally be saved and is there really a terrorist plot? These questions will keep the reader plowing through this snow filled mystery until the end to find out if Walt Fleming can assemble the pieces that frame the final picture in the Killer View!
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Posted July 29, 2008
Love this book - was really good - provided insight on the topic
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Posted August 1, 2008
Killer View is the second in his series featuring Sun Valley Sheriff Walt Flemming and if you're a fan of seat of your pants non-stop action then this book is for you. It deals with home grown terrorists with bio-warfare, government bureaucracy, and hidden agendas. In addition to everything else going on our hero Sheriff Flemming is trying to deal with his personal life as a single dad with twin girls who's wife left him for his best deputy 'we found this out in the first book Killer Weekend'. So those of you who just like to stroll through the pages of non-exciting books this is not for you, for the rest of you get off the couch and get to Barnes & Noble.
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Posted May 23, 2011
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Posted June 13, 2011
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Posted May 6, 2010
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Posted September 29, 2010
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Posted March 12, 2010
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Posted April 18, 2010
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Overview
When a skier goes missing from a Sun Valley mountaintop, Sheriff Walt Fleming's crack search and rescue team becomes a target. Waist-deep in snow and neck-deep in lies, Walt suspects that people of great wealth and power-including a former state senator-want to keep him where he started: out in the cold.