Knife Music

Swept Away in a Twisted Maze

This excellently written story opens up on the innocent setting of a 16 year old girl having to have emergency surgery after a car accident and this mysterious hero is, in her words, a "George Clooney looking" surgeon . but is he to be trusted or feared? A few time jumps later the reader is basically forced to try to keep up with the players in a wild ride through this clever tale of conflicting and dangerous lies, crime, death, dark secrets, perversions, and shocking revelations. I dare you to read this book and tell me that you have it all figured out!! No way! At times, I honestly had to close the book and just think and try to remember all the subtle clues, how they fit together and every time I thought I had it figured out Carnoy threw me more curves . I never once felt like I had this figured out, not with any confidence anyway! If you want to be swept away and have your sleuthing skills challenged this is the book for you. To call this one a "page turner" is an understatement . I actually got paper cuts rushing through the pages to the most satisfying ending you could have asked for . and not to be content with that, Carnoy just cannot resist throwing in another twist on the very last page! You will not be disappointed with "Knife Music".

7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.

Fun read

Once I got about 50 pages into this book, I couldn't put it down. It had an interesting, twisty plot and the writing was very smooth. Could easily see this as a movie with someone like George Clooney playing the doctor. I really enjoyed it.

5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

A Definite Page Turner

I cannot believe this was a debut novel! The author does such a great job developing the story line and just when you think you have it all figured out.....surprise, surprise! This story was well developed with a good deal of mystery and thrill in it. I loved the way the author intertwined the characters storylines and backgrounds because it gave a real sense of who they were - you could visualize exactly who you were reading about and why they behaved, acted, or thought as they did. The main character, Ted Cogan, was dynamic and tenacious. All of his characteristics - arrogance, intelligence, attractiveness, humbleness and compassion - makes you want to keep turning the pages as they story develops. His "cat and mouse" relationship with Madden, the detective, is also brillant. Bravo!

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Fantastic Book. A real page turner and extremely well written.

Highly recommend "Knife Music." I couldn't put it down. Lots of twists and turns. Great characters. Extremely well written.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Excellent, fast read

I got this book because a friend recommended it and it was actually cheaper on B&N online than Amazon! This is really good for a first novel--and any novel for that matter. The story feels very real and I really liked the main character Cogan, who is a surgeon, and the story really keeps you guessing and moves along at a quick pace. This is not your typical mystery. It's got a bit of everything: doctors, lawyers, frat boys, sex, suspense, friendship/betrayal, a detective with baggage...and a great twist at the end.

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Amazing

This was an amazing suspense story. Ted Cogan is a great character to get to know. He is a surgeon with a a sense of humor and both feet on the ground. Being good looking doesn't hurt him either but does it make him a rapist? You will ask yourself this over and over as you read. I changed my mind more than once.

The writing flows very well and the author manages to not only take us into the mind of a gifted surgeon but the minds of teens as well, boys and girls. That is no easy feat if you ask me. Each chapter tells the story from a different character which I liked.

I particularly enjoyed reading the snippets from Kristen's Journal. The author hit it right on the head with the style a teen uses while talking. I admit annoying to read at times but dead on.

Example from page: 145
"She was like did he say anything about me? And I was like,yeah, he asked me where my partner in crime was. And I was like, she's over talking to the Gap guy."

If you are a mystery, suspense, thriller lover pick up this book. It's hard to believe it's the author's debut novel. I sure want more!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

a DON'T MISS book!

Great book! recommend highly

Knife Music is authentic, well-written, and suspenseful

As a former crime reporter, "Knife Music" seems like it could have been culled from any of the police blotters I've seen in many precincts. As a nonfiction author myself, it rings more truthful than most fiction I've read. No doubt that's because first-time Author David Carnoy evidently conducted thorough research to achieve this authenticity. I'm not sure what kind of music surgeons listen to while they operate on a patient, but I hope it's a soothing, melodic adagio or canon, rather like Pachelbel's Canon in D--one of my very favorite pieces. Carnoy's suspenseful novel is definitely not an adagio. More like an opera, interspersed with mini intermezzos. That's not to say it isn't good--it is. Quite good, in fact, and Carnoy's writing is measured, with adequate attention given to pitch, tone and tempo. His main character, Ted Cogan, is a surgeon who first operates on a teenage girl, and then--following her suicide--is accused of being her rapist. Like any well-composed piece of music, "Knife Music" does all it should to hold the reader's attention: it introduces passages, it orchestrates the scenes and it evokes emotion. Sometimes the emotion is not what one would expect: confusion, angst or even frustration are among the ones you might experience. Confusion over why the seemingly good doctor--a quite likeable fellow--would have raped a beautiful but troubled teen. Angst over her death and her parents' utter failure to effectively reach out to her prior to her senseless suicide. Or frustration over Detective Hank Madden's inability to clearly separate himself from the rape investigation. Because these are all realistic responses to similar traumatic events one might experience in life, Carnoy's writing comes across as bona fide. He does weave the story back and forth, bringing to mind a good fugue, but that merely serves to keep the reader on her toes. The only complaint this particular reader had was this: I got bogged down at one point. The story just seemed to drone on in no specific direction, and I was left wondering where Carnoy as the conductor of this work was taking me. Turns out, it was to a finale that was anything but dull and monotonous! Carnoy accomplishes many things with the melodic story he tells in "Knife Music." Among them, he gives his readers an ethical dilemma to ponder, provides them with characters we come to care about, and ties in a social issue that couldn't be more fitting in view of the current Penn State scandal. But it is the final movement that any maestro would be proud of. This is one reader who will gladly cry, "Encore, encore!"

Scary but good

I only read the first chapter and i literally got nightmares( it was might time when i read it). Its pretty good. I suggest it to anyone!

Mediocre

This book was a waste of time and money. Reading it was very tedious. I felt it should have had a disclaimer warning of teen angst. I did not find the characters either interesting, realistic, or well-rounded.

Malice on Roids!

If you've seen the thriller "Malice" starring Alec Baldwin and Nicole Kidman, the material covered in Carnoy's first, "Knife Music," will present itself as familiar territory. Don't let this statement deter you from picking up your own copy; "Knife Music" is a well-paced and interesting medical thriller that starts with a rush of adrenaline!

Carnoy's characters are well thought-out and from a psychological perspective, quite interesting. I never once questioned their motives and found myself intrigued by the level of detail and technical expertise Carnoy, as a seasoned CNET editor, lends to the plotline. We get a sense of the seedy south bay setting now highlighted in James Franco's Palo Alto, and wonder sometimes whether or not plotlines were drawn from actual events.

Carnoy's "Knife Music" is a must read not only for the casual medical thrill seeker but also for the medical professionals themselves who need a break from the fodder.

loved it.

I really liked this book. It was a great read and for the price you can't beat it! I was totally surprised by the ending and it all happens so fast.... it should be made into a movie! VERY GOOD.

Very enjoyable with lots of twists

This is a book that keeps you reading. There are several twists and turns that keep you guessing. I certainly didn't expect the last twist!

This is a tough book to judge.....

I was really debating rating this book between 3 or 4 stars. The only reason I gave it 4 is because the story had twists that kept me guessing. I never could really figure out the mystery like some other books. It really keeps you guessing up until the end.

The reason I thought about giving it 3 stars was because it is not the type of book I normally read. I only picked it because it seemed to have high ratings and reviews. If you are not into mystery/crime books, this book probably isn't for you. The book did get boring at points too.....

Fantastic Book

When I started this book, I COULD NOT put it down and read it in an entire Saturday. The twists and turns and surprise ending will captivate any reader. Just when you think it's figured out, there is another aspect to the fascinating case.

A good "who-done-it." But Carnoy takes a risk...

David Carnoy has produced a good "who-done-it" and well worth the read for those who enjoy a good page-turner, with a good twist at the very end. But he does take somewhat of an unusual risk: Although the charactors are "real" and he does produce quite a convincing mix of them, there are no "likable" charactors here...no "heros"...no "good guys." At the conclusion, they are all most unpleasant people, in one form or another. And they all get what they seem to deserve...what they have earned by their behavior or simply who they are. If you like stories which have villans and heros and if you like to be able to indentify them both, this may not be for you. However, as I indicated, this is well crafted and believeable. And you come away thinking that "this could actually happen."

Great Read! Hidden Treasure!

I stumbled upon this treat, when trolling for some books to take with me on vacation. Sounded good, price was right, so I grabbed it. What a wonderful surprise to find it one I couldn't put down! Kept me on the edge of my seat right up until the last page. Some reviewers have been critical of the writer's style of bouncing back and forth between time periods.....but I actually found that interesting. Some of my favorite authors are Harlan Coben, Nelson DeMille, David Baldacci, Michael Connelly, Stieg Larsson, and James Patterson. If you like them, I think you'll enjoy "Knife Music". One of the most enjoyable reads I've had for a while. Have been telling all my friends about it. Can't wait until the author's next book comes out!

Read it! It's a medical whodunit.

One wonders throughout the book who is lying, the protagonist or the antagonist(s). No one knows until the very end who is the culprit, when the truth becomes startlingly but disappointingly obvious. No one, however, has an inkling of suspicion who is the rapist throughout the novel. The medical vernacular and savvy surgical proceedings are intriguing. The social norms and "abnorms" of the convicted doctor progress as his character moves forward, and we grow to trust him but reserve judgment. Other characters of the story seem to contribute willingly, then betray their intentions. A circuitous plot keeps one on edge, and just when you think the outcome is obvious, another twist presents itself. This is an inventive novel that seems to want to be even more complicated, but works well just as it is.

Excellent mystery. Well written, engaging and realistic.

A thoughtful, interesting thriller. Can't wait for his next book.

Highly Recommended

I was hooked from the first page. Just when I though I have it figured out, another twist. I was shocked by the ending. It was easy to read. Great book! I highly recommend it.