From the Publisher
“Karen Vail is one tough character. Crush will keep you reading late into the night.” —Kathy Reichs, New York Times –bestselling author of 206 Bones “Crisply written, meticulously researched, Crush rocks from the opening page to the jarring conclusion. Don’t start the book unless you have a full evening to finish it, because you won’t be able to put it down.” —Steve Martini, New York Times –bestselling author of Shadow of Power “Action-packed story [with] plenty of bark and bite, sizzle and emotion . . . a tangled tale of delightful intrigue. Well done.” —Steve Berry, New York Times –bestselling author of The Charlemagne Pursuit
Crush (Karen Vail Series #2)
by Alan JacobsonIn this follow-up to the standout bestseller The 7th Victim , Karen Vail ventures to Napa Valley, where a serial killer has been crushing his victims’ windpipes and leaving their bodies in caves. But when the Crush Killer learns that an FBI profiler has joined the Major Crimes Task Force, the newfound attention emboldens him, and he sets in motion a
Editorial Reviews
Product Details
- ISBN-13:
- 9781497692077
- Publisher:
- Open Road Integrated Media LLC
- Publication date:
- 03/03/2015
- Series:
- Karen Vail Novels Series , #2
- Pages:
- 566
- Sales rank:
- 288,444
- Product dimensions:
- 5.20(w) x 7.80(h) x 4.90(d)
Meet the Author
Alan Jacobson is the national bestselling author of several critically acclaimed novels. In order to take readers behind the scenes to places they might never go, Jacobson has embedded himself in many federal agencies, including spending several years working with two senior profilers at the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s vaunted Behavioral Analysis Unit in Quantico. During that time, Jacobson edited four published FBI research papers on serial offenders, attended numerous FBI training courses, worked with the head firearms instructor at the academy, and received ongoing personalized instruction on serial killers—which continues to this day. He has also worked with high-ranking members of the Drug Enforcement Administration, the US Marshals Service, the New York Police Department, SWAT teams, local bomb squads, branches of the US military, chief superintendents and detective sergeants at Scotland Yard, criminals, armorers, helicopter pilots, chief executive officers, historians, and Special Forces operators. These experiences have helped him to create gripping, realistic stories and characters. His series protagonist, FBI profiler Karen Vail, resonates with both female and male readers, and writers such as Nelson DeMille, James Patterson, and Michael Connelly have called Vail one of the most compelling heroes in suspense fiction. Jacobson’s books have been published internationally, and several have been optioned for film and television. A number have been named to Best of the Year lists. Jacobson has been interviewed extensively on television and radio, including on CNN, NPR, and multiple ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox network affiliates.
Customer Reviews
Average Review:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Crush
3.6 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
1409 reviews.
 |
After reading 7th Victim by Mr. Jacobson I was so looking forward to buying this book only to see it was now free.However this book was a mess.Not sure if he had a page quota to make but this book condensed down would of made a better read.The last 50 pages are the best part of the book real page turners.At the end you are left with a lot of loose threads but to quote Alan Jacobson on the last page of the book, "Fear not,they will be tied together,neatly trimmed or tucked away in the next Karen Vail novel".
|
|
Overall this could have been a good book, and the first few hundred pages are quite well-written.
I was distracted by the sudden Microsoft ad starting on page 323, and then the rush to close the case, but leaving giant loose ends on the final page.
|
|
I did not care for this book very much. I was really disappointed at the end in which at least two very important issues were not resolved. It was stated at the end that the unanswered issues would be addressed in the next book in the Karen Vail series. I would not have read it if I had known this.
|
|
As a reader who was invested in this page turning story, well developed plot and characters.................I am angry. I feel cheated, as there was literally NO END to the story. If I had known that ahead of time, I would not have bothered to read 381 pages- just to end up with "NOTHING." Did Alan Jacobson (an otherwise fabulous writer) run out of ideas for further development of his story? Is this a ruse to sell his "Next Book?" I don't know, but I DO know I will not invest my time, and interest in another book of his. Sad. because it was a good read until the "premature ending." Seems self sabatoging to end a wonderful work of art like this.
|
|
NOT FAIR! I loved the book but it had no ending. It just left you hanging. You have to buy the third book to get the conclusion to the second book. So, you have to spend $25 to find out why everything happend in the second book. Does not seem to me that the author played fair.
|
|
A slow, dull, stumbling work with no logical framework except the for the broadly hinted "big surprise" which would bring it all together. The book ended, however, with the author's note saying we'd have to buy his next book to find out what the "big surpise" is. Rip off!!
|
|
This book should come with a warning that's it's PART ONE. At least that's what I felt when I read the ending. Way too many loose ends, a few maybe but 99 percent - NO! Otherwise is was an OK free Friday book.
|
|
darn just when it got really exciting it ended with a cliffhanger!
|
|
I suppose I have read worse books but this one was so boring I couldn't get more than 1/4 of the way through. I gave it a chance, but there was no character development and it left me not caring about anyone. A great idea for a story just not well told. Maybe if I had nothing else to read I'd fisish the book but even for a free download, this will end up in the "delete" pile.
|
|
oh no not another slasher novel i give up!
|
|
I thought it was a great read....until the end. Apparently, the author couldn't figure out how to end it. Sound like James Patterson? Well, even worse. How disappointing to come to the end and have an incomplete ending to a book...Oh well. I got it for free..
|
|
bad writing..specifically cheesey dialogue...horrible ending
|
|
Like the comments from Shema this ending really makes me angry as well. It's a well-written book but I want an end to my stories....I don't want to be forced into buying another book to find out what happened in the previous one. Please...leave the cliff-hangers for daytime tv!!!!
|
|
Mr. Jacobson obviously believes his readers lack the intellectual capacity to understand his stories. His unnecessary lectures to explain terms and procedures interrupt the rhythm of the main story. I had no interest in the explanation of the acronym LEO (Law Enforcement Officer) so that he could use it throughout the book as he did with other acronyms. Most frustrating was the failure to complete the story in the last few pages. Had he not provided another lecture at the end that I should read the next Karen Vail book I would have had no idea of his intent. The story in Crush did not leave me wanting more. His direction to his website was so trite. Then he put a video on his website that equally lacked substance and content. This is my first and last Alan Jacobson book!
|
|
An Ok serial killer crime book, but the book doesn't really end. You find out who did it but not really the whole why and at the very end--literally the last few pages something happens that is continued in his next book Velocity. I got this as a free friday read, but I feel like it was a ploy to get me to buy the next book--and this book is not really good enough for me to get over my anger and what seems to be a marketing ploy and buy it.
|
|
There is nothing more frustrating than reading a book only to find that the author has decided not to end it... Really? If it wasn't on my nook, I'd have thrown the book across the room.
I will not buy anything from this author.
That said, the story (beginning and middle at lease) was okay. Decent enough characters, though the main character is a bit too high on herself for my liking.
|
|
Reader beware. . . This "free" book is only half of a book . . . Intended to draw you in and force you to buy "Velocity", the second half of the book. It was only a so-so read. . . Not good enough to strong me into expending my money on the second installment.
|
|
The main character is really hard to connect with, she is abraisive and has a huge ego. She feels the need to correct everyone on everything even if it doesn't matter. Most of the time I just want her to shut up. There is one part where she says "psychopaths, who don't feel any anger at all, are not necessarily angry at the vitcim. They're angry at someone else.."
There is entirely to much descrition of things that don't really matter which made me feel like I was reading a steamy romance novel instead of a mystery/thriller.
|
|
the plot is good, even though i have no idea why the author felt the need to show of his knowledge that he learned in a travel guide about the winecountry. really not relevant. What really annoyed me was that you have to buy the next book to find out the end of this book. not cool.
|
|
This book is 391 pages, and several times while reading, I had to put it down or skip through because the explanations of technical forensic things was just too lengthy. Some parts are just a little unbelievable - like how she got on the case to begin with. And some of the characters just lacked depth. Maybe it's because I haven't read the first book, but I really only enjoyed small parts of it. It wasn't the non-stop thriller other reviewers made it out to be. For the intellectual reader who wants depth and believability, this one's not for you. Also, I'm a stickler for grammar, and this book had a plethora of typos and mismatched sentences. Just my opinion, but for a free book, it wasn't bad.
|
|
I downloaded this free book and 1 week later I'm only on page 60. I agree, not a "can't put down" book.
|
|
This book is one that you can read at lunch and put down and not worry about picking back up until the next lunch. It's not one of those that you "just can't put down." Don't get me wrong, it's decent reading, but the plot just drags and the main character is just oblivious. Glad it was free...
|
|
Emi.
|
|
I have done so many of these. Just bare with me on this. So, somehow, I have managed to get dumped, get left, and now break boy's heart. Yes, I told him I wanted to stop. I told him I didn't want him to talk to me. If I hadn't, I would become the weak girl I really am and collapse into his arms. No one held me like he did. It's over now. I guess he didn't know I loved him as much as he had managed to love me. Though in all honesty, I probably loved him more. I told him I would choose someone else over him. I was upset at the time. So I said some things I didn't mean. My question is; Did I make the right choice? Or worst mistake of my life? I never know. Peaople said he was bad and we weren't good together. They said he was a cheater. A player. And that he was only using me as a toy. If I was just a toy? Why did he make me feel so loved? I never thought that when we were together, but now I see. He really loved me. Now, I may have just lost the only person I have left in this world, all over my own emotional-rollarcoaster.
|
|
Pretty sure he knows...
|