I’ll
have to admit: I’m a Patrick Bowers veteran.
Alongside Bowers: I’ve shot criminals; had high speed chases; found
important clues; raised an adopted teenage daughter; had my heart broken; been
punched in the face, shot, almost frozen to death; rekindled a relationship
with my estranged brother; found love; lost love; and many, many other
intricate details, that spin a web of intertwined plots that continually keep
me coming back for more.
If
you’ve never read a Steven James novel, then you really are in for a
treat. I can safely say: James is one of
the best authors out there, and the best thriller writer in my opinion.
I
was first introduced to James through the Pawn—which has one of the best
opening chapters I’ve ever read—and never hesitated to rip through the rest of
his books: The Rook, The Knight, The Bishop, and The Queen. Really, if Opening Moves is the first novel
you read of James’ work, then you get to read Patrick Bowers’ story in
chronological order. The way God
intended. Actually, that’s not
completely true.
Opening
Moves is a prequel to the Pawn, and encompasses the story that Pat Bowers has
been struggling to forget for five novels.
But if you’re like me, and have already read the Pawn, through the
Queen, not to worry. The story is fresh,
explosive and has an ending that will make a fan of the series happy. I might go as far as to say that I felt more fulfilled
because I had already read his other
books.
Opening
Moves takes us back to 1997, when Bowers is just a Detective in Milwaukee. He’s already wrestling with gruesome crimes,
and also has the affection of a lovely woman.
But I don’t want to give too much plot away, so I’ll be vague. Bowers notices things that other people don’t—which
has made him one of the youngest homicide detectives in his department—and when
a string of violent crimes sprout up, he wants nothing more than to solve the
case and catch the guy responsible.
Bowers’ determination and drive, packed with a heightened form of
intelligence make him a very likable character.
But he always realizes that it’s takes a team effort to catch any
criminal.
I’ve
read articles about how James had nightmares while writing this novel, and now
after reading it, I can understand why.
It’s darker than his previous ones.
The other novels have a slight humor to them, which comes in the form of
Bowers’ adopted daughter. Since this
book is before that time, there are only droplets of humor here and there,
which isn’t a bad thing. The story is
serious, and the writing reflects it.
As
always, James knows how to weave a story through several points of view. And it’s this mastery that has a way of
throwing the points of view all together in the same room. It’s as though you’re watching a movie. I could take a guess and say that’s how James
writes: he’ll see it all happening in his head, the camera moving from one
actor/character to another, and then he types it out.
If
you haven’t caught on yet, what I’m trying to tell you is: stop what you doing
right now and go out and pick this book up.
Why are you still reading this? I
said to stop and go get the book…now!
There’s
also a sneak preview of the next installment in the Bowers series at the end of
Opening Moves. It’s from The King, which
the book states, is coming July 2013. My
only gripe is: do I really have to wait that long?
5 out of 5 stars
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