Before the Cradle Falls

by James F. David

Book Overview

Paralyzed by drink and despair since the accidental death of his young daughter, Shelby, Detective Kyle Sommers nonetheless must lead a task force to catch a brutal serial killer. Nicknamed the Cradle Robber, this murderer has methodically snuffed out the lives of children all along the California coast. Now he's come to Portland. While investigating, Sommers learns that a strange man has been saving local children from various dangers-then mysteriously...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0765342154
• ISBN13: 9780765342157
• Release Date: May 2004
• Publisher: Tor Books
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

... and for best Author...

What do you get when Sci-Fi meets Thriller? Another masterpiece by James F. David! If you think that all police novels are the same, then you haven't read Before the Cradle Falls. David introduces a twist that will have you second-guessing all the others. Truly an original piece that has set the bar at a new level. But be warned: clear your schedule before you start reading. You will get sucked in, and it will be difficult to put down! Thank you James F. David once again for reminding me how exciting reading can be.

I couldn't stop...!

I think I'm an addict. Once I start reading a James F. David novel, I can't put it down. After reading his first 3 novels (Footprints of Thunder, Fragments, Ship of the Damned), I knew this one would be edge-of-your-seat action mixed with creative plot twists, and I was right!In my opionion, David has the perfect blend of paranormal/sci-fi and mystery/action/thriller down pat! As with his other novels, David takes a standard sci-fi theme (in this case time travel), and presents it in a way I have never read before, with interesting theories to back it up. I have no idea how scientific said theories are and don't really care. They're fun and unique.One of the things I really enjoy about his books are the settings. Before the Cradle Falls is set in current day Portland, Oregon, my hometown. James F. David, who lives in nearby Tigard, is very familiar with Portland and uses real landmarks, Parks and businesses for much of the book. A few things are made-up (our real newpaper is the Oregonian, not the Oregon Chronicle), but for the most part, Portland is exactly as he describes it. It gives me the feeling that I could step out my door one day and see Kyle Sommers driving by in a police car...

Grabbed my attention and held it

There are some books that you have to allow a few pages or chapters to "get into" it; this book grabbed me from the first page. Something is always happening, but it's not confusing or overwhelming - the characters are easy to get to know and easy to distinguish. I really appreciated the personal tone of the story - I enjoyed "getting to know" the characters and their feelings, thoughts and motivations; it just adds a new dimension to the story to be able to see what's going on from the different viewpoints of the characters involved (not just to see one person's "side"). There's Cradle Robber, an elusive monster (who doesn't see himself as a monster, but as a kind minister who saves children from inevitable pain had they continued living) who has been traveling from city to city, suffocating young children in their beds and leaving a small baby toy in the dead child's hand. There's Detective Kyle Sommers, who has recently returned to work after taking a leave of absence to recover from his young daughter's death. Kyle feels an especially urgent interest in solving the Cradle Robber case because every time a child dies, his daughter's death hurts that much more. There's Sherrie Nolan, a dynamic woman in a wheelchair who believes in time travel and who puts herself on the line to help Kyle, young children, and people she's never even met. And there is the mysterious and elusive man in the hat and overcoat, who witnesses say has blue skin... why is his skin blue, and why is he showing up at numerous catastrophes, all involving children, in the nick of time to lend a hand in saving lives, but then disappearing before anyone can speak with him? Who is he, why does he leave newspaper-like columns for the detective to find that contain incorrect information about a crime or tragedy that has just occurred where he has intervened, and what is he trying to do? When the mystery man crosses Cradle Robber's path, a chain of events is set in motion that threatens to not only change the past and the future, but to destroy the present world as Kyle knows it.

A very cool Sci-Fi/Supernatural/Murder/Mystery Thriller...

Having read James F. David's previous books (Footprints of Thunder, Fragments & Ship of the Damned) I knew that I would be reading his latest, and with 'Before The Cradle Falls' David has come up with his most creative and entertaining tale yet. The story begins full force with Detective Kyle Sommers getting a surprise phone call in the middle of the night to come take a look at a murder scene. Kyle is surprised to get this call for one major reason: since his daughter's death and subsequent divorce, he hasn't been doing well -- what with the extended drinking and hallucinations and all. Almost immediately things look a little funny. A young girl is murdered, and left in her hand is a toy rattle...the signature of a serial child killer known as the 'Cradle Robber' who started his sickening spree in San Diego and has steadily moved up the West Coast until arriving in Portland, Oregon. But an odd note left by an old man wearing an overcoat and a large hat has cast a large and strange shadow over the investigation. In the cryptic note, it gives details about the crime, but some did not happen the way it actually panned out. Before long, the old man with the coat and hat show up at various near-tragedies in and around the Portland area seemingly bent on stopping crimes BEFORE they happen. As Kyle is put in charge of the 'Cradle Robber' task force, he realizes that many in the department have lost all faith in his ability to do good police work, so he is the first to reject the time traveler theory when it first comes to light. But how can you explain the sudden appearance of the old man in so many places where crimes are JUST about to happen? Is he causing the so-called coincidences himself? Is he the Cradle Robber, or is he working together with him to throw the police off track?VERY interesting theories, and one incredibly engaging plot keep this story moving along in several directions at once, but don't worry, David keeps a tight reign on everything and he knows exactly where to take us. Kyle's reluctant sidekick, Sherrie Nolan provides us with plenty to think about as well as comic relief. Time Travel just isn't possible, according to a Professor at Portland State University, but the more Kyle & Sherrie probe into the Cradle Robber case, the more it seems impossible NOT to believe. Why is the old man being such a Good Samaritan in the first place...and if he can travel back and do some good at this point, why can't he put this same technology to use and go back and save Kyle's daughter, Shelby from her own tragic death? According to Sherrie, altering the time-line can and WILL have catastrophic effects on the environment -- on the scale of a nuclear explosion. The major problem that Kyle is having with the time-line theory is that it's just a THEORY. Since time travel is not even supposed to be possible, how can anyone propose a theory about altering the time-line when traveling through it isn't even possible? A LOT of ques

WOW-Great Book!

This is the first book I've read by James F. David. I'm off now to order the other ones. Terrific murder mystery, I was hooked from the first page. Loved the characters, the "McKenzie pool" is pure genius. I'd love to see another book based on the same group of detectives. If you like John Sandford, you'll love this book!