Mind/Reader

by Brian Freemantle

A cat-and-mouse thriller starring Claudine Carter as the Profiler, the beautiful and brilliant psychologist who must stop a serial killer -- before he stops herA serial killer is stalking Europe,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312186541
• ISBN13: 9780312186548
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
• Length: 475 Pages
• Weight: 1.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 5.9" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Strong plot, richly drawn characters.

Mind Reader is a very engaging novel. In it, Freemantle skillfully interweaves several interesting and distinct plot threads. This motivates the reader to keep going on to the next chapter in order to find out what is happening on a wide variety of fronts. Secondly, there's lots of introspection. And by that I mean the thought processes of the characters are revealed in stark detail. Consequently, the reader is made privy to exactly why characters say and do what they say and do. This technique adds an extra dimension to the narrative, making it much richer than that usually found in similar works of fiction. Moreover, the lead character, Claudine Carter, is well fleshed out, as are many of the supporting cast. Freemantle deserves praise for taking the time to give us characters that come off as real people and not just unidimensional stereotypes. By way of warning, I should mention that Mind Reader's subject matter is a bit gruesome, at times graphically so. Some readers might find that aspect of the book disturbing.

A Most Complicated Police Procedural

Brian Freemantle's Charlie Muffin books are always a fun read. When he ventures beyond, he produces great stuff, but each one can take a bit of patience to get into. Freemantle does not write "page turners" in the usual sense of the mystry/thriller genre. An exception was In the Name of a Killer, the first Freemantle I read. Mind/Reader is probably the hardest of the lot to read. As the other reviewers have complained, it does take a while to get into, and there are, frankly, too many sub-plots and other complications. And, I must admit, Freemantle is no LeCarre. That aside, his books are always good reads, even if the pacing varies. I gave this one four stars because I enjoy a complicated plot once in a while, but couldn't give five stars for the simple reason that it moves more slowly than I would like. Great characters, as usual for Freemantle. But weaker dialogue and slow pacing are the weak spots. But we Freemantle fans can excuse one less than perfect read. But only one, because we are a fickle bunch.

A totally absorbing read

Europol (the European Union FBI) assigns criminal profiler Dr. Claudine Carter with uncovering the identity of a brutal serial killer stalking the continent. For Claudine, the timing of her top case could not have been worse because of personal problems, including the investigation into the alleged suicide of her spouse. She also has to deal with her ambitious boss, Henri Sanglier, who fears what she knows about his family secrets. In spite of all this, Claudine, along with the other members of the team, begin their investigation. As the team gets closer to the truth, the media get wind of Claudine's identity and using their usual good taste publicize it for their audience and the killer to know. The killer, enjoying the notoriety, decides to make Claudine the prey in a dangerous game in which the stakes are her life. MIND READER is a great police procedural because of the brilliant descriptions of the inherent conflict between Europol's jurisdiction and the geographical boundaries of the European nations. The story line is crisp, especially the sub plots that add to the authenticity of the tale. Claudine is a wonderful sleuth and the support cast adds much flavor to the novel. Hopefully, MIND READER is the first of many novels in a new series by Brian Freemantle.Harriet Klausner