Parting Shot

by Jonathan Stone and Annabeth Albert

Book Overview

Local television reporter Sam Stevens is consumed by his failing marriage and, more than that, by the psychological harm his wife is doing to their ten-year-old son. As Sam covers a once-in-a-lifetime story - one that has turned Webster County into bedlam but is at last providing Sam with an opportunity for media stardom - he suddenly sees an even better chance: to solve his personal problems forever. But there's another player thrust into the national...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 031235410X
• ISBN13: 9780312354107
• Release Date: June 2006
• Publisher: Minotaur Books
• Length: 282 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Serial sniper thriller filled with dark twists

Having lived throught the Malvo/Muhammad beltway sniper attacks made reading PARTING SHOT a bit unnerving. Sam Stevens is an ambitious local TV reporter who gets the scoop of a lifetime covering the serial sniper case terrorizing "Webster County". Nine random victims have fallen from his surgically precise shots. Sam seethes with resentment married to his philandering wife Denise. Their ten-year-old son Tommy keeps them together. Meantime the local sheriff, Billy Wyatt, is in over his head with this nationally covered crime. The FBI is looking over Billy's shoulder as more victims fall prey to the sniper. Then Sam gets involved in a more personal way with the case. The twists are clever. I'd prefer more dialogue and action while less introspection and fewer adverbs. But that doesn't spoil this first-rate thriller.

page turner indeed

This was my first book by Jonathan Stone and I was very impressed. I intentionally avoided the jacket notes or any reviews so I was a little surprised by the first twist. After that, I was hooked. This is a great thriller with twists and turns that surprise but never seem out of place. Stone is a master of plotting and pace. Once the story takes off, you won't put it down.

A Great Read

This is a great read to start the summer (or for that matter anythime of the year) One of those books that is difficult to put down once you start-had to stay up late to finish. A great gift to readers and causal readers

packs a double punch at the end

I read so many thrillers - Da Vinci code is a good example - that generate so much energy and excitement as you go but then ultimately let you down at the very end. Not this book. It delivers big at the end, with a couple of twists that you just don't see coming, but that make perfect sense in retrospect. Very smart. And talk about a fast read! That's actually my one complaint - it's kind of a lot of money to spend on a book you're done with in no time flat. But on the other hand, "page-turner" is the idea.

fantastic thriller

Webster County Sheriff William "Big Billy" Wyatt informs the media that fifty four years old Sheryl Behar is the latest victim of the sniper who as an equal opportunity killer who murders people. Gender, age, race or religion does not matter to the cold blooded serial killer. TV reporter Sam Stevens knows that he would rather be amidst the media feeding frenzy than at home where his marriage to Denise is numerous degrees beyond failing. Depressed over his personal life and sickened by what he must cover in his professional life, Sam begins a series "Inside the Mind of a Serial Killer" based on interviews with an incarcerated convict Darryl Jenkins. As great-grandmother Estelle Saunders becomes the next victim, Sam learns more about sniping and serial killing. He begins to concoct a concept to gain his freedom from his marriage. PARTING SHOT may be the most creative serial killer thriller since Lector first took a bite. The story line is filled with twists that readers will not anticipate, but once past the shock will conclude that Jonathan Stone is a clever writer until the next spin stuns the audience. This is a fantastic thriller that will keep readers guessing in one delightful sitting. Harriet Klausner