The Genius

by Jesse Kellerman

Book Overview

"A MASTERFUL PLOT AND DEAD-ON PACING."-- Entertainment Weekly "From its first hip, cynical, snarky, confessional pages, this deftly plotted novel rivets the reader ... a must buy."-- Booklist In a decaying New York slum, a tenant named Victor Cracke has disappeared, leaving behind countless cardboard boxes of strange, original artwork. Gallery owner Ethan Muller can see their brilliance--and their moneymaking potential. Strictly speaking, the drawings...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0515146056
• ISBN13: 9780515146059
• Release Date: March 2009
• Publisher: Berkley Books
• Length: 560 Pages
• Weight: 0.73 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 4.2" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

With THE GENIUS, Kellerman attains --- however prematurely --- master status in his chosen craft

Jesse Kellerman's bibliography does not run long --- THE GENIUS is his third novel --- but his talent runs deep. There were hints of it in SUNSTROKE and fulfillment of the promise in TROUBLE. But THE GENIUS takes you places you haven't been before, at least not often. The book has elements of genre fiction --- be it mystery, thriller and suspense --- but, as narrator Ethan Muller hastens to tell us at the beginning of this astounding work, it might be a detective story, though he is no detective. He is dogged, however, and sometimes --- as in THE GENIUS --- that is enough. Muller is hardly born to the role of gumshoe, amateur or otherwise. The estranged son of a third-generation industrialist, Muller is a flavor of the month dealer in contemporary art who literally stumbles into a treasure trove of which most of his peers only dream. A reclusive, secretive slum dweller named Victor Cracke has disappeared from his tenement apartment, leaving behind an incredible and breathtaking cache of his artwork. Cracke's work --- a series of interconnecting drawings that seem to document a world more real than our own --- is brilliant, and Muller recognizes it as same. He tries, halfheartedly at best, to locate Cracke, but the man seems to have vanished into thin air. Muller nonetheless has a showing of Cracke's work, and both of their names are on everyone's lips, with Muller's reputation, at least for the moment, assured. Things take an interesting turn, however, when a newspaper article concerning Muller's gallery, with a reproduction of Cracke's work, attracts the attention of Lee McGrath, a retired and terminally ill homicide cop. One of Cracke's illustrations demonstrates a familiarity with the victim of one of McGrath's unsolved cases. McGrath contacts Muller, who develops a slow but strong attraction toward McGrath's daughter Samantha, a quietly complex woman with the New York District Attorney's office. Muller, somewhat self-absorbed at the beginning of THE GENIUS, becomes obsessed with finding Cracke, and perhaps obtaining not only some long-overdue justice for a murder victim, but also some closure for McGrath. Yes, this sounds like a mystery novel. But THE GENIUS only begins here. Its true story, like the best of any genre fiction, is about the people involved, with the ultimate barometer being the degree to which the reader cares about them. And you will care plenty. You will want --- ache for --- Muller and Samantha to, however improbably, get together; for McGrath to solve his last case; for the true story of Cracke to be revealed, whether for good or for ill. You'll get some of those things, and maybe all of them, to varying degrees, as well as an ending that will bring tears to your eyes. But what ultimately makes it a fabulous work is the backstory that Kellerman parcels out in time-release sections, so that even if you think you have it all figured out, you won't know it all. Not until the very end, in any event. With THE GENIUS, Keller

A good read-satisfying to the last word!

I attended a book signing with Kellerman when this book was introduced. I had not read his prior books so it was only by chance that I stopped into the bookstore and Jesse Kellerman was there. He was speaking to the assembled customers about how he was inspired by the Henry Darger case, so I do not think he makes any apologies for that inspiration, but his take on the story is totally different. Unlike the works of Faye Kellerman and Jonathan Kellerman, who have common characters re-appearing in subsequent novels, Jess Kellerman's main character is more or less the common man who has a very strange experience - then goes back to being a common man, all the wiser. Not that Ethan Mueller is actually all that common, being the son of a very wealthy man, but he isn't a detective or had any experience with solving a crime. The story almost reads like a script. Lots of dialog and it drew me into the story immediately. There is so much going on that as I approached the end, I was afraid all the loose ends would not be tied up in the remaining pages. Don't you just hate reading a great book and then it bombs at the end? "The Genius" doesn't let you down. To the last word, I enjoyed not only the story and the pace but the word selections like getting up from a taxi seat as "pulling away from sticky vinyl" The pace is good, the story is very interesting and I finished reading feeling like it was a very good read. I am not sure I will read Kellerman's earlier books, since this one was very satisfying and I do think he is probably getting better and better. He mentioned that his publisher wants a book every 12 months, so I will wait for the next one. Fascinating to hear about how Jesse Kellerman approaches his work. A very bright, disciplined young man - very approachable, and not at all a self-important person. A lot like the humble character in his book. I am giving this my highest rating because I liked this book... ..and so many best sellers deserve less.

The Art of Murder

A successful young NYC art dealer named Ethan Muller discovers a vast series of bizarre drawings in an abandoned apartment in Queens, and the unknown genius who created them quickly becomes the toast of the contemporary art world. But Ethan soon has cause for alarm--a retired cop sees one of the drawings in the newspaper and recognizes the little boy in it as a long-ago victim of a serial killer who was never caught. Could the phantom artist and the phantom murderer be one and the same? Ethan Muller is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. And someone else is just as determined to keep the secret buried.... THE GENIUS is a terrific suspense novel from one of our brightest new talents. Kellerman, son of bestselling authors Jonathan and Faye Kellerman, is 'a chip off the old block' and then some. His story is colorful, his setting (the New York art world) is vividly rendered, and his characters are sharply drawn and memorable. In other words, the book is very much like the brilliant series of drawings at the center of its plot. Don't miss this one. Highly recommended.

Move over Mom and Dad!

I was looking for a new thriller author to try when I came across this "Genius" at Boarders the other day. I liked the books of both his parents so I figured I'd give him a try. Now I have enjoyed books by both Jonathan and Faye, but Jesse is more than just a chip off the old block, I think he is better. This book is so smartly written that it borders on being literary fiction, but don't let that scare those of you just looking to be entertained because "Genius" does all that and more. The story has a great hook: an art dealer comes into possession of boxes of drawings by a hermit artiest. In the drawings are the images of murder victims--I won't say more as I don't like spoilers, but this starts the art dealer down the road of a terrifying mystery! Once I was pulled into the story I could stop reading. Kellerman plot is finely crafted and did not leave me scratching my head. He is also skilled at getting inside his character's heads, making the reader feel like they are in their skin.

This Novel is Really Terrific

THE GENIUS is a very impressive effort by Jesse Kellerman. This book is a highly effective suspense novel, but the quality of the prose is strong enough to satisfy most fans of literary fiction. I read a lot of suspense fiction, and this is one of the best novels I've read this year. The main character of THE GENIUS is a young, struggling art dealer named Ethan Muller. The novel opens with Muller discovering a large trove of artwork by an unknown, reclusive genius named Victor Cracke. Cracke has disappeared mysteriously, and Muller ends up taking the artwork for himself and his gallery. He mounts a successful show of the artwork, only to discover that Cracke has a hidden, dangerous past -- a past which may involve Muller himself. THE GENIUS is very well-writen, a genuine literary thriller. Kellerman has matured into a really effective writer, and he does a superb job describing the New York contemporary art scene. All the characterization in this book is first-rate, and the dialogue is sharp and fun. The plot is also gripping, and I kept turning the pages, always interested in what was about to happen next. The protagonist of this book isn't entirely entirely likable, which may turn off some readers. But if you enjoy the complex characterization of authors like Colin Harrison or Laura Lippman, you will find much to admire in THE GENIUS. I wasn't a fan of Kellerman's listless first novel, SUNSTROKE, but this novel has converted me. If Kellerman can write novels like THE GENIUS before the age of 30, I can't wait to see what he will be producing over the next decade, as his talent matures even further. Highly recommended.