The Spire

by Richard North Patterson and James Patterson

Book Overview

Both a razor-sharp thriller and a poignant love story, this twisting tale of psychological suspense is Patterson's most compelling novel in years.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805087737
• ISBN13: 9780805087734
• Release Date: September 2009
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.39 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.3" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

HE'S BACK!

My favorite author from years ago is back. I don't think I can add much more than that, but I'll try. The characters are multidimensional, the plot is very strong and Mr. Patterson is at the top of his game. I've missed him. The Spire is pretty thick, and I tore through in in just a few days. I'm sure all of Patterson's other fans will love The Spire, and I highly recommend it to potential Patterson fans.

An enthralling saga that captivates the reader from the beginning to end

The Spire is the unabridged audiobook presentation of former trial lawyer Richard North Patterson's saga of buried crimes unearthed. Trial lawyer Mark Darrow heeds the call of his alma mater in its hour of need, becoming its new president in the wake of an embezzlement scandal that jeopardizes its continued existence. Yet returning brings back the painful memory of discovering the corpse of a black female student, followed by the arrest and life prison term of his best friend for the crime. Darrow encounters evidence that his best friend was wrongly accused - but the more he learns about the misdeeds of the past, the greater the danger to his own life! An enthralling saga that captivates the reader from the beginning to end, highly recommended. 9 CDs, 11 hours.

Will appeal to longtime fans as well as anyone who enjoys a good murder mystery

Richard North Patterson established himself as a bestselling writer mostly by creating top-notch legal thrillers that put him right in step with other greats of that genre like John Grisham and Scott Turow. Over the past few years, his work has taken on more varying subjects, like a U.S. Presidential campaign in THE RACE and international politics with the 2008 hit, ECLIPSE. His latest work, THE SPIRE, is a psychological murder mystery centered on a college campus in Ohio and deals with major crimes from both the present and the past. Mark Darrow rose to fame at Caldwell College in Wayne, Ohio, as the star quarterback for their football team. However, his memories of Caldwell are forever marred by a murder that took place at the end of his last year there. Darrow discovered the body of Angela Hall, a black female student he knew, strangled to death at the base of the Spire --- the bell tower at the center of campus. His mentor and recruiter, Lionel Farr, quickly pulled him away from campus so that his future is not permanently scarred by this tragic event. To make matters worse, his best friend and former teammate, Steve Tillman, was convicted of the crime and is spending life behind bars. At the start of THE SPIRE, we find Darrow 20 years older and returning to his alma mater to take over the role of college president. During his absence from Caldwell, he had become a successful attorney in Boston and also leaves behind another tragedy --- the death of his wife and child due to an accident on an icy road. He finds that his former mentor is still well-established there and currently the college provost. It was Farr's urging that brought him back to campus. The first unenviable task to which he is subjected is the investigation and ultimate prosecution of the previous college president for the embezzlement of nearly one million dollars. Darrow finds himself at cross-purposes as he also begins to privately re-open the murder case of Angela Hall. As the dual investigations start to heat up, Darrow learns that the embezzler and murderer might well be the same individual; not only is one innocent person already behind bars, but another may end up there for the more recent crime. THE SPIRE is filled with well-drawn characters, both in the past and the present, who keep the story moving and presents enough suspects for the reader to be constantly questioning what might have happened and who is really behind it. To make matters even more difficult for Darrow, he finds himself falling for Taylor, Farr's daughter. She was only seven years old when he left Caldwell College the first time. Now at age 28, she is a desirable and interesting woman to whom he is instantly drawn. What makes the relationship so compelling is the fact that Taylor has been haunted by nightmares from her mother's death, which took place shortly after the Hall murder, and she has subconsciously fought what is at the heart of these night terrors. Darrow is thrown right into the pas

Murder years ago in a college again investigated

A Spire makes one think of a nice tall structure similar to the Washington Monument, nice to view and if energetic, climb the stairs inside to the top for a grand view. Patterson's Spire--not so! The Spire is located near the center of Caldwell College and over the years has been the center of some serious problems involving students and sometimes faculty. The stairs inside are narrow and very steep and lead to a top where there are bells. Mark Darrow who was a student at the time and was a football hero found Angela Hall murdered at the base of the Spire. Ever since the murder Caldwell College had been in decline and needed someone to get the school moving forward once again. When Darrow had found Angela, Lionel Farr was a teacher at the school and one of the first to reach the terrible scene by the Spire. Years later Farr had summoned Darrow to come to Caldwell wanting to discuss something regarding the school. It seems that $900,000.00 had disappeared from the school funds and Farr told Farrow his thoughts of who was involved, followed by asking Darrow to become President of Caldwell College and help get the school going forward and finding the missing money. A good friend of Darrrow's had been accused of Angela's murder and was found guilty and was in prison. Farr had a daughter younger than Darrow but Taylor had always liked Darrow since she was seven-years old. Darrow accepted the job as president, knowing that Farr was the provost and they would work together with each other along with the College Board. Darrow started his new job with many questions in his mind about the murder of Angela many years ago, the person serving time for that murder, and about the missing money. He had his hands full but he took his time doing much research and asked many questions of former friends that still lived in the area, the police whose chief was a rookie cop at the time of the murder, and any other former students that were working in the area or nearby. Along his path of inquisition he started to have many feelings for Taylor, Farr's daughter who was now a beautiful woman. Patterson spins a great story that some times goes back in time to the time of the murder so Darrow could remember details more thoroughly. He visited the prisoner, Steve, in prison quite a few times, still feeling Steve might not be guilty. You will not be disappointed in this excellent story. It is written very well and doesn't lose you in its time exchanges or characters from the past or present. I highly recommend it. You will be kept in suspended doubt as to who did what.

Couldn't put this book down!

Richard North Patterson has returned to writing the types of books that made him one of my favorite authors! This is a great psychological suspense novel, and drew me in from the first pages. Mark Darrow is a succesful lawyer, but after some life crises he returns to his old alma mater as the college president. His job is to try to restore the school's reputation, which has been on the decline since a murder during his college days. This brings back many conflicts for Mark, in part because his best friend was convicted of the murder and is in prison for life. Flipping between the past and the present, Patterson does a great job of re-telling the story and tying it into the present day. He keeps you in suspense until the very end, although I will say my hunch about the real murderer was correct. Patterson also develops a beautiful love story and tale of healing for Mark and his love interest. This is a great book-you will not regret a minute spent reading it!