The book started off far stronger than it ended. I'd picked up the second book (without realizing it was a series) and was intrigued enough to stop reading it and bought "The Searcher."

It's about Solomon Creed, a man who's escaping a burning, crashed plane but has no memory of who he is or why he finds himself in Redemption, Arizona. But he seems to know a great deal about a lot of things and works to help the town from being destroyed by the fire. When we start the book, Creed has an old memoir written by the founder of Redemption, which implies there's a great treasure there. Creed, with the help of a new widow, searches to find answers.

Meanwhile, a Mexican cartel boss, Tio, has lost his son in the plane crash and is hell bent on finding out why. When he believes Creed is involved, he goes after him.

The story is somewhat disjointed as we go from Creed, the memoir, to Tio and his exploits. But I think the main character is interesting enough that I'll pick the second book up again to see what happens. ( )

I didn't like this much at all. The blurb compared it to Reacher, but it isn't nearly as good, not as well written and packed with new age mumbo jumbo that just kills it. Worst of all, Solomon Creed is completely unengaging. A cypher, but a very dull one, with no personality who just kind of wanders through the book figuring everything out without really having to try. Best avoided . ( )

Many books I read are somewhat formulaic and predictable - you know what role the characters play and early on already have a basic outline of the plot in your mind. This books is not one of them. From the outset, and right throughout, I didn't really know who these people were, where the story was heading or what to expect. I found it somewhat refreshing and it made for an interesting read. Things take unexpected turns and things aren't what you think. ( )

This book has one of the most intense openings scenes I've ever read. A terrified man is running down a road. He has no shoes, has no idea who or where he is, and no idea why he's so terrified. He just knows he has to keep running. Although I knew the book was touted as suspense/thriller, I thought it could easily be the beginning of a post-apocalyptic story, or one of several other genres. Anyway, it's really effective.

The book is indeed a thriller, about a town in which a small plane has crashed and which is under threat of the resulting fire that is speeding across the Arizona desert towards it. This man is running from the crash site, although it's clear he couldn't be a survivor. The plane that crashed is part of a scheme the town leaders have been using to keep the town afloat, and the nameless man will be for them a handy scapegoat to the forces who will want to punish someone for the crash. That is, if they can manage to hang on to him long enough to serve him up.

The nameless man (whose jacket says he's Solomon Creed) is an enigma. He knows about medicine, science, weapons, and old aircraft; he can smell what animals smell and tell what's around him by this; he can fight hand-to-hand combat; he doesn't know who he is but believes he's at this town to save a man who's been buried just that morning. Sounds a lot like an amnesiac Jack Reacher, but there are definite differences here, most disconcertingly a supernatural aspect which is unmentioned in accompanying blurbs. It's this unannounced angle for which I've given the book 3.5 instead of 4 stars. I found it jarring, although I guess it's inclusion will explain Creed's actions, or appearances, in future entries (as of this writing there are two books in the series). As long as you go into this knowing it's not straight genre thriller, you should find it entertaining. I did think it was quite a good suspense novel, but that supernatural thing didn't work for me. ( )

A man on a mission . . .

I've just finished reading this, and immediately looked for the second book in the series. Blast! It's not been published yet!

I nearly gave this title a miss — I dislike this growing practice of adding a "puff" as a subtitle — but I read the blurb and was intrigued enough to download a sample. When I got to the end of the sample, I bought the book and carried on reading.

It begins with a man running from a plane crash in the Arizona desert. He doesn't know who he is, or how he got there. All he knows is that he is there to save a man. There is a name in his suit: Solomon Creed; and a book in the pocket with the inscription: Gifted to Solomon Creed by James Coronado. He is convinced that James Coronado is the man he is there to save.

At the same time as the crash, in the historic cemetery on the hillside above the nearby town of Redemption, there is a funeral taking place. A man called James Coronado is being buried. Temporarily derailed from his mission, Creed gets involved with the townspeople fighting the fires started by the exploding plane. He realises that he knows exactly what needs to be done, without knowing how he knows.

As the book progresses Creed discovers within himself more skills, more knowledge, some of which horrifies him in its implications. But Creed is not the only one with secrets. There is something dangerous going on in Redemption, and a growing threat from across the border.

The story is well crafted, and well written. There is some violence without it being gorily graphic, and the use of strong language is confined to those for whom it seems quite natural - a refreshing change! This is a writer who is able to maintain pace and tension without resorting to cliches, and to startle you with an unexpected twist.

I want to read more by this author. ( )