Cookie Cutter | 
| Author: Sterling Anthony
Publisher: One World/Ballantine
Category: Book
List Price: $24.00
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Avg. Customer Rating:  68 reviews
Sales Rank: 1260577
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1st ed
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.6 x 6.6 x 1.2
ISBN: 0345426045
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780345426048
ASIN: 0345426045
Publication Date: November 2, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
If you see him you will not know him. If you greet him, it may be too late. For every image you have of a murderer--he will defy it. And he will make you pay . . .
COOKIE CUTTER
For the Shaw family, the nightmare begins in a small, ranch-style house outside a dusty Alabama town. A black man in his late twenties. A white woman in her teens. And an unborn baby, about to emerge into a scene of horrific, fear-driven violence.
Thirty years later, the crime committed in Alabama resurfaces in the Motor City--and detective Mary Cunningham is spearheading the investigation. Haunted by the demons of her past, and by the painful choices she has made as a black professional woman on her way to the top, Mary knows she is not searching for just another loser with a knife. The man she is looking for is smart, plotting his murders with cool precision and leaving behind one taunting clue: a single cookie, black on the outside and white inside, pressed into his victims' hands.
Then Mary and her fellow detectives get their break and come face-to-face with the murderer. But Mary can never guess the twisted history that is driving her suspect, or how his political connections will affect the case, or why she herself could be his next, perfect prey.
A work of stunning psychological suspense featuring one of the most complex villains in recent literature, Cookie Cutter is more than a compelling thriller. It is also a gritty, passionate tale of family and lovers, crime and politics, and the black experience in America--on both sides of the law.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 63 more reviews...
 You'll never look at an Oreo cookie the same way again June 19, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Ironically, the horrific events of Cookie Cutter have their origin in an act of love some thirty years past, when young black man, mortician Isaac Shaw, has sex with a white girl, the confused Annie Parsons, daughter of one of Bent Fork, Alabama's most prominent and powerful citizens. Shaw impregnates the girl, but doesn't find out until the birth is imminent; in fact, Annie is so upset by his obvious self interest that she gives birth on the night she tells him. Tragically, she dies in childbirth, leaving Shaw with a baby on his hands.
Shaw conceals Annie's body inside another patron's coffin and concocts a tale explaining the baby's presence, telling his barren wife that the child was literally left on his doorstep with a note requesting that he care for the child. The Shaws adopt the child, whom they name Eugene.
Shaw's deceit unravels a few years later, as his wife, and, unbeknownst to him, his son, discover his infidelity. The disclosure rocks his marriage, and utterly unsettles his son--already subject to the taunts of black classmates due to his light coloring, Eugene also carries the burden of his father's sins against his absent mother. The conflicted Eugene, who thinks of himself as black on the inside even though he is white on the outside, develops a maniacal hatred of other blacks he deems Oreos, blacks who in another time would have been referred to as Uncle Toms. He carries his hatred with him when his family settles in Detroit, where his father quickly establishes himself as a player in local business and politics.
As an adult, Eugene is fiercely proud of his black heritage, utilizing predominantly black themes in his popular artwork. His hate, which has festered for three decades, begins to emerge in violent ways, compelling him to attack those he deems have betrayed their race by capitulating with whites. Using a ceremonial African blade as a weapon, Eugene kills an auto executive, a radio personality, and a political activist who advocates the destruction of equal opportunity; due to his habit of leaving an Oreo Cookie in the hands of his victims, he is quickly deemed "The Cookie Cutter," by the media.
His exploits bring him into direct conflict with motor city Detective Mary Cunningham, who's also suffered the effects of prejudice--a black woman, she's had to struggle to succeed in the male bastion of law enforcement. Distracted by personal problems, Cunningham is not quite as efficient as she could be, relying on a stroke of luck to identify the killer. Even then, she doesn't have the proof necessary to bring him in. Cunningham decides to offer herself as bait, a choice that may turn out to be lethal.
Cookie Cutter is billed as "A novel of psychological suspense," and, for what it's worth, is mostly successful on that level--it's a gritty tale, full of violence and mayhem, utilizing an engaging cast of credible, realistic characters. Anthony also throws in some surprises that border on the horrific, as when he at one point reveals just how Eugene achieves the uncanny level of realism he portrays in his paintings. But Anthony aim is higher than mere entertainment; the book can be taken as social commentary as well. Probing the minds of his tow characters, Anthony indirectly covers many arguments dealing with the irrationality of prejudice, at the same time asking the questions, What does it mean to be black? What does it mean to be white? Who decides? Doing so, he reveals extremes and subtlties. Eugene acts irrationally, striking out against those who don't meet his standards of blackness; Cunningham misses several opportunities to capture Eugene because she assumes the killer will look like her conception of a black man, rather than Eugene's lighter appearance. Even supporting characters lend a hand. When Cunningham accuses her Italian partner of stereotyping blacks, he counters that his insights are just as valid as hers, reminding her he too must deal with stereotypes surrounding his origins.
A page turner by any standards, Cookie Cutter is at once a thriller, twisted family saga, and commentary on the cancer of prejudice that permeates American society . An auspicious debut from a promising first time novelist, it is a rare animal among suspense novels--a book that forces you to question your own worldview even while you're being entertained.
 Simply Wonderful January 4, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Detroit homicide lieutenant Mary Cunningham tracks an elusive serial killer who disappears into the night. These are not just random murders considering the victims are all black, stabbed multiple times, and their fingers folded around a cookie that is black on the outside and white on the inside. This killer is handing out his own twisted brand of justice to racial sellouts. It's going to take all of Mary's professional skills to capture this culprit.
Cookie Cutter is an amazing mystery by Sterling Anthony. It had all the right elements that a mystery should have. The killer's motivation for the murders was innovative and dynamic. Cookie Cutter was released back in 1999 under One World/Ballantine Books. This novel was the start of what I thought would have been a wonderful writing career for Sterling Anthony. Unfortunately, this was his one and only novel. For whatever reason, it truly is a shame that he did not get to continue his literary career.
The Diary of a Mad Keebler Elf. October 9, 2003
"Bloody" Mary Cunningham must catch a killer with a very unique theme. Certain african-americans are being executed because of their politics, precisely those that lend themselves to be catagorized as 'sell-outs'. After each murder, an oreo cookie is left in their hands as a sign of their betrayal of their race. The clock is ticking, because the race for mayor is under way, and it especially turns ugly when the killer seems to be connected. Characters seem to be inserted when there was no need for them, but further along, the pieces begin to fit and the story moves even further. Kudos for an original story, a determined dectective, and, with luck, another continuing mystery.
Hot as July June 1, 2002
I bought several books for my usual summer reading, and as usual, I skimmed the first few pages of each to decide which one I would read first. Cookie Cutter grabbed me from the start. Not only did I read it first, but I did so within a short period. This imaginative twist on the serial killer formula contained driven characters who were always in motion right up to the exciting climax. Hopefully, by next summer, the author will have another offering to kick-start my reading season.
Great supporting cast November 8, 2001
The main plot was carried by the protagonist and the protagonist, in this case the cop and the killer. That's the way it should be. But this book had a strong supporting cast of characters that played out several subplots and made the book more textured and twisting. Issac(the undertaker) was my favorite but others deserve mention, such as Precious (the addict)and Mocha (the girlfriend of the villian). The main characters of any story can't do it alone. In this story they had a lot of good help.
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