Midnight Rambler: A Novel of Suspense | 
| Author: James Swain
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $8.00
You Save: $16.95 (68%)
New (44) Used (25) Collectible (5) from $7.30
Avg. Customer Rating:  53 reviews
Sales Rank: 21909
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 368
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.2
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 7 x 1.3
ISBN: 0345475461
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.54
EAN: 9780345475466
ASIN: 0345475461
Publication Date: September 25, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Explosive. Pulse-pounding. Heart-racing. From the bestselling author The Wall Street Journal hails as “one terrific writer,” Midnight Rambler is the breakout thriller of the year–a brawny, brainy novel of suspense that pairs James Swain’s trademark smooth-as-silk prose with a plot bigger and bolder than anything he’s done before.
In South Florida, Jack Carpenter is infamous. He’s the cop who busted the notorious serial killer Simon Skell–aka the Midnight Rambler–and sacrificed his badge and marriage in the process. Haunted by the Skell case, Carpenter now works as an abduction specialist in Fort Lauderdale, reuniting families with their missing children.
But the body of one of the Midnight Rambler’s victims has just been uncovered–and forensic evidence suggests Carpenter jailed the wrong man. With Skell just days away from release, the tarnished hero must reopen the case that shattered his life and the lives of eight murdered women.
As waves of heat and rain wash over the steamy streets, Carpenter races against the clock to reaffirm the case against Skell. Yet the deeper he digs, the more he starts to realize that Skell is just one piece in a terrifying puzzle of predation and murder, just one player in a shocking conspiracy that ranges across the state of Florida. And as the relentless Carpenter draws the net tighter, his enemies prepare to spring a devastating final surprise.
From the seaside bar that Jack Carpenter calls home to the glittering tourist kingdom in Orlando to the funky jungle of Coconut Grove, James Swain unleashes a wild ride into the heart of evil–with the Rolling Stones’ “Midnight Rambler” as the throbbing, terrifying soundtrack.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 48 more reviews...
 Beautifully crafted thriller July 8, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I've heard quite a bit about this one and the rumors are true. It's an excellent thriller that employs some absolutely brilliant plotting to keep readers hooked. I also appreciated the deft characterizations and keen sense of place. I'd recommend Midnight Rambler to all fans of tense, exciting fiction.
 Wonderful! June 23, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
A friend gave me this book and we have passed it around my family. Well written, plausible, great action ride and characters...I have ordered his other books and am in the process of enjoying the Tony Valentine series as well (also great fun!). If you are looking for an author who is not a household name, therefore writing with intriguing ideas and not just to put another book under his name, this is your man. We loved it!
Swain does it again June 21, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I've been a big fan of Swain from the begining. I was not sure what to expect from this novel when I bought it, but Midnight Rambler is a sucessful departure from his Tony Valentine series. Jack Carpenter was a very exciting character in his doggged persuit of the evil mad man Simon Skell. This was a difficult book for me to put down. I recomend it to all looking for a great thriller.
more kudos for well-written book June 17, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
As James Swain has said: "I write fiction, but I want it based on fact."
The Tony Valentine books are just that. And they have stood the test of time because of the methodicl research Swain completes prior to writing.
He notes in an interview that, as he researched child abductions for this thriller, he came to have a great appreciation of the work done by those who try to recover lost children. The book contains examples of many methods used by child abductors.
Jack Carpenter is a retired cop who specialized in missing persons. But he had to leave the force because of allegations he beat up serial killer Simon Skell,his last case. Skell was convicted of 8 serial murders based on Carpenter's evidence, and is now in jail in Starke. But Carpenter is not out of the reach of Skell,and new forensic evidence may clear Skell and get him out of prison.
Carpenter must find a way of proving once and for all, that Skell is guilty, and to exonerate himself in the eyes of the law and his former police colleagues.
The plot, as noted in a jacket quote by Michael Connelley, "moves like a bullet train on overdrive." This is true, and my suggestion for readers is to leave a few hours of uninterrupted freedom to read the book; it is not one you want to put down until finished.
Along the way you will learn about some of the devious ways child abductors work. Truly fascinating to read,and frightening to think about.
(Any parent of young children would be well-advised to read this book for its potential value in keeping their children safe. And yes, it may scare some, and that is not such a bad idea.)
And finally, many of Swain's fellow writers attest to the intelligence about writing he displays; that intelligence is on display in this book.
cal branche
Really Good June 16, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I only have time to read a few books a year. This one was great. The action never stops. I hope they make it into a movie. I was hooked from the first page. I'm now going to read Swain's other books. If their half as good as this one then he's got a new fan.
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