Into Thin Air Paperback – December 3, 2010

It had the chance to explore in-depth the twisted mind of a serial child abductor/rapist but it skirted this tricky issue with overlong scenes and pages about the runaway babysitter cooped up in a downtown restaurant that been tedious and repetitive. With flashbacks into Paul Greber's childhood too few and far between, the reader doesn't get the full sense of what this despicable character has been through himself, and therefore, struggles to at least understand (but of course not agree with, his motivations). Every monster has his own story, which fails to reveal itself here. I liked the Essie character but her parents seem little more than caricatures, unable to be there for their daughter for one second. The scenes between the boy and Paul had true potential to be cringe-worthy, but missed their mark. The end was rather predictable and foreseen.

This is Stan Washburn's second Toby Parkman and Walt Kramer novel, intellectual friends who joined the Police Dept when Toby's job folded and Walt's bookshop declined (introduced in INtent to Harm). It is a very compelling story that will horrify you as you read the criminal's modus operandi (and his job!) and chill you as you read of his treatment of his young victim. Equally compelling is his characterisation of the other main protagonist, an adolescent girl accused of carelessness by her own parents. The author really takes the reader into the mind of this girl as she struggles to come to terms and cope withy the consequences of her (to me) perfectly reasonable actions and behaviour.His portrayals of the police are realistic - they make mistakes and have bad days, just like all the rest of us. The depictions of the police actions and investigations seem very real to me and rely on verifiable information and facts rather than the 'intuitive leaps' some authors like to overuse.It is hard to say too much without giving away the plot, but I found it impossible to put this book down on the first reading and having just re-read it again found it hard to stop when it was way past my normal time for bed! If you like a good police investigation novel with a twist you'll love this.I hope there are many more Toby & Walt investigations to come!