Midnight Rambler: A Novel of Suspense (ISBN 0345475461)

Midnight Rambler: A Novel of Suspense:
It was a very good read, kept you interested from beginning to end. I question some of the intuitive leaps he made during investigation, but I suppose if finding "lost" kids, etc. is your life's commitment and you have been doing it for years, then I suppose those leaps become second nature. Highly recommend this book

Uneven Thriller:
Midnight Rambler appears to be the first of a series featuring Jack Carpenter, a disgraced ex-cop, almost broke PI, who has a talent for finding "lost" children. The locale is the well worked ground of Southern Florida. Jack is a likeable protagonist - loving husband (although estranged from his wife), father (college age daughter) and dog owner (said dog borders on being a "partner" joining Jack on every road trip). Jack has a sense of humor, a temper, an exercise regimen, a set of seedy friends and enough "connections" to keep him informed or provide back-up and special favors when necessary. The plot revolves around the villain/case that sent Jack packing from the Police Dept. with his tail between his legs and now he has a chance to redeem himself. So all the formulaic "private eye bases" are covered. First the bad news. The plausibility factor is at times stretched beyond belief - the "bad guy", (with a genius IQ), manipulates the justice system, its associated players and his henchmen with an expertise that borders on farce. Poor Jack with his "past" is constantly fighting an uphill battle in the credibility department with no one giving him the benefit of the doubt until the end. The good news is that there are some extremely entertaining and poignant vignettes - for instance a kidnapping attempt at Disney World and the advice/solution Jack gives/provides to wealthy parents about the "disappearance" of their daughter. Part of my "problem" with this book was the expectation level I had based on the previous reviews. Midnight Rambler is not a bad book - I just didn't find it a great thriller - simply an "average" one.

Midnight Rambler:
Midnight Rambler (2007) is the story of an ex-cop whose career was destroyed by his violence against a serial killer who used a Rolling Stones song while torturing his victims. Jack ran the Missing Persons Division in Broward County Florida before leaving the force, and continues privately in that field while still trying to figure out what Simon Skell, the Midnight Rambler, did with the bodies of his victims. Then the body of one of the victims is discovered, and forensic evidence suggests that the wrong man may have been jailed. With his faithful dog, Buster, at his side, Jack races against the clock to gather new evidence to keep Skell behind bars. This thriller leaves much of the violence off-stage while keeping all of the tension front and center. Jack is a sympathetic protagonist, empathetic yet tough, and unlike most ex-cops in crime fiction, Jack does not struggle with alcohol addiction! http://www.stopyourekillingme.com/S_Authors/Swain_James.html

ITS OK, NOTHING GREAT:
From reading the reviews, I expected a much better story/plot than MIDNIGHT RAMBLER actually has. Its not bad, but... (1) The story was never very suspenseful. (2) The "I'm having bad luck, world is unfairly against me" attitude of the main character wore thin after awhile. (3) The author irritated me by having the main character, an experienced, trained ex-police officer make dumb mistakes and overlook obvious facts and clues, in order to apparently add suspense and extend the plot line, which added nothing to the quality of the story. (4) The climax was rather ho-hum... not really very climatic. The book was not bad, but I'll not read another by this author. There are much better books and much better authors out there. I'm also tired of a mystery writer creating another cliche'd down-and-out, financially broke, marriage-the-rocks, career-in-the-toilet, abandoned-by-fellow-police officers main character.

A great premise spread much too thin:
Let me start by saying that there are some good aspects to this book. The plot moves quickly and the basic premise of a serial killer tying his crimes to the lyrics of a Rolling Stones song is intriguing, like Charles Manson and Helter Skelter. Even though it has been done by many and to much greater effect, I actually like the ex-cop down on his luck character. It basically frees him up to handle things his own way with nothing to guide him but is own moral code. From that starting point almost anything can happen which is crucial for a thriller. And most of all I liked Jack Carpenter's niche: finding missing children. The profiling, and special forensics and intense investigation is fascinating. That said, I found the characters, dialogue and writing style of James Swain to be very weak. Almost all of the characters are placed in the story to be a prop to aid the plot as it stumbles along. Each is very one dimensional and since we don't get to spend much time getting to know these folks it is very hard to generate any feelings for them, good or bad. I am sure that Simon Skell is a deeply disturbed and evil man but only because Jack Carpenter, the protagonist, tells me so. Unfortunately, Skell is only a name because we don't get to meet him until the very end and then only very briefly. I really wanted to hate this guy but I never got the chance. The lawyer, Snook, is a real slimeball but we didn't get a chance to spend any time with him, coming away with a slimy feeling. Even the good guys (and girls) in the story are held at arms length so I felt no connection. I want some good snappy dialogue that gives some insight into who these people are. And I want to feel some emotion: fear, dread, worry, anger, elation, and joy. Quite frankly, I felt robbed. Finally, the setting. Florida is a great place to set a book and lots of authors have brought the sights, sounds, smells and even tastes to life (MacDonald, Hiaason, Hall). But I got very little atmosphere from Swain. Again, there is much to like, especially if you aren't too demanding of your thrillers. I would love for this series to improve because I would love to follow Jack Carpenter around while he finds and returns children to their families. I hope the next book is a giant step forward.