Steven James's The Bishop~ Reviewed

THE BISHOP
By: Steven James
Published by:Revell
ISBN#978-0800733025
523 Pages

Back Cover:

FBI Special Agent Patrick Bowers's cutting-edge 21st-century geospatial investigative techniques and impeccable logic have helped him track some of the country's most grisly killers. But those skills are pushed to the limit in this new installment of the highly-acclaimed, award-winning The Bowers Files series. This time it's a congressman's daughter who is found dead even as her killers launch a spree of perfect murders in the Northeast. With nothing to link the crimes to each other, Agent Bowers faces his most difficult case yet--even as his personal life begins to crumble around him.

REVIEW:

The Pawn, the Rook, the Knight and now the Bishop, Steven James has written another gripping tale, adding to the Patrick Bower’s legacy. I literally could not put it down.

Steven James (a man with two first names) has a way of using words to draw us into the story and the characters like few writers do. The sun doesn’t rise, it “cut through my window.”

His imagery and technical expertise make me forget I am reading a book. I feel like I am living in the story. He writes in first person for Patrick Bowers and third person for everyone else, but there is no doubt that you are in the mind of each character every second.

His books are about an FBI Agent who is an expert in Geo Profiling. Patrick pursues serial killers and is the best at what he does. His relationships are a constant struggle. He is a recent widow, trying to be a father to his step daughter, who is dealing with her mother’s death. I will say no more than this about his life’s challenges, other than to say that the books can be intense. Understand that there are serial killers, victims and crime scenes involved.

The worst part of the books for me, is the last part because I am so wrapped up in the story and the pure suspense, that I will not sleep again until I am finished.

One other aspect I must mention about Steven’s books; the intelligence of the discussions/ truth seeking/ debates that take place in them. He introduces concepts and ideas and discusses them in a way that keeps the reader’s full attention. There are many “I didn’t know that, hey honey, did you know that…?” moments in his books. Without encroaching on this I will mention that the issue of humanism and morals are explored in depth in the series. There is never a resolution, (yet anyway) just questions and exploration and in this sense I think of Steven’s writing style as “mind candy” for the reader.

If you like suspense, and can handle the intensity go get this book! BUT if you haven’t read the Pawn, the Rook and the Knight first, well break out the piggy bank and get them all!

I pity you though, because your calendar is going to suffer until you finish these, once you wade in, you won’t be able to stop. Now I have to figure out how I will make it until next year for the Queen… oh and I just hope that 2012 will be the year of the King?

Reviewed by; Fred St.Laurent
The Book Club Network