Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #518516 in Books
• Published on: 2002-08-05
• Binding: Paperback
• 400 pages

Synopsis
The Straw Men is the most eagerly anticipated book of the year. Michael Marshall's unique voice adds a chilling intensity to the serial-killer plot, combining dazzling narrative, a white-hot pace and a deeply disturbing backdrop of conspiracy. Sarah tries to struggle, but the man holds her. The scream never makes it out of her throat. 'Nobody watching,' the man says with hateful calm. 'I made it this way. I can walk where nobody sees.' The Straw Men. They kill people. Any people. And soon they'll get around to you. Sarah Becker is the fifth girl to be abducted by this maniac. Judging from the state of the bodies that have been found, her long hair will be hacked off and she will be tortured. She has about a week to live. Former LA homicide detective John Zandt has an inside track on the perpetrator -- his own daughter was one of his victims two years ago. But the key to Sarah's whereabouts lies with Ward Hopkins, a man with a past so secret not even he knows about it. His parents have just died in a car accident, but they leave Ward a very strange message that leads him to question everything he once believed to be true.

As he begins to investigate his own past Ward finds himself drawn into the shadowy, sinister world of the Straw Men -- and into the desperate race to find Sarah, before her time runs out.

Customer Reviews

For Goodness sake read this
Having been recommended "Spares" by MMS I read it and liked it very much but when it ventured into fantasy/sci-fi I felt it wasn't for me although a good book. I found Straw Men in an oxfam bookshop and decided to give it a go. What a find. I absolutely loved this book. It is an absolute thriller with twists, turns, humour, horror all rolled into one by an author who is articulate and intelligent. What is not apparent is that this is the first of a trilogy. The second book is The Lonely Dead and the third is Blood of Angels. Have just finished The Lonely Dead which is good. Is quite fast paced and builds up on the relationships from the first book, and I think is probably setting up the finale (I hope) for the final book which I have just started, and looks very promising. I really do recommend this. The subject matter is not very pleasant but MM manages to do this without venturing into gore and too much detail which is pretty impressive. If you want a page turner, this is it. Enjoy. :)

Starts well...but.
Michael Marshall Smith writes so, so well. His books are so readable and I found myself reading through this book at pace. I won't give away the plot, but the first half of this book kept me utterly enthralled because I could not guess where he was taking me. He has the ability to create rich, emphatic characters at will and think up great ideas and plots...but.

But, like the two other books of his I have read, it starts off great and then, kind of, fizzles out. He doesn't know where to go and just ends up with a pretty run-of-the-mill thriller that just feels a bit of a let down. It's full of ideas, full of great writing, but it doesn't go anywhere.

I will still read his books because one day he is going to write a real cracker and I want to be there when that happens.

Don't miss out on this one.....Fab
I happened to pick up this book in passing, read the backcover and thought ok this soons interesting. I had not read any of the author's work before but I just couldn't put in down. It was amazing, it just reached out and grabed you. If you enjoy a fast moving scary book go for it....I loved it and am now a comitted fan and have just finished reading The lonely Dead.