Product Description

The latest conspiracy thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling author. Jack Whalen was an LAPD patrol cop for twelve years. He left in difficult circumstances and now he's not really sure what he is. He's not too sure about his wife, either -- when she goes missing on a routine business trip to Seattle, Jack heads up there to find her: only to discover she's not really missing after all. Over the coming days it becomes increasingly clear that something has changed, however -- and is still changing. Jack is meanwhile contacted by a childhood acquaintance, Gary Fisher. Fisher's a lawyer now, and wants help in solving an odd little mystery concerning a businessman's will. The further Jack digs, the bigger the mystery seems to be -- and the stranger Fisher becomes. And in Oregon, a ten-year-old girl goes missing. It gradually becomes clear that she's at least partly in control of the situation, however -- and also that she's very far from defenceless. Searching for answers in the dark secrets of a past that still haunts him, Jack discovers that the truth has roots deeper and darker than he ever feared.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #177354 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-02
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 416 pages

Review
Praise for Michael Marshall: 'A definite page-turner -- and a terrifying discourse on the nature of human evil and the darkness among us ... this is as fierce as thriller writing can get.' Guardian 'The taut pace, crisp style and ever-present sense of menace are those of a top-drawer thriller.' Telegraph 'Marshall is a cracker at writing tense, rich scenes.' Observer 'Just when you think there's nothing new under the sun in the world of the suspense novel, along comes one hell of a nasty spider called The Straw Men. It's brilliantly written and scary as hell. Be the first on your block to stay up all night with this one; it's a masterpiece, reminding us that even paranoids really do have enemies.' Stephen King

Potent, character-driven thriller about personality manipulation and brainwashing.Marshall (The Straw Men, 2002) ignites his exciting narrative in a clever, back-handed fashion with a gruesome double murder followed by an initially baffling flashback to the suicide of a girl named Donna. It all comes together when successful Chicago lawyer Gary Fisher calls up Jack Whalen, a former high-school acquaintance who offered some words of comfort after Donna killed herself over Gary. Why does Fisher want to see him? Because Whalen used to be with the LAPD and is now a writer living in Seattle, where that double murder took place. Its victims were the wife and son of Bill Anderson, an inventor linked to an estate Fisher's law firm is handling. Fisher convinces Whalen to investigate the case further. After all, the writer's not getting much work done while worrying about the strange behavior of his wife Amy. An advertising exec who travels frequently, she's been failing to turn up in places she's supposed to be or disappearing altogether for no discernible reason. She's also been frequenting a bogus storefront office in downtown Seattle in the company of other oddly acting characters. Meanwhile, a missing nine-year-old girl whose memory has been erased turns up at various places in Seattle, including Amy's advertising offices, displaying a new and strangely mature personality. All of these changeling personages have contact at some point with a dangerous creep who calls himself Federal Agent Shepherd. Marshall uses Fisher's and Whalen's personal histories to give some chilling psychological depth to his spooky portrait of disgruntled obsessives forming secret societies to search for "hidden truths." Subtle, satisfying - and really scary. (Kirkus Reviews)

Synopsis
The latest conspiracy thriller from the Sunday Times bestselling author. Jack Whalen was an LAPD patrol cop for twelve years. He left in difficult circumstances and now he's not really sure what he is. He's not too sure about his wife, either -- when she goes missing on a routine business trip to Seattle, Jack heads up there to find her: only to discover she's not really missing after all. Over the coming days it becomes increasingly clear that something has changed, however -- and is still changing. Jack is meanwhile contacted by a childhood acquaintance, Gary Fisher. Fisher's a lawyer now, and wants help in solving an odd little mystery concerning a businessman's will. The further Jack digs, the bigger the mystery seems to be -- and the stranger Fisher becomes. And in Oregon, a ten-year-old girl goes missing. It gradually becomes clear that she's at least partly in control of the situation, however -- and also that she's very far from defenceless. Searching for answers in the dark secrets of a past that still haunts him, Jack discovers that the truth has roots deeper and darker than he ever feared.

From the Back Cover
The stunning new psychological thriller from the bestselling author of The Straw Men.

When ex-LAPD patrol cop Jack Whalen's wife goes missing on a routine business trip to Seattle, his world is shaken.

Meanwhile a ten-year-old girl vanishes from a beach in Oregon after an encounter with a sinister stranger - but it gradually becomes clear that she's very far from defencelessness ...

Searching for answers in the shadowy secrets of a past that still haunts him, Jack discovers that the truth has roots deeper and darker than he ever feared.

Customer Reviews

what a let down.
After reading straw men, which by the way I thought was a great, great read, this was like walking under water.To finish it was a trial in its self ,I thought it so poor that I have been seriously put of anything else by this guy.
His main man in the book is an author, who worries he only has one book in him, I'm thinking, yes right - thats you !
And to make matters worse I bought the book in hard back, big mistake.

The first MM(S) book I had to force myself to finish!
It's all relative - Michael Marshall is without doubt one of my favourite authors. USAULLY you'll get vicious wit, heart-felt insights into human nature, abrupt philosophical tangents, great narrative arcs and if you're lucky, some truly disturbing imagery! Whether it's the older Sci-Fi stuff, or the highly enjoyable departure from the good old 'Smith' days - The Straw Men trilogy.

Unfortunately, these devices were used sparingly in The Intruders and I just didn't 'get' it. Not in a plot sense (in fact, for a story that takes SO long to develope, it ultimately becomes a little predictable) but rather in a 'how is this so below par?' kind of way.

I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and hope that this is simply a tantalising opener to an ongoing, epic series - but if you're looking for the usual fast paced 'ride', I reckon you'll be disappointed.

The genres blur a little for MM
The return of the "Derren Brown" of mystery thriller/SCIFI writers. This is a strong book, well paced and personally written. Characters you care about is MM's (and MMS's) major trademark and he has flipped between thriller and SCIFI genres with I(M) Banksian ease. Until now.
The Intruders tries to get its toast buttered both sides and to be fair does get away with it but it will jar with the first time reader or someone who has only read The Straw Men. The rug is not so much pulled away as taken in the back, burned and replaced with a martian one.

All in all though I loved it- as a fan who's been following everything since Only Forward it does give the best of both worlds. The section around 3/4 of the way through concerning a film of a young daughter's disturbed sleep is one of the creepiest ever moments for MM. You will want to sleep with the light on.

There are a few black comedy moments, but unusually not many for MM. There is a consistently serious tone throughout, peppered with only the blackest of humour.
4 stars, now bring on "The Servants" !