Point Blank by Catherine Coulter falls into the "thriller" genre.  But it's not very thrilling.  In fact, I'm afraid it's quite lame, and caused me to question whether I want to continue reading this author's books.

We have two stories at the same time.  Married FBI detectives Savitch and Sherlock (first introduced in The Maze) are chasing a sadistic killer, one who seems to hunt randomly, and occasionally calls Savitch to taunt him.  The killer calls himself Moses and tells Savitch that his current spree is just the warm-up.  The main event will be killing both Savitch and his wife.  Apparently, Moses is upset with Savitch for events from Savitch's past, events that took place in a prior novel.

The other story involves an FBI agent named Ruth who decides to go treasure-hunting in a cave.  Armed only with an ancient map that she hopes is legitimate, Ruth sets out alone, without letting anyone know her plans.  Not too bright, I must say.  Something goes terribly awry in the cave, and the next thing we know, Ruth is found semi-conscious in the woods, with no memory of who she is.

The two stories collide as Ruth, Savitch, and Sherlock all work together to try to solve the first story, while at the same time, trying to figure out what happened to Ruth in the cave.

The stories were OK, I guess.  But the whole book disappoints. 

While the main characters were all OK, the minor characters were some of the sorriest losers I've ever "met".  The family that takes Ruth in seems nice enough, but their extended family are a bunch of whack jobs.  Cousins, uncles, in-laws - you name it - if they're part of the family, they're completely nuts. 

Then there was the dialogue.  The constant bickering between Savitch and Sherlock became tiresome very quickly.  Sure, it all comes form love, and a need to protect each other, but how many times do we have to sit through him asking her to stay back, out of harm's way, and her response that she's a grown adult (not to mention a trained FBI agent) and can take care of herself.  Once or twice would be fine, but this theme is repeated far too many times.

Then there were the teenage boys in the story.  They didn't actually say "Aw Shucks", "Golly" or "Gee Wilikers" but they may as well have.  Let's just say that I don't know any teenagers who speak to adults the way these kids do.  I felt like I was watching a 50's sitcom.

As if all of this isn't bad enough, we have the ending of the book.  Extremely disappointing.  While I'm not someone who needs everything tied up in a bow, it would be nice if some of my questions were answered.  Instead, Ms. Coulter leaves quite a few dangling threads.  I suppose the purpose is to lure readers into the next book of the series, but I won't be led there so quickly, not after this disaster.

Also by Catherine Coulter:

Blind Side

The Maze


Recommended: No