Prayer
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3.0 • 29 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
Acclaimed for his historical mysteries, the New York Times bestselling author of the Bernie Gunther series seamlessly shifts to a present-day setting in this intense psychological thriller.
Gil Martins, an agent with the FBI’s Domestic Terrorism Unit in Houston, sees the violence wrought by extremists of all kinds. Gil has always been on the side of justice—until he learns something that shakes his faith in the system, in himself, and in God. Desperate, he prays, begging to know God is there. When a serial killer begins targeting the morally righteous at the same time that a number of secular icons come under attack, Gil realizes that his prayers are being answered in a most terrifying way.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Edgar-finalist Kerr takes a break from his Bernie Gunther PI series (Prague Fatale, etc.) with this provocative standalone set mainly in present-day Texas. Houston FBI agent Gil Martins usually handles domestic terrorism, but he can't resist pursuing a case involving the deaths of several prominent atheists around the country in circumstances that seem to rule out foul play, but that also don't accord with accident or suicide. Martins, who has lost his Catholic faith, faces an uphill battle, persuading his bosses to authorize his probe, but once he's done so, he finds himself drawn into a complex mystery with highly personal implications. Meanwhile, a serial killer nicknamed St. Peter is targeting do-gooders. Despite references to The Turn of the Screw, the plot owes more to ghost-story writer M.R. James than to Henry. Evocative phrasing ("Dawn crept up onto the edge of the horizon like a thin trail of blood seeping slowly through a dull gray blanket") is another plus in this exceptional thriller.
Customer Reviews
Disappointing
Kerr’s knowledge of the US Scene was lightweight compared with the extremely informed work covering Germany and Austria in the pre and post-WW2 years.
The ending was more Steven King fantasy than typical Kerr crime novel. OK for those who like that sort of thing but not what Iw was looking for or expecting.
Boring
I skimmed through most of it hoping for a better ending, but it never materialized. SyFy at its worst
The worst
There is no redeeming value to this book! Not the protagonist, not the FBI, not the bad guy, not the love interest, not God, not the Protestant church, not the catholic church, no one and nothing in this book is redeemable. There is no "show down" between good and evil because there is no good, all is evil.
I've read all of Philip Kerr's "Bernie Gunther" series most of which I liked a lot. This book, however, is not good, Kerr writes about God as a mythical figure quoting scripture out of context and historically incorrect
You better try again, but I don't know if I'll be up for any more of your writing.