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A Means to Evil
 
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A Means to Evil [Paperback]

John Trenhaile


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Product details

  • Paperback: 400 pages
  • Publisher: HarperCollins; New edition edition (24 Oct 1994)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0006479731
  • ISBN-13: 978-0006479734
  • Product Dimensions: 17.4 x 11.4 x 3.2 cm
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,717,467 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Product Description

Product Description

The peace of Paradise Bay, California, is shattered when a series of white youths are brutally murdered in the local cemetery. With the town gripped by suspicion and fear, the police turn for help to psychologist Diane Cheung, specialist in disturbed young offenders.

From the Back Cover

IN THE SHADOWS OF A TROUBLED MIND

The peace of Paradise Bay, California, is shattered when a series of young white males are murdered, their bodies mutilated, burned and left to rot in the local cemetery, notorious haunt of addicts and dropouts. With the town gripped by fear and suspicion, the police turn for help in establishing a profile of the killer to psychologist Diane Cheung, specialist in disturbed young offenders.

Diane is only too willing to assist – until the inquiry focuses on one of her own patients, Tobes Gascoign, her most intriguing and difficult case. Should Diane cooperate with the police, or protect her patient's trust? And is Tobes just a teenager gone wild, or could he really be a schizophrenic killer? These are questions that must be answered – and fast, for Tobes is getting dangerously involved with another of Diane's patients, ten-year-old Johnny Anderson.

“On the evidence of this outstanding psychological thriller, John Trenhaile's reputation as an author of real talent is well-founded. What starts off as a seemingly straightforward murder story develops with increasing and chilling fascination into one of the best novels I have read this year. It reaches a surprising climax, one of stunning intensity that jolts like an electric shock. A wonderful read”
DAILY NEWS

“Slick and fast-paced”
SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

“One of the top thriller writers”
MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS


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Customer Reviews

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:  2 reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Really, really bad 14 Sep 2006
By DWD - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Mass Market Paperback
John Trenhaile lives in England - and this is an important fact for the rest of this review. He lives in England and he has written a mystery set in California.

Now, it seems to me that a mystery set in 1990s California should feature characters that sound like Californians, behave like Californians and follow Californian police procedures. Instead, Trenhaile has characters that speak like they live in England, they behave like the English and they follow insanely ridiculous police procedures.

By page 150 of this 388 page book I was sick of the meandering story and the unprofessional behavior of the psychologist. But then I started to fold over the pages that had silly comments, unlikely technical achievements and flat out use of non-American English. I ended up with well over 30 folded pages.

Examples of non-American English:

Police chief yelling at reporters before a press conference: "Give way!...Give way to the front there!"

One of the policemen mentions that he talked to someone a "fortnight" ago. Fortnight is never used in America!

A character mentions that she wants to move away. She says that they should just "move house."

Bad facts:

He refers to the reporter at a local CBS affiliate station as a CBS reporter - that is never done in the United States. Reporters who work for a network affiliate always say that they work for the affiliate (WTHR or KABC, for example), not the network. That is because they DO NOT work for the network!

He has the police talking about executing someone via the Electric Chair in Cailifornia - California only uses lethal injection.

Technical impossibility:

A CD player is playing a CD when the power is cut at the fuse box. After several seconds, power is restored and the CD player resumes playing right where it stopped!

At the very least, Trenhaile should have had an American editor read the book to see if the dialogue sounded even close to true. Also, anyone who has worked a CD player would know that his description, while certainly dramatic when placed in its scene, is impossible.

But even more unforgivable is the boring, plodding, dragging, annoying first half of this book. Do not buy this dog - read the back of a cereal box instead!
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful
An interesting, creepy story. 8 July 1998
By Sheri in Reho - Published on Amazon.com
Format:Mass Market Paperback
While I was underwhelmed with this book at the beginning, it eventually reeled me in and got me involved with the characters and the mystery. The climax of the book is quite tense and effective. However, I was offended by some remarks made by the main character, psychologist Diane Cheung, during the final conflict. I haven't quite decided whether these close-minded views are those of the character or the author himself.

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