Snakes & Ladders [Paperback]

When staying alive is the only game worth playing...

Detective Jacob Striker has had more than his fair share of brushes with death. But this one really shocks him. When he is called to attend a suicide at a decrepit apartment on the bad side of town, the case unexpectedly brings him one step closer to home. This time the victim is not just another sad statistic - the end product of mental illness and drug addiction - this time it's someone Striker knows and cares about.

And one thing is obvious to Striker: this wasn't a suicide.

LIFE

Striker's investigation quickly leads him to the Riverglen Mental Health Facility. The victim was a patient from the support group overseen by psychiatrist Dr Erich Overmann. And when Striker discovers that Larisa Logan - a dear friend of his, is also a patient of Dr Overmann - has gone missing, his investigation goes into overdrive.

OR

Racing against time and a chilling adversary, Striker searches desperately for Larisa. It is a dangerous game they play, where on right step can catapult you to a place of dominance - and one wrong step can leave you sliding to your doom.

DEATH?

Jacob Striker comes across as an engaging lead. He is driven to locate his missing friend and won't let bureaucracy stand in his way of getting to the truth. He has various run-ins with authority figures, and I always found myself willing Striker on. He has an old school approach to his investigation and tends to go with his gut. He'll take a chance and is willing to make intuitive leaps.

The dynamic between Striker and his partner Felicia was somewhat unexpected. They work together but there is a deeper relationship that causes a certain amount of friction between them both. I liked the unpredictability that this added to the narrative. The volatile spark this creates ensures that things never get boring while the partners try to unravel the mystery.

One of the things I particularly liked is the fact that the author includes a number of chapters written from the perspective of Striker's opponent. The reader gets to learn the motivations behind the person who is running rings around the authorities. You get inside their head and get a genuine sense of the chaos and cunning that resides there. I wouldn't dream of giving away any spoilers, but suffice to say that this character, known only as The Adder, is one extremely sick puppy.

A few years ago I read some crime fiction by another Canadian author called Michael Slade. Slade's novels are also set in Vancouver and were so dark that the stories seemed to exist somewhere in the thin line between crime and horror fiction. Sean Slater's writing puts me in mind of that work. Both authors have a certain flair when it comes to digging into the darker side of the human psyche. The psychological elements that are played upon in this story tread some pretty harrowing ground.

After a bit of investigation of my own I confirmed my suspicion that Snakes and Ladders is the second title to feature Jacob Striker. There is another novel called The Survivor, which is already available. Though I have not read this I don't think this detracted from my enjoyment of Snakes and Ladders. I picked up on a couple of references that must relate to the first novel but not knowing this backstory wasn't a particular hindrance. If anything I'm more inclined now to seek out the first book and fill in the blanks.

Snakes and Ladders is published by Simon and Schuster and is available now.

The follow up thriller from Sean Slater to the excellent debut `The Survivor' and Jacob Striker, the renegade Vancouver Homicide Detective is back investigating a series of suspicious suicides linked to the Riverglen Mental Health Facility. Under the auspices of the well-respected psychiatrist Dr Ostermann, Striker delves deeper into the workings of this institution to discover why some of its most vulnerable patients have become murder victims and sets about saving another patient struggling to avoid the clutches of a determined killer. The book is punctuated with vignettes charting the working of the killer's mind as Striker and his feisty female partner Felicia delve deeper into the family life of Dr Ostermann and discover the dark secrets that lie within...

Drawing on his own background as a Vancouver police officer in some of the toughest neighbourhoods, Slater has created a truly plausible and likeable character in Striker. I love the way that any renegade action Striker undertakes is loosely based on his credo of `extigent circumstances' that backs up his often foolhardy but well-intentioned actions to trap the killer, dragging the more circumspect Felicia in his wake as the voice of reason. Striker makes no effort to pacify his superiors and remains single-minded and determined throughout the course of the book despite the physical risks to himself and Felicia whose personal relationship with her partner is sometimes tricky in the light of their on/off romantic entanglement. Luckily this gives another added frission to the plot instead of being irritating as happens too often in crime thrillers.

The plot is well-constructed although I did guess the killer well in advance of the close of the book and my only real criticism of the book generally is that it is maybe 50 or so pages too long as certain sections seemed a little drawn out and covering the same ground from a different angle. However, having said that I have recommended this book to others and have had positive feedback leading them to seek out `The Survivor' as well. All in all a good read, perfect for fans of Chris Carter and Richard Montanari and any reader who likes a more violent and darker crime read..

I liked Striker and Felicia in the first novel although, once again the storyline pushed credibility a bit. Here again the rapport is there but if Sean Slater is not careful, his assumed desire, a good thriller, will get lost in storylines that are just too much. He is also going down this popular route of Cop with daughter (Bosch et al), constant loggerheads with superior (Bosch et al)and a force that seems woefully short of any cohesion at all (becoming common with many thriller writers). You cannot beat a hero or two, good plot with twists and a gripping ending but there seems a desire to touch on the complicated. I like Slater's writing but the competition is extremely high and he needs to develop his excellent characters with a good, plausible storyline and interaction.