The Breathtaker [Hardcover]

'In truth, Blanchard writes so well that even her quiet descriptions of desolate towns and lonely people are good enough to rattle the rafters' New York Times Book Review 'A heart-pounding, highly literary novel full of stunning art and science. Blanchard's descriptions of what it feels and looks like to be inside a tornado at its full power are riveting and addictive' Dick Adler, Chicago Tribune 'The Breathtaker is a dark and stormy novel and a particularly thrilling one' Sherryl Connelly, New York Daily News 'A well-crafted thriller' Booklist 'A relatively new writer, Blanchard is ready to take on the established authors in the genre with a book filled with polished prose and gripping tension. This book was a joy to read and a good scare to boot' Chicago Sun Times 'A complete treat for readers who like some thrills with their mysteries . . . Blanchard dips us into the odd little world of storm chasers, both the professionals and the hobbyists. It's a terrific thriller that does not insult the intelligent reader and just gets harder to put down as the pages turn' John Orr, San Jose Mercury News 'A brilliant study of violence and grief, powerful as the tornado itself' - Independent on Sunday 'The Breathtaker is a dark and stormy novel and a particularly thrilling one' - Sherryl Connelly, New York Daily News

'The Breathtaker is a dark and stormy novel and a particularly thrilling one'

'A well-crafted thriller'

A true twister of a thriller from the author of DARKNESS PEERING in which a serial killer stalks his victims in the midst of the devastation of a tornado. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Promise, Oklahoma is in the middle of the south central US, more commonly known as Tornado Alley. A deadly twister has left people dead and injured and caused 40 million dollars worth of damage. At first it seems as though the Pepper family are just four more statistics on the death roll, but Police Chief Charlie Grover soon realises that their bodies have been arranged to look like storm victims, while the cause of their deaths is by the hand of man, not an act of god. The post mortems confirm his suspicions, then another death during a tornado proves that there is a killer at large. He seeks help from meteorological experts at the local university, in particular Dr Willa Bellman, who knows all about the force and power of these storms and also knows the motley collection of people who follow the paths of every tornado. Both of them are convinced that amongst the storm-chasers is the killer, but more deaths - both natural and unnatural - are to occur before the killer is stopped in a truly breath-taking climax.

Alice Blanchard grew up in Connecticut and studied in Boston and at Harvard. She is the author of a collection of short stories, The Stuntman's Daughter, which won the Katharine Anne Porter Prize, and of the novel, Darkness Peering. She has also received a PEN Syndicated Fiction Award, a New Literary Award and a Centrum Artists in Residence Fellowship.