The Spire
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'The Spire is a terrific read. It's a fast moving, well-written story that has that undeniable quality of making the reader want to read just a few pages each time. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it's a very satisfying book.'
--The Bookbag
'Style of storytelling so minutely focused on his character's psychological baggage that they strike up an intimacy with the reader barely equaled in bestselling fiction.'
--Daily Telegraph --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
--The Bookbag
'Style of storytelling so minutely focused on his character's psychological baggage that they strike up an intimacy with the reader barely equaled in bestselling fiction.'
--Daily Telegraph --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Product Description
The new blockbuster from the thinking man's thriller writer
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product)
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
In The Spire, Richard North Patterson leaves American political subjects in favour of a more classic university whodunit. In this novel, Mark Darrow, a successful corporate trial lawyer, returns to his home town to become the president of his Ohio alma mater. The trouble is that, sixteen years before, he has had to leave his best friend behind, packed away for life for the murder of a female student. And a fresh scandal, over an embezzlement, becomes enmeshed with that never quite buried affair, forcing Darrow to confront its ghost.
The novel makes good use of the spire's gothic potential, the monument at the campus heart. It is well paced, with a love interest artfully contributing to Darrow's danger. The style is crisp and unpretentious, and the plot neither gets bogged down nor gives itself away too fast. Perhaps my only reservation would be that, because the cast of suspects is narrow, it is probable from the start who the murderer actually is. Nevertheless, while no groundbreaker, The Spire is an agreeable, compelling book that does credit to the genre.
The novel makes good use of the spire's gothic potential, the monument at the campus heart. It is well paced, with a love interest artfully contributing to Darrow's danger. The style is crisp and unpretentious, and the plot neither gets bogged down nor gives itself away too fast. Perhaps my only reservation would be that, because the cast of suspects is narrow, it is probable from the start who the murderer actually is. Nevertheless, while no groundbreaker, The Spire is an agreeable, compelling book that does credit to the genre.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
When student Mark Darrow discovers the body of a black fellow student, Angela Hall, at the foot of the spire in the centre of the college he attends, he little suspects that his best friend will be charged with the murder. Now, 16 years later, Darrow is back, at the invitation of his mentor and now college provost, Lionel Farr, to become president of the college in order to rebuild its reputation after a case of embezzlement has left the college in a precarious position (conveniently, Darrow has become an ace financial fraud lawyer in the intervening years). As Darrow digs into what happened with the college finances, he also begins to look afresh at the trial of his friend and questions if he really was guilty as charged. He also finds time to start an emerging relationship with the provost's troubled, but beautiful, daughter. Is the real killer still at large and are the two crimes connected?
Richard North Patterson began his publishing career with a number of excellent crime novels before more recently turning to court room style books (he is, after all, a former trial lawyer). In many ways this is something of a welcome return to his roots. Although, saying that, his protagonist is still a trial lawyer so we get something of a court room drama without the court room, if you see what I mean.
The Spire is a terrific read. It's a fast moving, well-written story that has that undeniable quality of making the reader want to read "just a few more pages" each time. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it's a very satisfying book.
However, if you are allergic to a lack of originality, this might be a book to avoid. For a start we are located in a small town US college where plenty of authors have gone before (and none so brilliantly as Donna Tartt's `'The Secret History'` in my view). Add to this other `store cupboard' ingredients such as small town boy made good, a suggestion of racism, a love story, several dysfunctional families, a bit of psychoanalysis for the lead character, a splash of sexual deviancy and a game of both American Football and Baseball and you have the recipe for a comforting, warming meal, but hardly one to earn you a Michelin star. Personally, I don't mind that almost cliché mix, but if that's a recipe that will drive you mad, then be warned.
I'm not sure I wholly bought into the likelihood of a financial crime lawyer being invited to run a college, but it's probably best to just accept that for the sake of the story. Neither was I particularly convinced that Darrow would have had quite such a lack of interest in his best friend's plight in prison during his heady years as a top lawyer - although he had other issues to deal with, including the death of his wife.
Perhaps more seriously potentially damaging to your enjoyment of this book is the lack of likely candidates for the crime. The cast of characters is relatively modest and I have to say that I guessed the identity of the villain of the piece very early on. But once again, I'd stress that this didn't affect my enjoyment of the book at all.
It's a great book to curl up with in front of the fire or would be an excellent holiday read if ever summer reappears.
Richard North Patterson began his publishing career with a number of excellent crime novels before more recently turning to court room style books (he is, after all, a former trial lawyer). In many ways this is something of a welcome return to his roots. Although, saying that, his protagonist is still a trial lawyer so we get something of a court room drama without the court room, if you see what I mean.
The Spire is a terrific read. It's a fast moving, well-written story that has that undeniable quality of making the reader want to read "just a few more pages" each time. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it's a very satisfying book.
However, if you are allergic to a lack of originality, this might be a book to avoid. For a start we are located in a small town US college where plenty of authors have gone before (and none so brilliantly as Donna Tartt's `'The Secret History'` in my view). Add to this other `store cupboard' ingredients such as small town boy made good, a suggestion of racism, a love story, several dysfunctional families, a bit of psychoanalysis for the lead character, a splash of sexual deviancy and a game of both American Football and Baseball and you have the recipe for a comforting, warming meal, but hardly one to earn you a Michelin star. Personally, I don't mind that almost cliché mix, but if that's a recipe that will drive you mad, then be warned.
I'm not sure I wholly bought into the likelihood of a financial crime lawyer being invited to run a college, but it's probably best to just accept that for the sake of the story. Neither was I particularly convinced that Darrow would have had quite such a lack of interest in his best friend's plight in prison during his heady years as a top lawyer - although he had other issues to deal with, including the death of his wife.
Perhaps more seriously potentially damaging to your enjoyment of this book is the lack of likely candidates for the crime. The cast of characters is relatively modest and I have to say that I guessed the identity of the villain of the piece very early on. But once again, I'd stress that this didn't affect my enjoyment of the book at all.
It's a great book to curl up with in front of the fire or would be an excellent holiday read if ever summer reappears.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
THIS IS A MORE STRAIGHT FORWARD THRILLER COMPARED WITH HIS POLITICAL AND LEGAL STORIES. VERY ENJOYABLE, BUT I COULD SEE THE ENDING ALMOST IMMEDIATLY. HOWEVER IT IS VERY WELL PLOTTED AND THE CHARACTERS ARE WELL DRAWN AND BELIEVABLE SO THIS DID NOT SPOIL MY ENJOYMENT OF THE STORY.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
this writer can do much better
bit long winded, you can see the plot too far in advance. Still finished reading it in a couple of days, hoping it would reach the quality levels of his first books. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Bas de Natris
the spire
I am a big fan of RNP. This book was a very easy read. While not debating the weighty subjects of Conviction and Exile it is still a great psychological thriller
Published 10 months ago by largs lass
RNP does it again
Richard North Patterson is simply awesome. His in-depth knowledge of the legal system (and politics) is the reason I buy pretty much everything he ever writes hot out of the press. Read more
Published 22 months ago by D. Ostir
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/02/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192198663_.gif){kind=small}
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
