Rick Reed's "IM" Will Keep You Up at Night

books:


	• IM Rick R. Reed Quest, 2007 - 256 pages average customer review:based on 23 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Beware The Lure Of Digital Freedom...

When it rains, it pours...just ask Ed Comparetto...

The Chicago police detective's life is losing its luster: his lover has just left him, and, blamed for his failure to solve a rash of gruesome killings, he is suddenly run off the force. The reason for his dismissal: falsifying a witness at a crime scene. Ed may be losing his touch, but he knows he's not losing his mind, so this reasoning doesn't fly with him. He knows what he saw, and he knows who he talked to...slowly but surely, he gets the feeling that someone, somehow is playing him - little does he know...

Before long, Ed finds himself inextricably caught in the middle of a deadly game being waged by a sadistic killer with a malevolent axe to grind. More bodies are found, more questions go unanswered. As the clues begin to pile up, so does the danger, which Ed can handle as long as he's the only one involved; however, when his newfound love, Peter, gets entangled in the mess, the stakes are raised to a much more urgent level, and Ed knows it's imperative that he solve the case before more innocent blood is shed...

What he doesn't know, though, is that nothing can prepare him for discovering who is truly responsible for the murders - especially considering the fact that all roads actually lead to someone who died in similar fashion just two years before...

The action of IM is unmatched. Reed deftly weaves intriguing characters throughout an intricate plotline of misdirection and manipulative sleight-of-hand. The resulting mosaic is a masterpiece of suspense and nail-biting drama. Many make noble attempts at crafting whodunits, but few pull it off with such convincing realism as Reed.

The backdrop of IM lends much to the enjoyment you experience in putting all the different pieces together along the way, as you truly don't know just who/what the big picture will ultimately reveal. With equal parts action and mystery, Reed's tale is an enjoyable, fast-paced read entertaining to the fullest. Highly recommended for all readers, whether you're fans of the genre or not.

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Three Dimensional

Rick R.Reed has confected a mystery/horror/suspense tale as only an artist could do. Not only is the story a major page-turner, but the reader comes to know the characters as three dimensional human beings -- and one tends to care about them.

I read at least one book of mystery fiction per month. I tend to enjoy the most those works which shed light on a certain culture or role: being Amish, being a guidance counselor, being a maid, being an Irish inn-keeper, being a journalist, etc. In recent years writers such as john Morgan Wilson, Mark Richard Zubro, and RD Zimmerman have invited readers into the gay community with all of its wonderful and intersting attributes, as well as it demonic dimensions. I believe Reed has done the finest work, however, in the cause and effect within human relationships. Also, the reader cares about the characters, and flinches at some of the events which have formed their experiences. Definitely, this is not a "cozy."

A reader does not have to be gay, however, to share in this story, any more than one needs to be Catholic to understand THE DI VINCI CODE. The author develops the meaning of psychosis, displays the technology which is such a great influence in our current culture, and empathetically focuses on the effect of life minus loving relationships. As well he develops a budding relationship which adds an element of hope to the story, as well as an invitation to further stories flowing from this love.

As a Chicagoan I was excited about the use of so many places in the story which are only blocks from my home. He so well describes these settings, however, that one could live in Newcomerstown, Ohio or Rim-of-the-World, California and still share in the adventure with the same high interest. Again, this is an artist who has developed this tome.

I have already recommended this story to my friends. I want to encourage any mystery buff to explore this novel.

Thomas P. Hull, Chicago

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Midwest Book Review, September 2007 Issue

Timothy Bright, a handsome young character in this horror thriller, hides a past full of sexual abuse and rage. He takes out his grief and anger upon gay men by instant messaging at Men4HookUpNow.com and killing the guys who meet up with him for sexual encounters.

Ed Comparetto, a gay Chicago police detective, catches the cases and is put through a nightmarish investigation which culminates in his suspension from the job when doubt is cast on his findings. He's sure that Timothy Bright is the murderer, but he can't figure out how to prove it. Once he's suspended, the cases become Ed's personal crusade. He'll have to put his own life on the line - and that of someone else he loves - in order to stop this killer. Will he risk it all?

Reed has created an engrossing story - albeit brutally violent and sometimes gory. The writing is crisp and carries the reader along on a wave of suspense and horror. Reed expertly uses third person for Comparetto's investigation, first person for the murderer, and diary entries about Bright to bring this novel to life. He has capitalized on the phenomenon of people meeting via the Internet and dating services, and IM ends up being quite the scary cautionary tale.

The book is not for the faint-hearted, but is highly recommended for all those who enjoy horror a la "Silence of the Lambs." If you enjoy a bit of gore, a tense thriller, and well-crafted characters, you'll be utterly captivated by this book. ~Lori L. Lake, Midwest Book Review

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Rick Reed's "IM" Will Keep You Up at Night

Rick Reed is a conundrum; on the outside,he is a really sweet, unassuming man,easy to talk to and be around. On the inside, he is a true master of terror as is evidenced by his new novel, IM. As many mystery books as I read, I consider myself fairly erudite in my reading of gay fiction, especially mystery and horror, but after reading Reed's new horror thriller, he delivered something to me I had not seen in a while: goose bumps!

There is something about Reed's writing that draws you in instantly;he is a master of the written word, knowing just what words and phrases to use to pull you into his world so deep that it is impossible to leave. You find yourself turning page after page as you unknowingly go around the room turning on lamps and pulling the blinds to make sure no one from the outside is looking in on you; that you really are alone as Reed takes you on a roller coaster ride of suspense and horror that leaves you breathless until you finish the last page and last word. It has been a long time since I wanted to sleep with the lights on but Reed can scare the daylights out of you, then sit back and grin as you wonder just what else he has plotting in that mind of his.

Since almost everyone has a computer and communicates with the world via cyberspace, we think of it as a wonderful thing. But after reading Reed's novel, you begin to think twice before hitting the "send" button for fear of what just might happen to you.

I have known Rick Reed since his first book was published and he has always come through on his promise to elicit thrills, chills and even terror as he spreads his words on his screen like a painter paints a fine masterpiece.

If you are bold enough to read IM, don't make the mistake I did; don't read it at night alone with only one light on. Make sure the room is well lit so you can see all the hidden crevices and see that the windows and doors are locked. Only then should you proceed to read one of the best thrillers I have read in a long while.

If there were a "six star" rating for this book, he would get it hands down!

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Book should have Nightmare Warnings!

IM is one of those rare books that scared the bejeezus out of me, to the point that I had to put the book down. A few days later, I was drawn back to the book "like a moth to a flame."

The story moves quickly, switching seamlessly between several points of view - Ed Comparetto the detective, the victims, the bystanders and the killer. The third person narrative, switching to first person narrative with the murderer was intensely effective. Downright creepy! The mystery unfolds in many layers, shifting in time, twisting and turning to the heart-pounding end. Once everything is revealed, Reed isn't done with us yet; the story continuing through one final confrontation between Comparetto and the killer. At first, when I read the "blurb" on the back of the book I was slightly disappointed that so much was given away, but I soon realized that was only the beginning of something so much more. The blurb was like a plot device in itself. I also felt the ending left something unresolved, but once my heart rate returned to normal, the ending made perfect sense - Comparetto was where he wanted to be.

Detective Ed Comparetto is an appealing character, a dedicated cop that still feels compassion and remorse for the victims. He isn't one of those wise-cracking police detectives, spewing out one-liners like some "has been" stand-up comedian. When Comparetto enters the first murder scene, he's feeling unsettled and apprehensive, oppressed with "what's behind door number one" type of feeling. He hides his true emotions well, slipping into that professional cop-mode, feeling the need to prove himself to those out there that are just waiting for him to "slip-up." His professional life is already threatened after a recent "public" outing. Ed's a humanly portrayed character, with all his human flaws and human weaknesses. In other words, he's not an arrogantly perfect macho man. And this is not meant to be a negative reflection on Ed's sexual orientation. It is wholeheartedly meant as a compliment. I really got into Ed's character, his motivations and toward the end -- his fear.

I loved Ed's lover, Peter. The two meet for the first time in a library where Peter worked, when Ed was researching a lead. Peter's like a breath of fresh air in the story, pursuing Ed with an amusing single-minded determination. He's a lot like Nick's Nora (The Thin Man Series), helping Ed investigate and sort out the conflicting clues. A real partner in and out of bed. I would have loved to see more of Peter. Peter begins to have second doubts about their relationship, when Ed starts to become obsessive about the case. For Ed it's more than just finding the killer, it has become something personal. And that's something Peter needs to figure out.

The book should have Nightmare Warnings, because I sure as heck had 'em! I liked Reed's use of descriptive phrases to set the proper mood like, "the gallery of ghouls," to described the assembled investigation team at the first murder. I thought the plot became a little "out there" with certain elements, but I realized that was just the type of book I was reading. I just suspended my mundane imagination a little and enjoyed the nightmare ... I mean the story.

According to Reed's Amazon Blog, he has signed a contract for a film option. I'm keeping my fingers crossed! And my toes. *grins*

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reviews: page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

The Internet Is the New Meat Market for Gay Men Now a Killer Is Turning the Meat Market into a Meat Wagon.

One by one, he's killing them. Lurking in the digital underworld of Men4HookUpNow.com, he lures, seduces, charms, reaching out through instant messages to the unwary. He's just another guy.

They invite him over. He's just another trick. Harmless. They're dead wrong.

When the first bloody body surfaces, openly gay Chicago Police Department detective Ed Comparetto is called in to investigate. Sickened by the butchered mess of one of his brothers left on display in a bathtub, he seeks relief outside where the young man who discovered the body waits to tell him the story of how he found his friend. But who is this witness...and did he play a bigger part in the murder than he's letting on?

For Comparetto, this encounter with a witness is the beginning of a nightmare. Because this witness did more than just show up at the scene of the crime; he set the scene. And maybe, he's more than just a killer...maybe he's dead himself.

Comparetto is on a journey to discover the truth, a truth that he needs to discover before he loses his career, his boyfriend, his sanity...his life. Because in this killer's world, IM doesn't stand for instant message...it stands for instant murder.

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