From Publishers Weekly
In this workmanlike foray into horror from bestseller Pike (The Season of Passage), commercial artist David Lennon returns home from two months in New York after breaking up with his girlfriend, Sienna Madden, to Lompoc, Calif., where he promptly discovers the decomposed body of a woman, later identified as Sienna, in their old trysting place on the beach. He insists Sienna's not dead because she's still phoning him. The police say otherwise. In the course of trying to defend himself from a murder charge, David delves deep into his past and that of his friends, as well as into the kinky vampire novel whose cover he's supposed to paint. His release for insufficient evidence sets off a second, more gruesome, and even more sex-laden journey, which involves cultists, bootlegged organ transplants and pseudo-immortality through drug-induced personality transference. Tight, clean writing and engaging secondary characters, like the doomed FBI agent Krane, somewhat make up for a plot built on the tired theme of the corrupt underside of small-town America. Best known for his YA fiction, Pike has produced an entertaining, if instantly forgettable, dark fantasy. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Pike is better known for his wildly popular young-adult series fiction than for his adult novels, but that soon might change. His latest adult thriller, a story about a man who finds the body of a murdered woman on the beach two months after his own girlfriend walked out on him, begins with a mystery (Is it possible the dead woman is David Lennon's ex-girlfriend?); piles question on top of question (Could David be a murderer? Is that really his former lover's voice on his answering machine?); and fairly races to a natural and satisfying conclusion. Following David on his slightly surreal odyssey, never quite sure whether we should completely trust him, we sink into the novel, losing touch with our own world as we fall deeper into Pike's. Thriller fans who crave that hypnotic effect will find everything they need right here. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
The Knoxville News-Sentinel
"Compelling. An enthralling, page-turning read."
Review
"Pike builds good tension, layers the mystery, creates moods efficiently, includde enough sex and violence to titillate and/or disgust us. He ties the whole novel together with a dark and startling finish. A gripping summer read."
Midwest Book Review
"A fine horror tale that hooks the reader. Pike keeps the chills at a high leveel with this exhilarating story."
Review
"Intended for fans of Michael Crichton, Robin Cook, and Stephen King. The action flows smoothly, and the ending is satisfyingly unpredictable. A good, chilling choice and a good supernatural mystery."-VOYA on The Cold One
"Pike is a master of emotional impact. One cares about what happens to his people."--Booklist
"The Season of Passage keeps you turning pages constantly until the last one and then wishing there were more. One of the most exciting books I have ever read."--The Chicago Herald-Bloomingdale
"Pike is a master of creeping dread, relentlessly disturbing the reader with what Poe described as 'terror of the soul.' The Cold One is that rarest of horror novels, one that is visceral and intellectually stimulating at the same time."--The Washington Post Book World
"[The Cold One is] a labyrinthine tale of betrayal, unearthly romance and demonic slaughter . . . . dramatic, intricate [and] hypnotic."--Publishers Weekly
"I couldn't put this book down. The best horror novel of the year."--Rocky Mountain News on The Season of Passage
"Pike's latest outing into Anne Rice territory. A compelling and intellectually satisfying read."--Rapport on The Cold One
"Pike's prose, haunting and ethereal, wriggles its way into the psyche. Worthy of Anne Rice . . . the writing is lyrical and voluptuous. This book is one of the best I've ever read."-VOYA on The Season of Passage
"The book you hate to put down, the book you really don't want to end--that's The Cold One. A fast-paced, wild ride of love and hate, life and death. Pike's talent is evident throughout this work."-Greeley Tribune, (Colorado)
Book Description
David, a twenty-eight-year-old artist, is recovering from a bad breakup with the mysterious and beautiful Sienna when he discovers a woman's dead body half-buried on the beach near Lompoc, California.
To his surprise, David is interviewed not just by the local sheriff, but by FBI agent Krane, who declares that the woman was killed in a ritualistic manner. Soon the dead woman is identified as David's ex-girlfriend, and he becomes the prime suspect in her murder. But Sienna can't be dead; she keeps leaving messages on his answering machine. And no matter how badly their relationship ended, he couldn't have killed her. She was the love of his life.
In self-defense, David begins his own investigation, trying to find out who the dead woman really is and what's behind the satanic murder. He's both helped and hindered by his friends, especially Julie, whom he had a crush on in high school and who has suddenly reappeared in his life, and the Reverend Pomus, who tries to warn David of the reality of true evil.
David's search for Sienna and the truth about her disappearance take him from coastal California to New York City to Florida-and into the darkest night of his soul.
About the Author
Christopher Pike, the bestselling author of the Remember Me and The Last Vampire series, has more than fifty novels to his credit. His previous adult novels include Sati, The Season of Passage, and The Cold One. Pike lives in Santa Barbara, California.
The Blind Mirror FROM THE PUBLISHER
David, a twenty-eight-year-old artist, is recovering from a bad breakup with the mysterious and beautiful Sienna when he discovers a woman's dead body half-buried on the beach near Lompoc, California.
To his surprise, David is interviewed not just by the local sheriff, but by FBI agent Krane, who declares that the woman was killed in a ritualistic manner. Soon the dead woman is identified as David's ex-girlfriend, and he becomes the prime suspect in her murder. But Sienna can't be dead; she keeps leaving messages on his answering machine. And no matter how badly their relationship ended, he couldn't have killed her. She was the love of his life.
In self-defense, David begins his own investigation, trying to find out who the dead woman really is and what's behind the satanic murder. He's both helped and hindered by his friends, especially Julie, whom he had a crush on in high school and who has suddenly reappeared in his life, and the Reverend Pomus, who tries to warn David of the reality of true evil.
David's search for Sienna and the truth about her disappearance take him from coastal California to New York City to Florida-and into the darkest night of his soul.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
In this workmanlike foray into horror from bestseller Pike (The Season of Passage), commercial artist David Lennon returns home from two months in New York after breaking up with his girlfriend, Sienna Madden, to Lompoc, Calif., where he promptly discovers the decomposed body of a woman, later identified as Sienna, in their old trysting place on the beach. He insists Sienna's not dead because she's still phoning him. The police say otherwise. In the course of trying to defend himself from a murder charge, David delves deep into his past and that of his friends, as well as into the kinky vampire novel whose cover he's supposed to paint. His release for insufficient evidence sets off a second, more gruesome, and even more sex-laden journey, which involves cultists, bootlegged organ transplants and pseudo-immortality through drug-induced personality transference. Tight, clean writing and engaging secondary characters, like the doomed FBI agent Krane, somewhat make up for a plot built on the tired theme of the corrupt underside of small-town America. Best known for his YA fiction, Pike has produced an entertaining, if instantly forgettable, dark fantasy. (May 21) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal
Cover artist David Lennon returns from a trip to New York to his hometown to revisit his past and confront the issues surrounding his breakup with his lover, Sienna. When he discovers on the beach the decomposing body of a woman, later identified as Sienna, he becomes a murder suspect. As he attempts to prove his innocence, David uncovers a dark secret festering in his hometown, one that threatens to change all he knows about his past. Known for his successful YA and adult horror novels, Pike delivers a moody, grim horror mystery for adults that relies more on atmosphere than gore for its emotional impact. A good choice for large horror collections. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
An artist is hired to design the cover of a horror novel--and finds himself inadvertently trafficking with the supernatural. Twentysomething David Lennonﾽs return to his hometown of Lompoc, California--a trip undertaken in hopes of forgetting the girlfriend who has just dumped him--leads him to a familiar beach, where he discovers a dead womanﾽs body. Evidence of a ritual killing, and Davidﾽs inability to disclose the whereabouts of the aforementioned girlfriend, Sienna Madden, result in his arrest and brief imprisonment on suspicion of murder. Pike (The Cold One, 1995, etc.) keeps the story moving, relying on lengthy exchanges of dialogue juxtaposed with deftly shaped scenes presented in increasingly suspenseful sequences. As David reacquaints himself with old friends and lovers, his experiences begin echoing details of that horror novelﾽs plot, involving a beautiful vampire named Cleo, and her lovers, both alive and undead. David can probably be forgiven for not making the connection sooner, since heﾽs baffled by continuing phone messages from the absent Sienna (who, local police and FBI insist, was the body on the beach), when not tumbling into bed with cheerleader-turned-hoyden Julie Stevens, evading the aggressive charms of nymphet Mary Pomus (with whom he has a history of sorts), and puzzling over a high-school buddyﾽs inexplicable suicide. If that sounds complicated, wait till you reach the bizarre dﾽnouement, in which the perception that "This town is not what it appears" is confirmed by the discovery of a medical experiment that has crossed "the line between consciousness and matter," the appearance of a bona fide demon, the explanation of who "Sienna" really was (is?), and alurid final scene that reveals the meaning of Pikeﾽs clever title. Overstuffed and not above occasional silliness, but a rattling good read, almost as entertaining as Stephen King in medium-high gear.
Art & Photography
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