CUT AND RUN
"Pearson excels at writing novels that grip the imagination."
—People
"Ridley Pearson is better known for his Lou Boldt forensic procedurals, but Cut and Run is one of his finest books. The set-up is almost perfect, the emotions knife-edged and real, the tension nearly excruciating. The twists and turns in this remarkable novel seem integral to the story, a series of believable, breathtaking setbacks and hurdles. Pearson is known for his attention to detail and exacting research, and this novel is no different. It's things such as tracking safe houses by studying utility usage and the open legal jurisdiction of utility power lines that set Pearson apart from so many other novelists—that and his realistic characters and flawless pacing…. Cut and Run is flat-out terrific."
—Mark Terry, The Daily Oakland Press
"This is a fast-moving roller coaster ride of a novel. Every player has his own game, and his own side bets on the outcome. The bad guys are fearsome, and the good guys are doing everything they can to stop them. A word of warning: If you start this late at night, make sure you don't have to be anywhere in the morning. This one is impossible to put down."
—Deborah Hern, The Romance Reader's Connection
"…as in the author's many previous efforts, the plot is tight, the writing crisp and the tale well-told…"
—Theodore Feit, DorothyL Mystery Digest
"Cut and Run is fast-paced, as it should be. Breakneck speed, things happening fast, the suspense is well-written and drives the book…. there were parts that seemed spot on — using modern technology to communicate in tricky situations, for example, and writing a five-year-old who was believable. I still don't like thrillers, but I can recommend Cut and Run. If you like the pacing and speed and style of thrillers, I can't see why you wouldn't enjoy this book. If you're like me, it's still a good book to read, so put it aside for when you're a little tired of more straight-forward mystery fiction and are looking for a book that's fast, engaging and a relatively quick read."
—Andi Shechter, ReviewingTheEvidence.com (full review)
"This is a terrific, fast paced, can not put it down read. There are many novels written with a similar plot, but not many as tightly written. The book is 398 pages long and Pearson needed every one of these pages to develop, tell and wrap up the story. Fans of Lee Child's Jack Reacher and Thomas Perry's Jane Whitefield books will definitely want to read Cut and Run. As with the Reacher and Whitefield books, Cut and Run takes the reader on a race across the country, while trying to save the good guys while stopping the bad. The book is just simply fun."
—Caryn St. Clair, DorothyL Mystery Digest
"…extremely fast paced and very descriptive. One you won't easily forget…"
—Patricia E. Reid, Mysteries Galore
"excellent… don't start this unless you've got all day or you probably won't get to sleep that night!"
—Melinda Drew, DorothyL Mystery Digest
"Lots of nail-biting suspense and edge-of-the-seat action. This is one of Pearson's best…"
—Shirley H. Wetzel, OverMyDeadBody.com (full review)
"Wow! I'm a big fan of Ridley's Lou Boldt series, but Cut and Run is a cut above. What a fantastic stand-alone page-turner with riveting suspense from beginning to end! My pulse ratcheted up by page six and stayed that way. Plenty of danger and conflict throughout—those things we hate in real life but love on the page. A highly recommended thriller… Don't miss Cut and Run—but clear your schedule for the day 'cause you won't put it down."
—Kay Finch, DorothyL Mystery Digest
"Pearson has a knack for dropping the reader into the scene. His descriptions are short, but very apt and skillful…. he can still give most mystery authors a run for their money."
—Mary Ann Smyth, BookLoons.com
"The characters are believable with very human emotions and conflicts…a thrilling story which keeps the reader on the edge… . Don't start this book unless you have all day. This is one of the best suspense thrillers of the year…"
—Barbara Buhrer, MyShelf.com
"Very fast paced and non-put-downable. Put this on your Must Read lists!"
—Joan Huston, DorothyL Mystery Digest
THE DIARY OF ELLEN RIMBAUER
"The diary format gives readers a voyeuristic thrill. The entries are quite detailed, full of fear and sexual energy…"
—BookHaven.net
"My publisher got wind of Rose Red, and Steve and ABC allowed me to read the script, with an eye toward a tie-in. I saw the Diary mentioned throughout the script, and Steve agreed to have me write the Diary. He was swamped at the time, and had little interest in doing it himself. He read the first few chapters, got a huge grin on his face and said, "You're having fun. Go for it." And I was off and running…"
—LiljasLibrary.com
"Stephen loved the idea that the Diary had its own history, that it had been found at an auction (my suggestion) and that it had inspired the mini-series. This was several years ago now, you understand, and the Blair Witch Project was fresh on everyone's minds…"
—VJBooks.com
"The diary format gives readers a voyeuristic thrill. The entries are quite detailed, full of fear and sexual energy. Rose Red becomes more and more frightening up to the final page. After reading the book, you'll want to see the mini-series, meaning the tie-in succeeds in its intentions."
—Any Coffin, BookHaven.net (full review)
"Regardless of the fact there is no real "Joyce Reardon, Ph. D" or "Rimbauer family" the book was quite entertaining! (The true identity of the author is Ridley Pearson…his next novel "The Art of Deception" appropriately titled.) The publishers, Hyperion Books, did a great job of promoting the fictional diary as to go so far as creating a false university website: beaumontuniversity.net to encourage the belief of a nonexsistent mansion called Rose Red. As for the diary, it was a fun, entertaining read. I am surprised by how much sexual content was included after reading the author's decision of editing "inappropriate" entries of the diary. The missing excerpts online hardly scratch the surface of what's included in the book, then again, it's all fiction. Don't be fooled into believing any of it!"
—TeenBooks.com
PARALLEL LIES
"Fast paced and technically thorough, offering a plot line so credible that it makes you wonder if it couldn't have happened this way…"
—MostlyFiction.com
"Parallel Lies is exactly the kind of book that made me a Ridley Pearson fan in the past. This novel has all of the usual Pearson investigative tricks and techniques that add up to him being considered one of the best techno-thriller writers today."
—MostlyFiction.com (full review)
"In true thriller style, everything in this novel represents speed, not the least of which is the rapidity with which the reader will turn the pages. Perfect summer reading."
—George Easter, DeadlyPleasures.com
"The story telling is incisive with never a wasted word. The action is indeed breathtaking yet the author never resorts to gloating over gore. There is romance, but never any tediously titillating sex."
—Denise Wels, ReviewingtheEvidence.com (full review)
"I have never consecutively read two novels by the same author…until this week when I just happened to try a few pages of your stand-alone, Parallel Lies. WOW…to me this was one of the most riveting thrillers I have read this year. What a fantastic conclusion! Amazingly to me, you have the unique ability to write as totally different authors with distinctively different styles. I would never have suspected the three afore mentioned groups of novels were written by the same author…. Just couldn't help but share my appreciation for your exceptionally entertaining, well-crafted novels."
—Bob Gill
CHAIN OF EVIDENCE
"Some procedurals stress forensic detail, while others emphasize the multidimensional humanity of the cops. Pearson does both, and the combination continues to be unbeatable."
—Bill Ott, Booklist
"A love story, a forensic feast, a medical bonanza… this is a book to savor…"
—Pam Lange, Mostly Murder
"This is cutting-edge reading. The final chapters blend heart-stopping, breakneck chase scenes with high-tech computer hacking…. Although it's possible to read too much into what is, after all, a "popular" work of fiction, Chain of Evidence reveals movingly and convincingly the grim effects of past trauma on the lives of human beings. This is a book to savor."
—Pam Lange, Mostly Murder
"The justice vs. loyalty theme is very strong in this story, as is Mr. Pearson's trademark use of clever and original investigative detail. The reader is required to pay close attention to minute pieces of forensic evidence, as the suspect and the investigator play a closely-matched game of wits and knowledge. The author uses plot twist after plot twist to keep the suspense level high and the pages turning…"
—MysteryGuide.com
HARD FALL
"Ridley Pearson is back and better than ever. Hard Fall is a gripping thriller, loaded with the forensic detail we have come to expect from the author of Undercurrents and Probable Cause. FBI agent Cam Daggett has been on the trail of international trigger man and environmental terrorist, Anthony Kort, for two years. Kort is responsible for two airplane bombings, one of which killed Daggett's parents and left his son, Duncan, a paraplegic. Daggett is closing in on Kort, through one of his cohorts, when Daggett's boss opens a booby-trapped suitcase and blows himself and the link to Kort sky high. Back to the drawing board. Daggett picks up the trail when a Seattle flight instructor is found murdered at a flight simulator, and a plane crashes for no ostensible reason; deduction and forensic sleuthing point to Kort. The chase is on, and Daggett knows that he has limited time to run Kort to ground before the next crash. Pearson, who writes thrillers from his log cabin in Idaho, has constructed a complex and believable narrative, and at the same time created sympathetic and fully developed characters. With this novel, his sixth, he's hit his writerly stride."
—Valerie Ryan, Seattle Times
PROBABLE CAUSE
"As with Undercurrents, Pearson's characters and careful plotting lead suspensefully to a thrilling conclusion. If you like procedurals, Ridley Pearson needs to be placed high on your list of authors. He is outstanding."
—Doug Simpson, Booklist
"Probable Cause is one of those rare thrillers that works on several levels. All of the characters—particularly James DeWitt—are well drawn. There are several unexpected turns in the plot and the action sequences are splendid."
—Bob Baylus, Baltimore Morning Sun
"Probable Cause confirms Pearson's emergence as one of the finest crime novelists in America, a master of intricate procedural detail combined with taut, edge-of-the-seat plotting and acute psychological suspense."
—New Trade Books
"The single most impressive thing about Pearson's writing is his ability to vividly describe everything. The visual is so strong, you feel as though you are there! He uses this talent to take us on a fantastic voyage into the mind of a psychopathic killer."
—MysteryGuide.com
THE SEIZING OF THE YANKEE GREEN MALL
"Pearson expertly juggles a large cast of characters and keeps the action moving in his exciting new thriller. He writes clear prose, epic in scope and strongly cinematic, cross-cutting from event to event in short, pithy chapters…. True and false heroes, vigilantes seeking publicity, lovers seeking consummation and many more characters have a part to play in an ending that will keep readers on the edge of their seats as the bomb is set and the last minutes tick away."
—Publishers Weekly
"The centerpiece of this fast-moving novel is a magna-size shopping center, The Yankee Green Mall, which impinges on the lives of the dozen or so principal characters in the book…. Ridley Pearson is a clever writer who knows how to construct and draw out a plot for maximum suspense."
—West Coast Review of Books
BLOOD OF THE ALBATROSS
"Ridley Pearson excels at writing novels that grip the imagination…."
—People Magazine
NEVER LOOK BACK
"Never Look Back is a masterly debut: its long, complicated chase has deft variations in pacing and culminates in a breathtaking final shoot-out."
—Booklist
"Pearson makes a promising debut in this adroitly crafted thriller…. [He] uses fast cross-cutting, nonstop action and some nicely quirky characters to keep us turning pages, right up to an unsettling, ambiguous ending."
—Publishers Weekly
"The plot is complicated but compelling, involving the theft by the Soviet Bloc of a deadly bacteria that could be turned into the world's most frightening weapon and the kidnapping of its creator, an aging scientist saved from the Holocaust…. a good read. One hopes Pearson will publish again and again."
—UPI