Pages: eBook
Genre: Thiller
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Publication Date: April 2009
Source: Personal Collection
Synopsis (Goodreads):
JA Konrath is the author of six novels in the Lt. Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels thriller series, the latest of which is Cherry Bomb.
THE LIST is a bit of a departure for Konrath. It's a technothriller about a group of ten people who all have tattoos of numbers on the bottoms their feet, and don't know why.
One of them, a Chicago Homicide cop named Tom Mankowski, has had one of these strange tattoos since birth. When he investigates a violent murder and discovers the victim also has a tattooed number, it sets the ball rolling for an adventure of historic proportions.
To say more would give away too much.
Like the Jack Daniels series, The List combines laugh out loud humor with serious suspense and thrills.
If the Kindle had back jacket copy, it would read:
A billionaire Senator with money to burn...
A thirty year old science experiment, about to be revealed...
Seven people, marked for death, not for what they know, but for what they are...
Review:
The main reason that I picked up this one was because 1) because it was free, 2) I have been curious about Konrath novels for a while. I normally and not a thriller reader but when I do read them I do enjoy them. I think it is the pace, because they are fast paced and writers of thrillers seem to jump straight into the action, it makes it really easy to get caught up into the story.
The List is just as fast as any thriller novel. I was hooked within the first couple of pages. I wanted to know what connections Mankowski had with the other victims and potential victims. The action never stopped and because of that reason I was able to finish The List in one date (and it is not that long).
The plot was interesting at first. I was intrigue to find out about the number tattoos on the bottom of the foot and how these tattoos connected the character. But as the story progressed and things began to fall into place, it become clear that the plot was pretty outlandish. Completely and totally unrealistic, in order to enjoy The List. I sort of had to suspend my disbelief and just roll with it. As the story progressed I had to suspend my disbelief even more, Kornath throw in everything but the kitchen skin in his plot.
While the pace was fast there was not much character development. The characters were just there, I wanted to see what was going to happen to them but I wasn't invested in them. The lack of character development did not take away from my enjoyment of the story but I did notice that I could have cared less if one of the main characters lived or died.
The writing was average. There were some funny jokes that made me chuckle but it was more like slap stick comedy.
Overall Recommendation:
I would recommend this one to anyone that what wants an easy and fast paced thriller to read. I would add in the warning that the plot is a little outlandish and the unrealistic.
