Recalling Michael Connelly’s taut storytelling and James Patterson’s searing narrative twists, The Hundredth Man introduces a daring new talent. From its explosive first pages to its startling conclusion, this novel creates a world where heroes can’t succeed without madmen, and the dead are the most dangerous of all.

When bizarre and cryptic messages are found on a pair of corpses in Mobile, Alabama, junior police detective Carson Ryder and veteran cop Harry Nautilus find themselves in a mysterious public-relations quagmire pitting public safety against office politics. With the body count growing, Ryder must confront his family’s terrifying past by seeking advice from his brother, a violent psychopath convicted of similarly heinous crimes. Ryder finds himself falling for Ava, the striking pathologist processing the gruesome corpses. But Ava’s past holds its own nightmarish secrets.

Chasing false leads while their boss relentlessly undermines all progress, Ryder and Nautilus come to realize someone close to them is the killer’s ultimate target.

Thundering to a stark and chilling revelation, The Hundredth Man marks the arrival of an author who raises the stakes on every page.

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Ryder,a detective in the newly formed PSIT( a unit which delves into the physchological aspects of a crime) is suberb in his complexity and his detective partner Harry is his perfect match. Together they rummage through the minds of anyone connected to the murders of several men found neatly beheaded...with no head in site.

Fascinating and unpredictable in every situation presented; this is a first novel which is I hope for us readers the first of many from this talented author; gifted not only in spinning a tale; but gifted with a style of prose that will grip you and hold you tightly til the end...and long after you have read the very last thrilling word.

Exceptional, mind-stirring and enjoyable in every way. A great read!

4 of 4 found the following review helpful:

(4+) Redemption and Hope Emerge From Violence and AbuseJun 03, 2004
By Tucker Andersen
WARNING: This book is not for the squeamish. It contains child abuse, psychotic and perverted acts, multiple murders, detailed descriptions of autopsies, sexual references and crude and offensive language. In fact, since this is a list of all the things that I normally avoid when selecting literature to read, I am amazed that I enjoyed the book so much and was fascinated enough to not only complete it but in fact give it a high rating. While I knew it contained violence from the publisher's descriptive material, the plot and promotional blurbs combined with my attraction to first time authors to pique my interest; by the time I realized the extent of the normally objectionable material I was hooked.

Jack Kerney is a talented wordsmith with a deep understanding of the flawed nature of humankind and the depravity which often results. However, in contrast with the pessimism (indeed fatalism) that Dennis Lehane's writing displays (particularly MYSTIC RIVER) concerning the seemingly inexorably tragic nature of our lives, in the end this is a story about the possibility that redemption is possible and that tomorrow may indeed be better than the past.

The main storyline is incredibly simple. Carson Ryder, a twenty-nine year old with an MA in psychology, is a newly minted detective in the Mobile, AL police force and the first person narrator of the majority of this story. He is teamed with old pro Harry Nautilus as the two newly formed members of the Psychopathological and Sociopathological Investigative Team (PSIT - pronounced piss-it by the other members of the department). As the newly rebuilt city morgue is being dedicated after it had been severely damaged during an autopsy on a booby-trapped body, a headless victim is found in a local park and it appears that Harry and Carson will be investigating their first official case. Departmental politics soon become an issue, and the tension increases as further headless bodies appear. Meanwhile, there are multiple subplots involving Carson's secret past and the reasons for his seeming prescience regarding the actions of the mentally ill and sociopaths. There are additional subplots including the intertwined public and private lives of Dr. Clair Peltier, outstanding pathologist and chief of the Mobile unit of the Alabama as well as her apparently strained relationship with her young associate Dr. Ava Davanelle. There are also very knowledgeable and sensitive segments which are central to the plot including the personal perdition of alcoholism and the necessity of approaching your salvation one day at a time.

Every detail should be noted and remembered, because by the conclusion all the threads in the book come together and have meaning in the same way that the "invisible threads" in the case that bedevil Harry and Carson start to reveal themselves and unravel the mystery (despite their dictum that "memories {of witnesses} are faulty and people lie"). So this is a book about the human condition and a story of multiple personal journeys (several tragic) toward the goals of understanding, grace and redemption. The language and visual imagery which it evokes is often superb, but I would expect noting less from a former advertising writer and creative director. Two examples will suffice. First, Jeremy, Carson's brother and a crucial figure in Carson's life and to this story, at one point speculates that the headless bodies are indeed "postcards from hell" meant to communicate a very specific message from the murderer. (This seems an especially likely possibility since cryptic messages are also written on the bodies.) Second, Clair's husband's fortune (which he brought to their "merger' of convenience) was ante-bellum Southern money, "one of those snowball fortunes that gathered as it rolled" forward in time.

Why not five stars if I thought it was an excellent plot, employed engaging imagery, had fascinating characters, and used frequently captivating language? (This question seems especially since it also has the potential to be an excellent movie.) First, for the reasons articulated in my opening comments, stories with this degree of violence and perversion are never totally enjoyable for me, even if captivating. Second, the author tries to do much. He accomplishes his apparent goal admirably, but it might have been better if the case of Joel Adrian (which Carson solved as a patrolman and the description of which is totally sickening even if only summary in nature) had been a separate book that served as the introduction to Carson and this story. It would have made the flashbacks and explanatory asides less frequent and allowed for more leisurely development of the other elements of this story. Last, while the ending itself (by this I mean literally the last two pages) is both full of hope and extremely clever; the climactic action scene that is the final denouement of the story is too long, too unreal (even for this story), and as other reviewers have aptly described it, simply "over the top" in a way that creates a final impression of unreality. It is almost as if it was written to provide an exciting climax to an action movie, and is eerily parallel in this regard (right down to the raging river) to the final scene in Michael Connelly's new novel THE NARROWS. Despite these reservations, this is definitely a worthwhile read as long as my caveats aren't a major concern to you.

Disclaimer: I was furnished an ARC (Advance Review Copy) of this book by the publisher based on my previous reviews of books of this genre,. I have never met either the author or any representatives of the publisher. I made no representations or promises regarding any review that I might write. However, I have included this disclaimer in the interests of complete disclosure so that the reader may have all significant information concerning any facts that may be viewed as having biased my review.

Tucker Andersen

4 of 4 found the following review helpful:

"He took a hundred pounds of clay, and then...He created a woman." Gene McDanielsMay 22, 2010
By michael a. draper
Young Mobile Police Detective Carson Ryder is the rare man who takes the time to search in dark places to find the necessary answers. He and his partner, Harry Nautilus, are called to the scene when a headless body is found in a park in southwest Mobile.

Both detectives are part of a newly formed Psychopathological Sociological Investigative Team which goes by the acronym PSIT and by a more colorful phrase by the cops.

Captain Terrence Squill is an ambitious autocrat. When he views the body in the park, he dismisses it as a homosexual meeting that turned to murder.

Squill was highly skeptical of the PSIT unit but when a second decapitated body is discovered, he's ordered to incorporate the unit into his investigatory team. Resenting their presence, he does as little as possible to assist them.

There is an interesting subplot when Ryder helps another character who is suffering from alcoholism. The author does an excellent job in describing the horrors of this disease.

Another subplot concerns the childhood events that led to Ryder's brother being incarcerated in a mental health facility. His interaction with the case is reminiscent of Hanibal Lecter.

The narrative is packed with unpredictable action and the characters are different enough to be both interesting and appealing. Carson is a compassionate and engaging character. The story is a great reading experience.

8 of 10 found the following review helpful:

A great summer read...that leaves you wanting more!Jun 15, 2004
By PlanetZelda "planetzelda"
I'd heard about Jack Kerley as he caused a bit of a stir in my local area by getting an unheard of deal for a first novel (over half a million? Gads!!) but the book is worth the hype. It's a rock solid entry in the crime thriller genre with interesting characters (my fav is Harry Nautilus). Best of all, Kerley makes a solid attempt to avoid the typical cliched type of writing that ruins many a book--thriller or otherwise. You can tell he has a real love of language and some of his descriptions are a true delight. For those who like a more literary treatment, then Kerley is the writer to read. In addition to interesting characters, his plotting keeps the pace hurtling so that the book is a quick read that leaves you frankly wanting more. Did I guess who the killer was? Nope, not even close and that wins extra points too because too many thrillers offer predictable plots and easy-to-guess solutions. I look forward to reading more of this guy's work. I just hope we don't have to wait too long for his next novel.

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