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Ebook565 pages9 hours
Joe Victim: A Thriller
By Paul Cleave
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
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About this ebook
NOMINATED FOR THE 2014 EDGAR AWARD FOR BEST PAPERBACK ORIGINAL
Sometimes reality can really get in the way of a good story.
Joe Middleton’s story is this: He doesn’t remember killing anyone, so there’ s no way a jury can convict him of serial murder. He calls himself Joe Victim, trying, as he awaits trial, to convince the psychiatrists that he wasn’t in control of his actions, trusting that the system will save him in the end.
But others know Joe as the infamous Christchurch Carver and they want to see him dead. There’s Melissa, Joe’s accomplice in one of the murders, who plans on shooting him on his way to the courthouse before he gets a chance to start talking. Then there’s Raphael, whose daughter was one of the Carver’s victims. Though he’s tried to move on with life as the leader of a counseling group for grieving family members, he’d like nothing more than to watch Joe pay. Finally there’s Carl Schroder, the ex-detective who locked Joe up and is determined to put things right for the case of his career.
To extract himself from this epic mess, Joe has come up with a desperate plan involving a television psychic who’s looking to get rich by making people believe just about anything. It’s a long shot, but it had better work before he becomes the poster boy for a death penalty that may be reinstated in New Zealand, which isn’t quite the dramatic ending he is hoping for…
Sometimes reality can really get in the way of a good story.
Joe Middleton’s story is this: He doesn’t remember killing anyone, so there’ s no way a jury can convict him of serial murder. He calls himself Joe Victim, trying, as he awaits trial, to convince the psychiatrists that he wasn’t in control of his actions, trusting that the system will save him in the end.
But others know Joe as the infamous Christchurch Carver and they want to see him dead. There’s Melissa, Joe’s accomplice in one of the murders, who plans on shooting him on his way to the courthouse before he gets a chance to start talking. Then there’s Raphael, whose daughter was one of the Carver’s victims. Though he’s tried to move on with life as the leader of a counseling group for grieving family members, he’d like nothing more than to watch Joe pay. Finally there’s Carl Schroder, the ex-detective who locked Joe up and is determined to put things right for the case of his career.
To extract himself from this epic mess, Joe has come up with a desperate plan involving a television psychic who’s looking to get rich by making people believe just about anything. It’s a long shot, but it had better work before he becomes the poster boy for a death penalty that may be reinstated in New Zealand, which isn’t quite the dramatic ending he is hoping for…
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Author
Paul Cleave
Paul Cleave is the internationally bestselling author of ten award-winning crime thrillers, including Joe Victim, which was a finalist for the 2014 Edgar and Barry Awards, Trust No One and Five Minutes Alone, which won consecutive Ngaio Marsh Awards in 2015 and 2016. He lives in Christchurch, New Zealand.
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Reviews for Joe Victim
Rating: 3.875 out of 5 stars
4/5
8 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5This book and series is right up my alley. Yet I struggled with this book. In fact, I don't know how I even got 210 pages into this book. There was nothing intriguing about the story of the characters. For a fleeting moment a few times it did seem like the story was going to go somewhere but for me it did not. This is because there was more talking and not enough action or I hate to say it (killing). I have no issues with the fact that I did not read the first book in this series as I have read many books out of order and been just fine with them. I was left wondering just how Joe got to be so hated as he did not seem smart at all. I could be wrong as again I did not read Cleaner. It just seemed like Joe was a bad actor and not a very good one at trying to be bad. Sadly, I could not read anymore of this book.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is the very first book I've read by Paul Cleave. (Don't you just love that name for a serial killer writer!) The book itself is a direct sequel to the the very first thriller he wrote set in Christchurch, New Zealand and is his seventh thriller set in that city. From what I can gather, there is a small series running within these books, this not being one of them, but all the books do take place in the same city, the same police force and within the same timeline so references are made between them. Characters know each other etc. This sounds entirely exciting to me and I'd love to go and read his books in published order. Not having read any of the other books, I didn't have any problem jumping in with this one, much background information was given to fill us in or refresh readers minds. Being a serial series reader though, I am more than certain I would have loved getting all the insider references. The story was great and very intense and creepy. This one is told half the time through the killer's point of view and he is the one in danger this time making him a creepily sympathetic character at times. Yuck! but true... I was fascinated that the book took place in NZ and found the cultural and police procedures to add another dimension to the story when I'm so used to American/British (OK,Scandi) crimes all the time. .An intense look inside the mind of a psychopath that I enjoyed very much but would probably have to recommend reading, at least, the sequel to this book first, "The Cleaner". I'll be going back and reading it myself! I think I may have found a new favourite author. Duh-duh-DUH!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5First off, I failed to realize this book follows on the heals of The Cleaner, which I did not read, and after reading Joe Victim, I probably will not. I usually enjoy psychological thrillers, but there was, simply put, too much violence in Joe Victim for my liking. With that said the story is well written, kept my interest, and I believe it is the first time I have read about New Zealand police procedures. All in all, if one is not squeamish and enjoys extremely dark humor and is interested in the mind of a serial killer give The Cleaner and Joe Victim a try.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Spannend, krank, witzig und absolut lesenswert!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5OMG! It’s the all-star edition of Paul Cleave’s killers. A serial killer, a spree killer, a mass murderer, bad guys born bad, and good guys gone bad! And more than one of them is out to kill Joe, a.k.a. Slow Joe, a.k.a. The Cleaner, a.k.a. The Christchurch Carver, currently waiting among them for his murder trial to begin, and the guards aren’t exactly enamored of him either. And through all of this, Joe’s mom just can’t understand why he won’t ask the warden to let him out of jail for an hour the day of his trial to attend her wedding! Not to worry, Joe’s killer girlfriend has a plan. Joe has a plan too. Unfortunately, these days they aren’t really communicating. Get ready for more gore galore. This is no cozy.