The Devil's Elixir (Center Point Platinum Fiction (Large Print)) (edition 2012)

Ponderous and too complicated to fully enjoy. A mad Mexican narcotics character driven to any means possible to help decode some oddball ancient Indian narcotic .... yada yada. Way too long for the message. ( )

Most novelists with robust sales in their rear view mirror stick rigidly to the tried-and-true format that earned them their past successes. In the highly competitive arena that is modern fiction book publishing there's nothing inherently wrong with a writer clinging tightly to formula, particularly when that formula has resonated with readers and the people cutting his royalty checks. It happens all the time. So it's both noteworthy and laudable when an author with Raymond Khoury's estimable track record not only probes a new path, but does it with a result as satisfying and enjoyable as his new thriller, "The Devil's Elixir."

Khoury burst onto international bestseller lists in 2006 with his blockbuster novel, "The Last Templar." "The Last Templar" and the three books that followed it have been translated into dozens of languages, and have charted in scores of countries. If any bestselling novelist could rest on his stylistic laurels and adhere to formula, it's Khoury. Kudos to him for choosing instead to present something a little different in his latest release. For the legions of ardent fans of Reilly and Tess there are no worries, because the engaging duo are back in "The Devil's Elixir." However, in this breakneck thriller the whirlwind plot (excepting the prologue) unfolds entirely in the present day, as opposed to interweaving with a historical adventure as in Khoury's previous works. And while Khoury's prose gets better and more engaging with every book, with this release admirably continuing that trend, for the first time in any of his novels Khoury elected to write a large part of the book in (Reilly's) first-person narrative. Given his prior triumphs, Khoury certainly didn't have to craft the book that way. That he did speaks well for him spreading his wings as a writer, and also enhances the immediacy and impact of the story for readers. Yet while exploring narrative techniques unprecedented in his earlier books, Khoury still delivers what his fans have rightfully come to expect -- a gripping plot with astonishing twists, consistently alluring protagonists, and a really nasty villain who earns his menacing epithet, El Brujo ("The Sorcerer"), many times over during the novel's course.

This is Khoury's best book to date. It will please his steadfast fans, and it will gain him many new ones. ( )

Third in a series, but works fine as a stand alone

As many thrillers as I read, somehow I hadn’t yet made it around to Raymond Khoury. So, even though I hadn’t read earlier Templar novels featuring Sean Reilly and Tess Chaykin, I decided to dive right in. Fortunately, Khoury’s enough of a pro to gracefully exposit everything I needed for this novel without spoiling past tales. I didn’t feel like I was missing a thing.

The Devil’s Elixir opens with three brief prologues that establish elements of the story. After that, the action takes off with a bang. Specifically the bang of the gunshot that kills former DEA agent Michelle Martinez’s boyfriend the moment he answers the door to her apartment. The killers then go after Michelle. She grabs her four-year-old son, gets out, and calls the most trust-worthy person she can think of, former flame Sean Reilly. He gets on a plane no questions asked and gets sucked into Michelle’s inexplicable nightmare. She hasn’t worked in law enforcement in years, but these killers won’t quit.

Of course, this is barely the beginning of what turned out to be an entertaining page-turner. As noted earlier, there’s plenty of action, but story doesn’t suffer in service of it. Things move at a consistently fast pace. I won’t claim these are the most well-developed characters of all time, but they’re likable enough that I cared about their fates.

Finally, there was a major twist in the last quarter of the novel. Ultimately, I’m not sure what I thought of it, but I didn’t see it coming at all. Overall, it was well-handled. This was a positive enough introduction to Khoury’s work, that I’m much more interested in reading the earlier Sean & Tess novels and will certainly consider reading future works. ( )

I am a fan of Khoury's other books, but I have to say this is his weakest effort to date. Not a bad book, but not up to his prior standards. Plotting and pacing seems a bit forced. Maybe the change to using a first-person narrative. I get the sense Khoury struggled with this one. Nonetheless it reads well. A nice read, but not as deep as his prior books. ( )