David L. Lindsey

David Lindsey is a spy story from a different angle. Harry, Ariane, and Claude are all ex-foreign intelligence officers. With the demise of communism and the fall of the Wall, they realize that their way of life will go the way of the Wall, so they make plans to preserve a source of revenue. They very cleverly rip off a very wealthy man in such a manner that he will never know. Claude disappears suddenly and the two remaining discover that their victim has learned the truth and is exacting show more vengeance. The plot is satisfyingly complicated, integrating a beautiful woman (of course) ex-spies, forged works of art, and two plots that simultaneously lead to attempts to kill the killer. The result is accomplish ed, but with an unexpected conclusion. A real page-turner. show less

This is another of the Stuart Hayden (Houston homicide detective) series. I'm not sure where it fits in the series, but it doesn't matter in this case. A video technician is gruesomely murdered in his lab at a prestigious ad agency. The investigation leads to a strange cast of characters from the scummiest to the most powerful. And it's all really grisly. I really like Lindsey's plots and writing style. Most of his characters are fabulous. However, the extreme angst of Stuart Hayden gets a show more little old after a while. show less

David Lindsey is not one of the best known, top-tier mystery/thriller writers, but he is one of the more talented, and [Mercy] is strong proof.

A serial killer is targeting the women of Houston’s upper-middle class. At first glance, the victims are low-risk; they are professionals and mothers living in the best and safest neighborhoods. But these victims have an explosive secret, one that has put them squarely in the sights of a sexual-sadist. Houston Police Department’s Detective Connie show more Palma must discover the victims’ secret to have any hope of identifying the killer, but the victims aren’t cooperating. Palma turns to the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit for help in profiling the killer.

I happened onto Lindsey several years ago, picking up [Color of Night] on a whim, and was surprised to find him a solid cut above the typical thriller and mystery writers. Lindsey’s writing carries a literary air with colorful descriptiveness and deep characterizations.

[Mercy] is graphic, in the descriptions of the sex, the crimes, and the crime scenes. While the detail adds to the realism of the story, it may also put off quite a few readers, so be warned. Also, Lindsey has not published much in the last few years, and most of his novels predate the turn of the century. So, a good deal of the police procedure is outdated and readers will have to forget any knowledge gained from C.S.I. Unfortunately, even with the old technology, the one major failing of the story is in Lindsey’s failure to follow through on the bite mark evidence possibilities in wrapping up the story – the novel ends with doubt about the killer facing justice for a lack of evidence, even though there are a ton of bite marks that would have been matched to the killer with technology available at the time. The mistake, though, is not one that most folks outside of law enforcement would notice.

Bottom Line: A literary thriller but a graphic one.

4 ½ bones!!!!! show less

This is, without a doubt, the strangest book I've ever read. It's captivating, but very strange. A sculptor is basically stalked by two women and is drawn into their lives. I'm really not articulate enough to do the plot justice but I will say that it's one of the most interesting things I've read in a long time. David Lindsey is amazing.