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The Throat by Peter Straub — book cover

The Throat

by Peter Straub, Patrick Girard Lawlor (Performed by)
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Overview

THE THROAT. Tim Underhill, now an acclaimed novelist, travels back to his home - town of Millhaven, Illinois after he gets a call from John Ransom, an old army buddy. Ransom believes there’s a copycat killer on the loose, mimicking the Blue Rose murders from decades earlier — he thinks his wife could be a potential victim. Underhill seeks out his friend Tom Pasmore, an aging hermit who has attained minor celebrity as an expert sleuth, to help him investigate. They quickly discover that Millhaven is a town plagued by horrifying secrets and there is a twisted killer on the loose who is far more dangerous than they ever imagined. Expertly tying together the events of Koko and Mystery, The Throat proves Peter Straub to be the master of the suspense novel.

“Terrifying psychological horror. . . . Rich in detail and character.”
—The Plain Dealer

“Disturbing. . . . Satisfying entertainment. . . . A bloodstained tapestry of stunning emotional power.” —San Francisco Chronicle

“A classic mystery novel. . . . Deft, impressive.” —The New York Times Book Review

Straub completes the Blue Rose trilogy with this searing novel of psychological terror. Tim Underhill and the brilliant and reclusive Tom Pasmore court ultimate destruction as they dare to look back to a dark past that holds the secret of evil which signs its name Blue Rose.

About the Author, Peter Straub

Peter Straub is a New York Times bestselling author, most famous for his work in the horror genre being honored as a grand master at the 1998 World Horror Convention. He has won the World Fantasy Award for Koko (1989), and the Bram Stoker Award for his novels The Throat (1993), Mr. X.(1999) and Lost Boy, Lost Girl (2003) as well as for his collection of short stories, 5 Stories (2007). He lives in New York City.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Straub peaks with this visceral thriller, which completes his Blue Rose trilogy ( Koko ; Mystery ). The citizens of Millhaven, Ill., thought they had overcome the unsolved serial murders that plagued the town in the 1940s--the killer had scrawled the words ``Blue Rose'' near the bodies--but another resident has just fallen prey to a new Blue Rose. The victim's husband, John Ransom, enlists the aid of Tim Underhill, a high school buddy and fellow Vietnam vet who has written a book about the murders. Although Tim thinks of his hometown as ``oddly interchangeable'' with Vietnam, he returns to join forces with famed local sleuth Tom Pasmore to solve both the earlier and the later murders. Tim's research and Tom's computer hacking connect the '40s killer to the St. Alwyns Hotel on Widow Street and suggest that the more recent killer is a victim of child abuse. Millhaven detectives nab a Jeffrey Dahmer-type murderer who claims to be the new Blue Rose, but Tim proves that the man is lying. As Tim and Tom close in on the truth, the trauma of Tim's Vietnam experiences pales and ``the other Vietnam''--his own childhood abuse--roars into memory. Painted from a darkly colorful palette, Straub's characters inhabit a razor-edged world of unremitting suspense. BOMC main selection. (Apr.)

Book Details

Published
December 6, 2011
Publisher
Brilliance Audio
Format
Audiobook
ISBN
9781455829934

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