Rating: 
Summary: NY Times Book Review:
Review: "Nothing about the delicately rendered psychological terrors of Alice Blanchard's debut novel, ''Darkness Peering,'' could have prepared us for the howling horrors of THE BREATHTAKER. Set in a region of rural Oklahoma known as Tornado Alley, this gale-force thriller charts the warped progress of a serial killer who strikes only during tornadoes and models his handiwork on their devastation. That should be enough of a charge for one book, but such is Blanchard's artistry that she whips up even more excitement by taking us joy riding with storm chasers who jump into their trucks and ride into the path of the big twisters. ''Heroin for the heartland'' is their catchphrase for storm chasing. As one enthusiast puts it, ''When you chased the wind, the ground fell away from under your feet and you were transported someplace else.'' Charlie Grover, the seasoned police chief of Promise, Okla., joins these daredevils when his 16-year-old daughter is kidnapped by the killer and driven into the eye of a majestic storm -- a plot development that satisfies genre conventions but seems superfluous in a story that gets more blood-pumping effects from its spectacular weather reporting. In truth, Blanchard writes so well that even her quiet descriptions of desolate towns and lonely people are good enough to rattle the rafters."
Rating: 
Summary: What a great book!!!
Review: I read this on a plane ride across country and couldn't put it down. It's a fast-paced page-turner with great scares, great characters and an outstanding premise that is very well-executed. The hero, sheriff Charlie Grover, is a deeply conflicted character trying to raise his daughter alone in the face of hunting a very smart and crafty serial killer who has managed to cover his tracks for years by making his kills look like the storms did it. Meanwhile, his daughter has fallen in love with a bad kid and gets into trouble because she thinks she knows much more than she actually does about the world - a very believable teenage character. The storm-chasing is well-researched, as is the forensics work. This author is keenly aware of keeping emotional conflict front and center at all times, which effectively adds to the tension being cranked up chapter by chapter from a taut and gripping plotline. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun and entertaining read that is also a quality piece of literature.
Rating:
Summary: A terrific thriller
Review: This was a scary, fast, fun book. There were a lot of great storm scares and the killer was a freak of nature. :) It's beautifully-written with an interesting and original cast of characters. And the ending is action-packed.
Rating:
Summary: INTENSE
Review: I had know idea what to expect when I picked up this book to read. I bought it because it was a Today Show Pick. Well let me tell you it was great!!! It is a very suspensful novel about a serial murder who kills during tornadoes. I couldn't put it down. Should make a good movie. Only reason I didn't give it 5 stars was because I felt there were a few loose ends but I would read another by this author.
Rating:
Summary: NY Times Book Review:
Review: "Nothing about the delicately rendered psychological terrors of Alice Blanchard's debut novel, ''Darkness Peering,'' could have prepared us for the howling horrors of THE BREATHTAKER. Set in a region of rural Oklahoma known as Tornado Alley, this gale-force thriller charts the warped progress of a serial killer who strikes only during tornadoes and models his handiwork on their devastation. That should be enough of a charge for one book, but such is Blanchard's artistry that she whips up even more excitement by taking us joy riding with storm chasers who jump into their trucks and ride into the path of the big twisters. ''Heroin for the heartland'' is their catchphrase for storm chasing. As one enthusiast puts it, ''When you chased the wind, the ground fell away from under your feet and you were transported someplace else.'' Charlie Grover, the seasoned police chief of Promise, Okla., joins these daredevils when his 16-year-old daughter is kidnapped by the killer and driven into the eye of a majestic storm -- a plot development that satisfies genre conventions but seems superfluous in a story that gets more blood-pumping effects from its spectacular weather reporting. In truth, Blanchard writes so well that even her quiet descriptions of desolate towns and lonely people are good enough to rattle the rafters."
Rating:
Summary: Great Thriller
Review: I really enjoyed this book. The characters were real and the action was so intense that I could hardly put it down. I didn't know who the killer was until it was revealed. The only thing I had a problem with was that the ending was a bit "Hollywood" and far fetched, but overall, it was a great book. And as for the author not knowing her geography (it seems that you can't possibly drive as quickly to the locations that she mentions) so what?! Unless you live in that area, I don't see what difference it makes.
Rating:
Summary: A PAGE TURNER - SHOULD BE MADE INTO A MOVIE
Review: THIS A GREAT BOOK. I LOVE TO READ BUT WITH 3 KIDS IT'S HARD TO FIND TIME TO READ. THIS BOOK WAS SO SO INTENSE THAT I READ IT IN A DAY. GREAT GREAT BOOK!
Rating:
Summary: A thrilling thriller with lots of "twists"...
Review: I read this on a single plane ride from coast to coast and only put it down to eat and take bathroom breaks. What a terrific story and very well-told. Kind of cool reading about tornadoes when you're flying in the clouds, too... natural atmosphere! The only thing Blanchard could've done better with this one is to have written it faster. I hope I don't have to wait four years from her next book, even though this one was well worth the wait.
Rating: 
Summary: Willard Would Know Better
Review: Author Alice Blanchard must have been absent from writing class every time the instructor tried to drill into students' heads: "Write what you know!" Her book, Breathtaker, is set in Oklahoma, but, Boy Howdy! it is painfully evident that Blanchard has not even a passing acquaintance with its geography. Her fictional town of Promise, OK, is said to be just north of El Reno. But when folks get in their vehicles and start driving around, it just plumb don't make no sense. Burns Flat becomes just a hop, skip, and a jump away - as is Tulsa. And "EAST Texas" is only about 80 miles away. Near as this former resident of Norman, Tulsa, and Clinton can tell, Blanchard and her editors are calling the Texas panhandle "East Texas." Nope! Ask Oprah, who faced trial and tribulations in Amarillo, or Pres. GW, or Dr. Phil! Nor does anyone involved with this book (their Coasts are showing!) catch that those of us in Central Time do NOT have nightly News at 11:00 for which TV reporters must scramble to make deadline. In our part of the Fly-over, news is at 10:00. Whoever picks selections for the Today Show bookclub must not read many mystery thrillers, either. The habitué can see the killer comin' like a storm all the way across the flats of the Texas Panhandle and Western OK. /TundraVision, Amazon Reviewer..
Rating:
Summary: Could have been better
Review: The book sounded like it had a very interesting premise, but, in the end, it was a little disappointing. It was a fast read, but there was not enough about the motivations of the killer. If the author would have spent a little longer on that arc, then the fast-paced ending would not have seemed so premature. I would certainly recommend this book for light reading.
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