Rating: 
Summary: A PAGE-TURNER-BURNER!
Review: This was a terrifically-written, briskly-paced thriller. I enjoyed it from cover to cover. The characters are an eclectic mix of realistic types of people and the details of the storms and stomr-chasing left me wanting more. This is a high-voltage new author and I eagerly anticipate reading more of her work!!!
Rating:
Summary: Very, very good book.
Review: The Breathtaker is an unusually strong novel built around an intruigingly metaphoric story. Blanchard sees the storm as a manifestation of the killer's rage. But beyond this high concept idea is a literary work full of great writing and emotional, three-dimensional characters. I think this writer feels it in her bones. It's a brilliant study of violence as powerful as the storm itself.
Rating: 
Summary: This is a Today Show selection????
Review: I thought that John Grisham and Clive Cussler were the masters at cranking out books that you know they didn't bother to read; now I can add Alice Blanchard to the list. Was she just in a hurry, or what? This book is ridiculous, and I have to wonder whether the other "reviewers" are Alice's friends, family, and publishers. There are so many holes in the plot, loose ends, out of character actions/responses, etc. that the plot is unworkable. Reading this book did have one benefit, however: it makes the good books look even better.
Rating: 
Summary: Murder Most Unusual
Review: Breathtaker starts fast and ends even faster. A diabolical serial killer murdering under the cloak of tornadoes is a great change of pace from the many mysteries based in 'dark' urban areas that I could recommend this book for that alone. Our hero is quite flawed with unresolved anger towards his father, unrelenting grief over the deaths of his mother and sister when he was a young boy, and now, trying to cope with a teenage daughter while both are still reeling from the death, due to cancer, of their beloved wife and mother. Blanchard allows her characters to make poor decisions or over-react to situations. My only criticisms are the tornado chases become a bit repetitive and upon learning who the killer is, I realize I would have loved some scenes or chapters in his 'voice' without necessarily revealing his identity. The killer has quite a background in abuse and violence which is told in a sort of 'catch-up' style towards the end. I would have prefered to 'hear' him in his home or work area thinking about his next kill or just merely preparing his materials. Breathtaker is very good, but not a legend like "Silence of the Lambs".
Rating:
Summary: Great premise, great execution
Review: All too often, today's latest books have a great premise but no real follow through. Not so with this one: THE BREATHTAKER. Finally, a well done book with real characters and an actual plot. And if you think that's a given in today's book market, you haven't been reading lately. The idea of a serial killer that only strikes during tornadoes is just brilliant, and what Blanchard does with this material is excellent. Why isn't this higher up on the bestseller list instead of some of those "other" books out there? Also very much enjoyed two other novels: "A Girl Named Zippy" and "The Bark of the Dogwood"
Rating:
Summary: what a storm!
Review: When THE BREATHTAKER focuses on Police Chief Grover's forensic investigation & tornadoes, the story sings. Is the killer's frenzy escalated by the twisters? Who is he & where will he strike the next time? Will his adored daughter, be the next victim?Tucked inside the wild tension & turbulence of a tornado season, is an age-old battle between child & parent -- between Grover & his drunkard Dad, & Grover & his teenage child. RebeccasReads recommends THE BREATHTAKER as a Mach 4 must read! It will take your breath away, so vivid are the storms -- both Mother Nature's & Man's. Engrossing & satisfying!
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant psychological thriller
Review: Alice Blanchard is one of our most gifted contemporary writers, and her latest book, The Breathtaker, is psychologically complex, thought-provoking, and exquisitely written. The characters are sympathetic and intriguing; the plot is rich, with unexpected complications and revelations, and the book itself is impossible to put down. After you read this book, read Blanchard's first suspense thriller, Darkness Peering, another masterpiece. Then read her extraordinary collection of short stories, The Stuntman's Daughter. I'm waiting with bated breath for Blanchard's next book!
Rating:
Summary: "The new Blanchard is here, the new Blanchard is here!"
Review: At long last ... and well worth the wait. Not only great writing, but fresh and rich with dramatic (and just plain cool) metaphor. Can one say "verisimilitudous"? .. if I can, it would be an apt description about the depth of Alice's character development and description of the world they live (and die) in. Just SO many examples that make me go back and re-read lines and paragraphs .. letting them soak into my head makes my brain smile along with my face: "Rob Pepper's torso was dangling from the ceiling like an upside-down jack-in-the-box." Oy baby, that's good. Please write faster Alice, there is so much literary pablum out there I crave another rich and tasty serving of Blanchard to satisfy my cravings ... "like a tall cool glass of one's favorite libation after too long on the desert". (That line is so bad you know I just made that up.) Oh, and ditto for "Darkness Peering".
Rating:
Summary: Best Suspense Award Winner
Review: This just won the Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award for BEST SUSPENSE NOVEL of 2003. To quote: "In a word-wow! Blanchard has outdone herself in this unique and mesmerizing thriller. With both an angry Mother Nature and a deranged serial killer on the loose, THE BREATHTAKER grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go. An astonishing ride!"
Rating: 
Summary: Bore-maker
Review: I am giving this book 2 stars only because it kept me mildly entertained today while I was sitting in the hospital waiting room. Otherwise, this book is terrible. If you really want to read a book by Alice Blanchard, get "Darkness Peering" it is excellent. I don't think the same Alice Blanchard wrote "Breathtaker."
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