The Cabbage Head

Rating:
Summary: The Cabbage Head Cooks
Review: My interest was caught by the odd title, The Cabbage Head, and the even odder cover. It looked like a throwback to a 1940s P.I. mystery or spy novel. Although it turned out to be quite different than what I expected, I am anything but disappointed.

In fact, I am amazed that Robert McClain could craft a story about a ruthless, cold-blooded killer and make me care about him. What the main character went through as a child is staggering, and I can somewhat understand how Patrick came to be a killer for hire. However, though I looked for some excuse, or rationalisation from Patrick, tying his childhood to his profession, it doesn't exist. There are no "Oprah" moments.

The way the author weaves the past with the present is nothing short of astounding. First, I'm taken to Bratislava via a train, then, I'm propelled back some twenty years... to Pittsburgh as Patrick writes his memories of his college days.

Whoever wrote "a twisted odyssey through the mind of a sociopath" knows what he's talking about. It's incredible.

Although Patrick O'Fallon is exceedingly dangerous to men, he's unbelievably hapless around women. Perhaps my favourite quotation of the whole novel was when a woman told Patrick, "The reason we always sent you after men was because we knew you'd kill them. The reason we never sent you after a woman is because we figured you'd probably end up having her baby."

And that, in a nutshell, is the essence of Patrick O'Fallon's charm.

The story has so many unexpected twists that I found it difficult to put down. And when I had to go about my day, I thought about Patrick O'Fallon... the impetus to pick it up again.

There's even a website [thecabbagehead website] where I found other readers expressing the same sorts of opinions I drew from this book.

If you're a fan of suspense novels, if you like a roller-coaster ride through the pages of a book, an edge-of-your-seat sort of book, then I highly recommend The Cabbage Head.