Velocity by Alan Jacobson

Hello again!

Welcome back to Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Today, I have a question for you...that's right YOU.  Have you ever been so caught up in reading a book that you forget everything else?  Yes...I am being serious!  For you fellow avid readers out there, this is probably like looking a mirror or a moment of deja vu. 

For me, it happens quite frequently in the land of books.  Sometimes it's the writing....making connections left and right and drawing me in.  Sometimes it's the story....something just too good to miss or just different enough to give me pause.  Then there are times it's an awfully good opening line, paragraph, or chapter that just begs to be read the moment it is in by hot little hands (like the book that arrived in the mail yesterday...but that's a story for another time).  In the case of this title....that instant fire was kindled from the start, but I'm afraid it lacked the oxygen needed to sustain itself, for this reader at least...but I digress.  All books have positive and negative aspects so let's dig right in.  Today's book of choice is...

Velocity

by

Alan Jacobson

We begin with the Crush Killer (so aptly named for how he kills his victims....~shudder~) case being ever so neatly tied up, only to discover that the loose ends within threaten to make it fall apart at the seams.  As it were, the agents in charge of the case believed there to only be one assailant creating all the havoc in the city, but alas....it seams as though there was a killer in training just waiting in the wings to carry on their gruesome mission.  Add to that a serious missing persons case involving one of their own as the result of an undercover mission and you've got trouble with a capital "T".  No worries.  It seems none of the parties involved anticipated the presence of one Karen Vail and with her determination and efforts, no stone will go unturned, no wine grape unsqueezed, no person believed innocent before proven guilty.  She's an FBI profiler with a chip on her shoulder and not one you want to face off against.....but then again neither are her police-type group of friends either.  Will they be able to solve the case before it's too late or will the bad guys win in this head to head showdown?  Only time will tell and that my friends is one luxury you don't have...

So, I finished this one off in the wee hours of the morning just yesterday...and sadly (but honestly), I can't say that I'm sorry it's over.  Allow me to explain.  The writing was good making the story easy to follow and the characters have their own unique personalities....something that can be hard to accomplish when you have as many players as this one does.  The story though....didn't live up to what I sampled of the book from the start. 

You see, I read the excerpt as I often do when trying to gauge whether or not I'd be interested in a book.  Since it was almost a full chapter if not a full chapter, I thought...what a wicked rush that was.  Seriously...the lead bad guy had issues and they manifested in the usual way...death and mayhem (not that that is a requirement or anything, but it fit here quite well).  Imagine my surprise when upon reading the book, the focus was turned in the very next chapter to the closing of that case, to a missing persons case and finally...drug cartels.  Now the missing persons aspect was definitely edge of your seat writing and part of the reason I hung around.  The drug cartel angle though, while thoroughly researched (which is clear from the information included), for me...was rather dry.  The action got lost in the details and so my interest wandered as well.  It's a fine balance to walk and I don't envy the author attempting to do so in the least, but if the mixture is not quite right, it can blow right up in your face or that of your readers.  For me, this one didn't quite make it.

End results...a good read for those older teens and adults that like thriller/fiction based in reality (which I do) with a large dose of educational information on the actual crimes being committed straight from the mouths of those that fight against it everyday (not particularly for me).  While not my particular cup of tea overall, it did have its moments of high interest and I can't say I'm sorry that I took a chance on this adventure...because I'm not.  Special thanks to Julie at FSB Associates for the review copy.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title and their other current features, be sure to visit their site or follow along on Twitter.

Until next time...happy reading!

Guest Post: Author Alan Jacobson

Hi there readers!

Welcome to post one of two today here at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.  First up, we have guest post from non other than author Alan Jacobson courtesy of the great folks over at FSB Associates (Thanks, guys!).  In it you will discover a bit about his newest release (Velocity) as well as the writing process that brought the novel to life.  Shall we get started?

Let's give a warm welcome to author Alan Jacobson.....

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A Crush on the Napa Valley Moves with Uncommon Velocity

By Alan Jacobson

Author of Velocity

A serial killer in wine country?

Unfortunately for him, FBI Profiler Karen Vail is there on vacation.

When I sat down to write my new thrillers, Crush and Velocity, the color red was prominent in my thoughts. Given that both novels revolve around a serial killer, you might think the red represented blood. Right?

Not exactly. Crush and Velocity bring my heroine, FBI profiler Karen Vail, to the Napa Valley. Yes, you're getting it now . . . red, as in wine. Those of you who've read my prior novels know that I immerse myself in the subject matter to learn everything I can -- a process that helps me create real characters who experience real problems that arise from who they are, where they live, and what they do.

For Crush, my exhaustive research took me to the Napa Valley -- so "immersing myself in wine" has you breaking out the violins, I'm sure. And though I was working 15 hours a day, 7 days a week, it was also tremendous fun. I enjoy wine and know the valley well and have always wanted to set a story there. But when you look under the covers of something you hold dear, you might stumble across things you weren't expecting . . . things that lead to emotions, conflict, action, suspense . . . and thrills for my readers.

When planning a visit to the wine country, you're sold on picturesque landscapes, fun and romance. Glossy marketing brochures and flashy websites talk of tasting wine with hints of "grapefruit," "dark chocolate" and "anise," with bouquets of "black currant" and "truffles." While an experienced palate and nose would certainly verify such claims, there are deeper forces at work beneath the surface, lurking at the bottom like sediment in a used French Oak barrel. Napa, like any region built largely around its tourism, is a business. And where there's business in play, there's money to be made. And where there's money to be made . . . well, you have the recipe for the kind of tasty dish we thriller writers crave.

But I have to come clean with you about something. Both Crush and Velocity aren't just about the wine country. They're not only about the Napa Valley's underlying politics or business deals.Crush takes FBI profiler Karen Vail on her first trip to Napa to help solve -- you guessed it -- a case involving serial murder. If you've read my first Karen Vail novel, The 7th Victim, you might recall that I spent seven years researching, and working with, the FBI profiling unit before writing a novel that would take years to complete. But when I typed that final period, I felt I knew what made the profilers tick. Equally important, I felt I understood who these serial killers were, and what stirred their drink. Ah, yes -- drink. Wine. The Napa Valley.

Crush and Velocity might be about more than "just" the wine country, but the setting does serve as a character in the story -- in fact, the region's inherent vagaries are so tightly integrated in the novel that these two thrillers could not have been set anywhere else.

In Crush, Karen Vail arrives in the Napa Valley and stumbles on a fresh victim in the deepest reaches of an exclusive wine cave. Vail sees the trademark signs of a serial killer. She can't resist, and reasoning that local law enforcement is out of their league when it comes to serial murder, she jumps at the opportunity to offer her expertise. The sheriff's department is less than thrilled with her involvement, but after a second body is unearthed, Vail is named to the Napa County Major Crimes task force. She soon learns she is in over her head, because Vail and her colleagues must navigate powerful forces that serve to interfere with their work -- and this is where the politics and behind-the-scenes maneuverings that I mentioned earlier come into play. Making matters worse, Vail finds it impossible to accurately profile the Crush Killer because he's unlike any serial offender the Behavioral Analysis Unit has encountered.

Crush ends with a bang -- but not before launching a story thread that sets the stage for a seamless transition to its follow-up novel, Velocity. The idea behind Velocity came to me as a result of an innocent remark the CEO of (deliciously addictive) Opus One made while taking me on a private tour of his winery early in my research for Crush (queue the violins). I realized I had an unusual opportunity to do things no other novelist has done. It inspired me to dig deeper, which led me to uncover things embedded in the wine country's culture -- and Napa's history -- to bring my reader fascinating behind-the-scenes intrigues that few people know about. Like the noses and palates of a fine Cabernet, these little-known aspects of the industry will enhance your experience as a reader. They became an integral part of Velocity, affecting Vail and her colleagues in ways no one can predict.

Crush and Velocity will take you on two wine country tours unlike any you've experienced. And after you've finished "tasting" Velocity, check out http://www.velocity.alanjacobson.com/ for wine country related activities, tidbits and tips I learned along the way.

In the end . . . well, I won't tell you about the end of either book -- because as is the case with "Alan Jacobson novels," both Crush and Velocity finish strong. In fact, New York Times bestselling author Andrew Gross said that Crush has "a finish with all the punch of a blockbuster Cabernet." Amen to that. Cheers.

© 2010 Alan Jacobson, author of Velocity

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Author Bio

Alan Jacobson is the national bestselling author of the critically acclaimed thrillers False Accusations, The Hunted, Crush. Velocity. and The 7th Victim, which was named to Library Journal's "Best Books of the Year" list. Alan's years of research and training with law enforcement have influenced him both personally and professionally. and have helped shape the stories he tells and the diverse characters that populate his novels.

Alan's books have sold internationally. and both The 7th Victim and one of his forthcoming thrillers, Hard Target. are currently under development as major feature films. He lives in Northern California.

Visit Alan Jacobson at http://www.alanjacobson.com/ and follow the author on Facebook and Twitter.

Learn more about Velocity and the Karen Vail novels at http://www.karenvail.com/.

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So there you have it!

A glimpse into two of his novels as well as the author behind it.

Next up for today, my review of this same featured title...so stay tuned.

Until next time....happy reading!