Monday, April 13, 2009

Deadlock by Robert Liparulo




“He worked with words every day. He knew they had power, but by using them without tethering them to the objects they described – in this case his heart – they just floated away, so much air.” (p.418)


John Hutchinson – Hutch to all Deadfall fans – makes a blistering return in Liparulo’s latest release, Deadlock. Now that Hutch has saved the small Canadian town of Fiddler Falls from Declan and his maniacal crew, he has decided to go after the root of all the evil and pin down Declan’s father, Brendan Page. Hutch is convinced that even though Page and Outis Enterprises turn out the world’s best-trained soldiers, underneath the “success” is an evil that is darker than any war zone. It is an evil that Hutch feels compelled to stop – you might even say he has become obsessed.


In the year-plus time span since Hutch rescued Fiddler Falls from destruction, he has also re-focused his heart’s desire on re-gaining custody of his children following a bitter divorce. He has also developed a close friendship with Laura and Dillon who lost husband/father Tom in the earlier conflict. Hutch has reached a point when it seems appropriate for his children to become acquainted with Laura and Dillon, yet he finds that their presence highlights a heart-conflict between him and his son Logan.


Meanwhile, it seems Brendan Page and his son Julian, another Fiddler Falls survivor, are also engaged in conflict. Page has enrolled his fourteen-year-old son into his sinister academy that trains paramilitary soldiers-for-hire. Despite Page’s heartless treatment of his son, Julian has somehow kept his own heart tender toward life, and what he wants more than anything is to be free from his father’s dark embrace.


When Hutch gets the opportunity to meet Page face-to-face after more than a year of investigation, he leaves Laura and the three children for what is supposed to be only a 24-hour separation. But when Hutch and Page’s obsessive personalities finally collide – the story explodes into a terrifying battle-to-the-death suspense ride that will not let you go!


It’s the high-tech, almost mystical behavioral technology of Page’s soldiers pitted against the intuitive, common-sense hunting prowess of Hutch and his family. Non-stop, explosive action keeps you holding your breath page after page! The last forty pages? Insanely intense!!


What makes life worth living? Who do you spend time with? Where is your heart focused? These are the questions Hutch must answer – if he can just stay alive!


This novel has a very masculine feel to it. You are never free from the desire to “win at any cost” nor the struggle to grasp and hold onto the lasting relationships that make life worth living. It is as much an emotional battle as a physical conflict. For those who enjoy suspense/thriller novels – it doesn’t get any better than Deadlock. You absolutely can’t put it down! I cannot imagine what on earth will happen next in the life of John Hutchinson! (There is mild language throughout)



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:


Robert Liparulo is a former journalist, with over a thousand articles and multiple writing awards to his name. Readers of his action-thrillers were not surprised when his visual storytelling style caught the eye of Hollywood producers. Currently, three of his novels for adults are in various stages of development for the big screen: the film rights to Comes A Horseman were purchased by the producer of Tom Clancy’s movies; and Liparulo is penning the screenplays for GERM and Deadfall for two top producers. He is also working with the director Andrew Davis (The Fugitive, Holes) on a political thriller. Novelist Michael Palmer calls Deadfall “a brilliantly crafted thriller.” March 31st marked the publication of Deadfall’s follow-up, Deadlock, which novelist Gayle Lynds calls, “best of high-octane suspense.”

Liparulo’s bestselling young adult series, Dreamhouse Kings, debuted last year with House of Dark Shadows and Watcher in the Woods. Book three, Gatekeepers released in January, and number four, Timescape, comes out in July. The series has garnered praise from readers, both young and old, as well as attracting famous fans who themselves know the genre inside and out. Of the series Goosebumps creator R.L. Stine says, “I loved wandering around in these books. With a house of so many great, haunting stories, why would you ever want to go outside?”

He is currently working on his next thriller, which for the first time injects a bit of the supernatural into his gun-blazing stories. The story is so compelling, two Hollywood studios are already in talks to acquire it—despite its publication date being more than a year away. After that comes a trilogy of novels, based on the critically acclaimed short story he contributed to James Patterson’s Thriller anthology. New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry calls Liparulo’s writing “Inventive, suspenseful, and highly entertaining . . . Robert Liparulo is a storyteller, pure and simple.” He lives with his family in Colorado.

2 comments:

SmilingSally said...

Although I am female, I loved it too, but I did say that my husband would love to see this one made into a movie.

Jodi said...

Another female here ... loved it!! I have always appreciated the struggle men have between family and occupation -- this is completely that, and more!