Double Take: An FBI Thriller
Double Take: An FBI Thriller book cover

Double Take: An FBI Thriller

Mass Market Paperback – June 24, 2008

Price
$8.99
Publisher
Berkley
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0515144697
Dimensions
4.18 x 0.92 x 6.7 inches
Weight
6.6 ounces

Description

Starred Review. At the start of bestseller Coulter's gripping 11th FBI thriller (after Point Blank), Julia Ransom is enjoying a liberating stroll on San Francisco's Pier 39 after having been suspected of the brutal murder of her renowned psychic husband, Dr. August Ransom, six months earlier and hounded by the media. When an unknown assailant throws Julia off the pier, FBI Special Agent Cheney Stone rescues her. Stone later senses a link between the attack and the death of Julia's husband. Meanwhile in Virginia, Sheriff Dixon Noble is finally feeling his life is getting back to normal after his wife went missing three years earlier. When Noble comes to San Francisco to pursue a lead into his wife's disappearance, he gets involved in a harrowing investigation with Stone into both mysteries. As usual, the author conjures strong visual images, particularly a wild car chase through the streets of San Francisco. Credible characters and a fascinating look at the world of psychics and thieves help make this one of Coulter's best. — Publishers Weekly Catherine Coulter is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the FBI Thrillers featuring husband and wife team Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock. She is also the author—with J. T. Ellison—of the Brit in the FBI series. She lives in Sausalito, California.

Features & Highlights

  • FBI agents Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock are joined by one of their own and a Virginia sheriff in an extraordinary case that immerses them in the world of psychic visions, mind benders, and communications with the dead
  • It's been more than six months since her husband's brutal death, and Julia Ransom is just beginning to breathe again. She loved her husband, renowned psychic August Ransom, but the media frenzy that followed his murder sapped what little strength she had left. Now, after dinner with friends, strolling along San Francisco's Pier 39, she realizes that she's happy. Standing at the railing, she savors the sounds around her-tourists, seals on a barge-and for a moment enjoys the sheer normalcy of it all. And then it comes to an end.  Out of nowhere she's approached by a respectable-looking man who distracts her with conversation before violently attacking her and throwing her the railing. If it hadn't been for Special Agent Cheney Stone, out to stretch his legs between courses at a local restaurant, Julia would have vanished into the bay's murky depths. Not only does he save her from a watery grave, but he senses a connection between her assault and her husband's death, and sets out to serve as her protector while reopening August Ransom's murder investigation.  Meanwhile, in Maestro, Virginia, Sheriff Dixon Noble-last seen in
  • Point Blank
  • -still mourns his wife, Christie, who vanished hree years earlier. His life, too, is just getting back to normal when he learns of a San Francisco woman named Charlotte Pallack, whose shocking resemblance to Christie sends Dix across the country. Though he knows in his heart that she can't possibly be his wife, Dix is compelled to see her with his own eyes. Once in San Francisco, Dix and Cheney's paths inevitably cross. With the help of agents Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock, whose San Francisco connections prove essential in unlocking the mystery behind Charlotte Pallack's identity as well as the forces behind Julia Ransom's attempted murder, Sheriff Noble and Agent Stone push deep into a complex world of psychics and poseurs. As the stakes and the body count rise, Savich, Sherlock, Dix, and Cheney fight for answers-and their lives.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
60%
(2.1K)
★★★★
25%
(887)
★★★
15%
(532)
★★
7%
(248)
-7%
(-248)

Most Helpful Reviews

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Amateurish

This was my first time reading Coulter and I was amazed by her amateurish writing. Another reviewer said her dialogue was corny and I totally agree. It is clumbsy and difficult to follow. No one would speak that way.

Another laughable tendancy is Coulter's choice of character names. Here are a few: Chappy Holcombe, father of a deceased character; Judge Corman Sherlock; Sheriff Dixen Noble; Special Agent Cheney Stone. I suppose over-the-top names like these might work in bodice ripper romance novels but they kick you right out of the story in a suspense mystery.
4 people found this helpful
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Silly Silly Silly!!

If I hadn't paid for this book I wouldn't have finished reading it. It's written using a formula...I guess that might be expected...The line "You sure look pretty" after a house bombing (sorry if I spoiled it for you) made me laugh out loud then gag. One of the stupidest books I've read in a long time. I won't read any of hers again for a long time if ever.
3 people found this helpful
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Don't do a double take on this book!

I haven't ever read one of Ms. Coulter's books until Double Take and I will never read another one. The dialogue is contrived and poorly written. The plot is ridiculous. It reads like a 4th grade student's mystery. There are many other mystery writers who are more worthy of a reader's time and money.
3 people found this helpful
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Don't Bother

So, this cop's wife disappears, but she's apparently sighted by one of the cop's friends. Of course the cop has to investigate, but wait, then there's the wife of the dead psychic, who is now being hunted by an assassin. A bunch of characters are introduced and they're all intertwined into this supposed FBI "thriller" that turns into a whole lot of nothing. The story never evolved into something worth reading or caring about. 2 stars.
1 people found this helpful
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Cant put the book down

From the first page to the last, cant put it down, feel like you are right in the middle of the action. Feel like Dillaon and Lacey are old friends...
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This is a very good book.

This book is very good. Once I started reading it, I didn't want to put it down.
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Okay but not great

3.5 Stars. At first it read like a parody - like the movie Clue, in fact. Later it settled into the usual murder mystery but lacked luster. It’s ok but not great.
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Five Stars

One of you favorite writers always keeps you wanting to read to the end. Will read all her books
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Five Stars

Awesome, and I have read most of her FBI series, always waiting for the next one.
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Five Stars

I enjoyed this thriller immensely.