Blindside (An FBI Thriller Book 8)

So, we are supposed to engage in "willful suspension of disbelief" when reading novels. I understand that.

But really...

The child/target of the bad guys in this book manages to escape his captors something like three times despite the fact that the professional law enforcement folks (local sheriff and FBI) are "protecting" him.

Apparently they (the Law Enforcement pros) have never heard of things like handcuffs or kicking guns away from downed suspects.

If this is a novel advocating that you should not trust law enforcement and/or that law Enforcement is incompetent, then it does a very god job.

I read this a few months back, so I don't remember if anyone associated with Dillon Savich get shot (as they usually seem to do in Ms. Coulter's novels).

Thankfully, I did not buy this book (I got it from my local library).

It is my impression that people associated with Catherine Coulter's character Dillon Savich get shot with about the same frequency as did the babes in the 1980's TV show "Mike Hammer" starring Stacy Keach.

Because of the implausibility of the kid escaping -- unaided by Law Enforcement -- from the bad guys so many times, *AND* because of the total ineptitude of the Law Enforcement professionals, I cannot recommends this as even a "guilty pleasure".

We listened to this book as an audiobook, after I had listened to one other CC novel. We are now on tape five, and the book has been so unbelievably stupid that I had to finally come read reviews, to see if it was 'just me', that thought the whole plot was goofy and the dialogue completely out to lunch.

The performance of the reader is really excellent, and she amazed us with her voice variations, and accents and characterizations, but we found ourselves - with no law enforcement background - constantly giving advice to the characters, who kept doing incredibly stupid things. --Like.. The guy is shooting at you and your child, woman, don't fire warning shots! And.. Gosh, you don't have cuffs -- how about the unconscious deputy you're pulling out of the car right now? Get his!" The characters were very cartoon - my husband described them as 'Disney'. The whole book (so far) seems so trite that its entertainment value lies in mocking it as you listen to the audiobook.

I found myself assuring my husband that the other CC book that I listened to was actually pretty good and the characters and the villians were all actually intelligent and entertaining.

I will say, however, that the reviews of this book are far more entertaining -- for a straight read -- than the book itself. I would not actually finish reading this, if I had to spend my time doing so. We will probably listen to the rest only because we do very long drives and are out of other audiobooks.

But... I'm very glad I bought this one at Goodwill. It's pretty bad.

This Coulter presentation begins with a kidnapping that goes awry and results in the kidnappers being chased by a small town sheriff. The kidnapped boy is the son of a businessman and former FBI agent who worked with Agent Savich. The FBI believes the kidnapping may be related to former cases handled and they begin an investigation. The sheriff takes care of the boy until the father arrives and they both are staying with the sheriff when another attempt is made to take the boy. Agent Savich is hurt in the shootout from a flying piece of metal from an exploding truck. One of the kidnappers is killed by the sheriff as the other crashes the getaway truck into a tree. Unknown to the law officers the driver of the truck escapes only slightly wounded. Savich is rushed to the hospital and operated on for a serious cut in his back. The sheriff stays with him and also notifies the FBI of his injury. Sherlock talks to the sheriff and immediately flies out to be with her husband as other agents decend on the small town. Other attempts are made to get to the boy, the sheriff kills the other kidnapper, but even with that the sheriff's house is fire bombed and destroyed by another person trying to kidnap the boy.

As you can see there is page after page of good action, but only a few chapters about the mystery part of the book. Before going to the aid of his friend to help with the kidnapping Savich is working a case where math teachers are being killed. When there is a lull, he goes off to attend to the kidnapping. The kidnapping is quickly solved as it becomes apparent that the reason behind the attempts are related to a religous cult. This being the solution and the source dealth with, Savich returns to D.C. to finish his work on the math teacher murders just as another teacher is gunned down. Savich works in the background to find key information pieces that lead him to the killer, who is caught in the act of trying to kill another teacher.

The book has one further interesting part involving the small town sheriff and the father of the kidnapped boy. They get married and are out playing in a public park with the kids, Sherlock, and Savich, when gunfire erupts. This probably is an interesting side story, but it relates back to the kidnapping as Savich and Sherlock later find out. Without revealing the story line here, the reader will likely enjoy the last fifteen pages of the book as the story unfolds and the final ending results in..."and all lived happily ever after". It's a good read, nothing spectacular, but interesting none-the-less and somewhat well written.

This book was just plain awful. Yet, like the way one is compelled to watch a train wreck, I finished listening to the book on CD.

I believe this tried to be both a romance and a thriller and therefore failed to be decent at either genre. Coulter needed to research or-SOMETHING-in order to throw this mess into the outermost regions of plausibility.

After reading the other reviews, I learned that Sherlock, her husband, and most probably her hair curlers are recurring characters in a series. What a relief! I couldn't figure out any other reason for them to exist in this novel.

(SPOILERS BEGIN HERE!!!)

I found myself yelling "YEAH, RIGHT!" at several points during this book. First, we have Fatso, whose vehicle explodes and he walks away unscathed. Then, we have the Sheriff, a couple of kids and daddy, whose house explodes and they walk away unscathed (hey, she just had a feeling something was wrong.) Yet, when the home of Reverend Obvious and his obedient wife explodes, 'no one could have survived that.' No corpses are produced. The logical thing for the sheriff to do in this instance is put it all in the past and get married at the demands of two children. Then, when she gets shot and gets a couple of Effa Bee Eye bodyguards, it's completely sensible for them to unquestioningly let anyone claiming to be her sister follow her into an empty building. With a gun. Especially when she was supposed to be a dead kidnapper.

The entire psychodrama is further decorated by a crazy postal worker, a sex room with multicolored objects of pleasure and pain, stigmata on a child's hands, and let's not forget that nutty Math Teacher Killer. Why why why?

Laughably, horribly bad on so many levels.

So, we are supposed to engage in "willful suspension of disbelief" when reading novels. I understand that.

But really...

The child/target of the bad guys in this book manages to escape his captors something like three times despite the fact that the professional law enforcement folks (local sheriff and FBI) are "protecting" him.

Apparently they (the Law Enforcement pros) have never heard of things like handcuffs or kicking guns away from downed suspects.

If this is a novel advocating that you should not trust law enforcement and/or that law Enforcement is incompetent, then it does a very god job.

I read this a few months back, so I don't remember if anyone associated with Dillon Savich get shot (as they usually seem to do in Ms. Coulter's novels).

Thankfully, I did not buy this book (I got it from my local library).

It is my impression that people associated with Catherine Coulter's character Dillon Savich get shot with about the same frequency as did the babes in the 1980's TV show "Mike Hammer" starring Stacy Keach.

Because of the implausibility of the kid escaping -- unaided by Law Enforcement -- from the bad guys so many times, *AND* because of the total ineptitude of the Law Enforcement professionals, I cannot recommends this as even a "guilty pleasure".

My Review :??????? Catherine Coulter keeps you coming back time and time again. All her books have wonderful plots, great characters and always have a love story in every FBI story. Can’t put them down. It is a mix of multiple genres (thriller, romance, suspense) which makes it very interesting. It has a few twist and turns through out the book enough that it holds your interest.The story is tense and full of surprises. I highly recommend this excellent series, which has been going strong for many years. I love the agents who are so well developed .The plot and action was quite believeable. I enjoyed every page of this book. Just when you think you have it figured out, it will have you guessing again. It will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout the reading experience

We listened to this book as an audiobook, after I had listened to one other CC novel. We are now on tape five, and the book has been so unbelievably stupid that I had to finally come read reviews, to see if it was 'just me', that thought the whole plot was goofy and the dialogue completely out to lunch.

The performance of the reader is really excellent, and she amazed us with her voice variations, and accents and characterizations, but we found ourselves - with no law enforcement background - constantly giving advice to the characters, who kept doing incredibly stupid things. --Like.. The guy is shooting at you and your child, woman, don't fire warning shots! And.. Gosh, you don't have cuffs -- how about the unconscious deputy you're pulling out of the car right now? Get his!" The characters were very cartoon - my husband described them as 'Disney'. The whole book (so far) seems so trite that its entertainment value lies in mocking it as you listen to the audiobook.

I found myself assuring my husband that the other CC book that I listened to was actually pretty good and the characters and the villians were all actually intelligent and entertaining.

I will say, however, that the reviews of this book are far more entertaining -- for a straight read -- than the book itself. I would not actually finish reading this, if I had to spend my time doing so. We will probably listen to the rest only because we do very long drives and are out of other audiobooks.

But... I'm very glad I bought this one at Goodwill. It's pretty bad.

This Coulter presentation begins with a kidnapping that goes awry and results in the kidnappers being chased by a small town sheriff. The kidnapped boy is the son of a businessman and former FBI agent who worked with Agent Savich. The FBI believes the kidnapping may be related to former cases handled and they begin an investigation. The sheriff takes care of the boy until the father arrives and they both are staying with the sheriff when another attempt is made to take the boy. Agent Savich is hurt in the shootout from a flying piece of metal from an exploding truck. One of the kidnappers is killed by the sheriff as the other crashes the getaway truck into a tree. Unknown to the law officers the driver of the truck escapes only slightly wounded. Savich is rushed to the hospital and operated on for a serious cut in his back. The sheriff stays with him and also notifies the FBI of his injury. Sherlock talks to the sheriff and immediately flies out to be with her husband as other agents decend on the small town. Other attempts are made to get to the boy, the sheriff kills the other kidnapper, but even with that the sheriff's house is fire bombed and destroyed by another person trying to kidnap the boy.

As you can see there is page after page of good action, but only a few chapters about the mystery part of the book. Before going to the aid of his friend to help with the kidnapping Savich is working a case where math teachers are being killed. When there is a lull, he goes off to attend to the kidnapping. The kidnapping is quickly solved as it becomes apparent that the reason behind the attempts are related to a religous cult. This being the solution and the source dealth with, Savich returns to D.C. to finish his work on the math teacher murders just as another teacher is gunned down. Savich works in the background to find key information pieces that lead him to the killer, who is caught in the act of trying to kill another teacher.

The book has one further interesting part involving the small town sheriff and the father of the kidnapped boy. They get married and are out playing in a public park with the kids, Sherlock, and Savich, when gunfire erupts. This probably is an interesting side story, but it relates back to the kidnapping as Savich and Sherlock later find out. Without revealing the story line here, the reader will likely enjoy the last fifteen pages of the book as the story unfolds and the final ending results in..."and all lived happily ever after". It's a good read, nothing spectacular, but interesting none-the-less and somewhat well written.

This book was just plain awful. Yet, like the way one is compelled to watch a train wreck, I finished listening to the book on CD.

I believe this tried to be both a romance and a thriller and therefore failed to be decent at either genre. Coulter needed to research or-SOMETHING-in order to throw this mess into the outermost regions of plausibility.

After reading the other reviews, I learned that Sherlock, her husband, and most probably her hair curlers are recurring characters in a series. What a relief! I couldn't figure out any other reason for them to exist in this novel.

(SPOILERS BEGIN HERE!!!)

I found myself yelling "YEAH, RIGHT!" at several points during this book. First, we have Fatso, whose vehicle explodes and he walks away unscathed. Then, we have the Sheriff, a couple of kids and daddy, whose house explodes and they walk away unscathed (hey, she just had a feeling something was wrong.) Yet, when the home of Reverend Obvious and his obedient wife explodes, 'no one could have survived that.' No corpses are produced. The logical thing for the sheriff to do in this instance is put it all in the past and get married at the demands of two children. Then, when she gets shot and gets a couple of Effa Bee Eye bodyguards, it's completely sensible for them to unquestioningly let anyone claiming to be her sister follow her into an empty building. With a gun. Especially when she was supposed to be a dead kidnapper.

The entire psychodrama is further decorated by a crazy postal worker, a sex room with multicolored objects of pleasure and pain, stigmata on a child's hands, and let's not forget that nutty Math Teacher Killer. Why why why?

Laughably, horribly bad on so many levels.

I found two paperbacks at work, both thrillers, both written by women, both part of a series, both having a two word title starting with the word "Blind". After reading five chapters of one, I skimmed to the back to make sure the good guys all survived, and gave up. The other kept me hooked to the end. The one that kept me hooked was Catherine Coulter's "Blind Side."

This book has two major plot lines. In order of appearance, they deal with a serial killer of math teachers, and the abduction of 6 year old Sam Kettering. In reality, there is no balance between the two. The kidnapping takes up the major part of the book. The serial killer story has minimal development, and is solved in a way that I found less than satisfying. (In fact, at one point, I wondered if it would be resolved in this story.)

I am not revealing something that is not hinted at in the plot summary blurb in the paperback, but one villain is a preacher. As an ordained Fundamentalist minister myself, I pay attention to the presentation of fellow preachers. I do wonder if Coulter has the view that all Fundamentalists are to be distrusted, but the characterization of the preacher in this book is such that I am not confusing his belief system with mine. I know of ministers who are as dangerous and fringe as Coulter's Sooner McCamy character.

I did find this book a little predictable, but I realize that it is hard not to be predictable. The epilogue was unpredictable to me, and I found it satisfying. There were a few loose ends left dangling, and one wonders if a future book in this series would deal with it (this is the first book in the series I've read, and I don't know if Miles Kettering had appeared in other stories). But if you want an escape, I would recommend this book, and I would not be surprised if I found myself reading another of her series at a later date.

The concept behind this book was great - the execution - MISERABLE. I've enjoyed Coulter's "FBI" series books in the past, but this book was a serious deviation from her typical fare.

When I picked up this book at the bookstore, I was instantly intrigued by the plot - little Sam Kettering is kidnapped from his home in the middle of the night, while dad Miles sleeps in the other room. Meanwhile, teachers are being murdered by a sniper, which has Coulter's mainstays Savitch and Sherlock left scratching their heads.

Savitch and Sherlock, take the backseat in this novel. Instead, Coulter focuses on developing additional characters - Sam, Miles, Sheriff Katie Benedict and her daughter, and Valerie Rapper.

Coulter probably would have been better served focusing on the kidnapping and leaving the teacher murders and associated characters to another novel. The plot felt rushed and underdeveloped. The dialogue was a huge deviation from the normal witty banter between Coulter characters. The budding love between Miles and Katie was trite, and forced. The ultimate reason behind Sam's kidnapping was just plain bizarre.

The only redeeming factor in this book was the adorable kids, and their sweet interactions. However, it was grossly overshadowed by the rest of the garbage.

Catherine Coulter's editor did her a major disservice by not insisting on an extensive rewrite prior to the publication of this book. While it is advertised as "an FBI Thriller" and the next book in the series featuring Dillon Savich and his wife Lacey Sherlock, the author's attempt to fit the book into that mold in order to appeal to her loyal readers will probably backfire by disappointing them. Just as in her previous book, THE ELEVENTH HOUR, Savich and Sherlock are peripheral to the main plot, as is in fact the whole FBI. AND BY TRYING TO GIVE THEM A MEANINGFUL ROLE SHE HAS DETRACTED FROM WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN A FIRST CLASS NOVEL.
The book begins as a standard FBI procedural, with Savich trying to track down an apparent serial killer of math teachers in the Washington, D.C. area. However, after a few chapters that case becomes almost an afterthought to the central plot, the kidnapping of six-year-old Sam Kettering, the son of Savich's friend and widowed former FBI agent Miles Kettering. Sam escapes his kidnappers after being mysteriously tranported to eastern Tennessee and is saved from being recaptured by the local sheriff, Katie Benedict. (This all happens within the first thirty pages.) As he gradually recovers from the post traumatic stress brought on by his ordeal, Sam forms a strong bond with Keely, Katie's five-year-old daughter.
So, the stage is set. The kidnappers are still on the loose. The reasons for Sam's kidnapping are a complete mystery. Miles is a former FBI agent who wants to interface with the local FBI office. Of course, Savich and Sherlock want to help their good friend. As the investigation begins, it soon leads to the Reverend Sooner McCamy and his beautiful wife Elsbeth. They appeared in town several years ago and he has founded a very strict fundamentalist evangelical church and which has attracted an extremely devoted congregation. Clearly these elements provide enough potential for a great plot, an interesting police procedural, and a concomitant opportunity to examine how moments of stress can become life changing experiences (for Sam, Keely, Katie, and Miles). Unfortunately, the negatives of the book outweigh the positives.
The dialog is stilted and often seems contrived; it was also jarring to me that in their conversations the characters are consistently referred to by their first names as is Dillon (Savich), yet throughout the book even in the same paragraphs the author constantly refers to him as Savitch. It is understanable since this has been his personna throughout the series, but the constant juxtaposition is disturbing. (This is one of the many things a good proofreader should have caught; among other errors even the number of teachers murders as listed in the promotional blurb on the dust jacket is incorrect.) The chapter breaks were on occasion absurd. It seemed like in an attempt to mimic James Patterson the publisher decided no chapters could be too long so some breaks were even right in the middle of conversations. (E.g. pages 196 and 232) One other minor complaint is that I still have no idea why Valerie Ripper was in this story except to provide some misdirection.
More importantly than these minor annoyances, I have five major complaints which are responsible for my low rating. First, the story is more like a Harlequin romance novel than an FBI thriller. Second, the villians seem almost immortal. They are constantly put in situations where they should be captured or killed but continually and sometimes miraculously escape to continue to torment Miles, Katie, Keely and Sam. However, after the first few times the surprise element is gone and it just seems unreal. And it also seems that it would have ocurred to Katie and Miles that danger continued to exist. Third, early during the book it becomes relatively obvious who is behind the kidnapping, and while the reasons remain a mystery a lot of the intrigue disappears. Fourth, Sam and Keely are wonderful, but a lot of their charm is the innocence engendered by their youth. Yet, in order for the plot to work, they have to be so precocious for their ages that it strains the reader's credulity. Last, the D.C. murders are solved almost as an afterthought to flesh out the book and give Savich a larger role, but the two cases are totally unrelated and the reader is provided basically no meaningful clue in that case until after the murderer is apprehended.
So what saved this book from a one star rating? First, Sam And Keely and their magical relationship. The author actually made it come alive. They and Katie, whose character was wonderfully drawn, were the central elements of the story and if a lot of the distractions were eliminated this story could have been first rate. Second, the way the story evoked the small town rhythms of eastern Tennessee and the beauty of the Smoky Mountains resonated with me. Third, the basic elements of the plot had great potential if there had been a greater element of mystery and the solution had involved a greater examination of the philosophical implications inherent in the crime. Fourth, it was a very fast moving, easy read that kept my attention despite its flaws.
So, I generously rounded up my rating to three stars, and recognize that die hard C fans might enjoy this book. But if you haven't read ELEVENTH HOUR, read that instead. It is a better plot, although the characters aren't quite as good except with the exception of Nick Jones. But the reason that the technique of two mysteries works so well in that story is that they are ineluctably interrelated, rather than simply a device which in the end detracts from a more nuanced development of the main story.

Much as I have liked and recommended Coulter's previous books, I find that this one just doesn't measure up. The plot is thin and weak, and what's worse, she uses the same implausible gimmicks more than once, further insulting the reader's intelligence. **SPOILERS AHEAD** If one kid jumping out a window to escape the bad guys is good, let's do it again with two kids! If one villain purportedly dead escapes a fire, let's resurrect another one with another fire! Couldn't we at least have had a flood for variety?

The main characters, all experienced law enforcement officers, repeatedly make mistakes that even a rookie cop on the beat wouldn't. It's very difficult to find stupidity engaging, much less an interesting plot twist.

The characters didn't have much chemistry with each other, and the relationship resolutions were simply too big a stretch given what has gone before. These are supposed to be smart people, and smart people would exercise much better judgment than the lead characters did.

Not even Sherlock and Savich, two captivating characters from previous books, add enough to make this a worthwhile read.

Coulter is normally a very good writer, so let's hope that she gets back on track with her next novel.

I found this book awfully foolish. Okay, there is the story about murdered math teachers - that gets Savich and Serlock into the story. Then we have a kidnapped little boy who is found within the first 50 pages and the rest of the book is, of course, the love story - that's the sheriff (Katie) who found the boy and the boy's father (Miles). Whoever wants the little boy keeps trying until he is found out and killed. Of course to intertwine Savich and Sherlock in the books, they know Miles and they come out to help - I don't see where they really helped, their coming to "help" did not do anything for the mrudered math teach storyline or the little boy that is kidnapped. They are just in the story. Of course, everything is settled in the end.

The books are becoming predictable. Maybe since I haven't read any romance/thriller/FBI books before, I was looking for more of a story.

The Cove and the Maze put this book to shame. I hope the next one is better.

Blindside is about the kidnapping of a six-year-old boy. He manages to escape the world's stupidest kidnappers, only to have them return again and again for him. He's found and protected by a local sheriff, his father (a former FBI agent) and two other married FBI agents. These folks have got to be among the most inept cops/agents in the world. They lose their man so many times it's comical (and it's not supposed to be!). The book is predictable, and the characters are simplistic: black or white, good or evil, with little development. Oh, where to begin? The way that the marriage develops between Miles and Katie is ridiculous. There is absolutely no resolution as to how the tape of Sam came into being. It would be completely inappropriate for two agents to work on the same team (ask any local cop shop). The freaky woman hitting on Savich at the gym defies explanation (why is she even here?). The inclusion of a sideline plot about a math teacher killer makes no sense whatsoever. The dialogue was stilted and unnatural, with odd cadences and repetitive use of phrases such as "down to her toes." The author may love her characters, but they inspired no feelings in me. If you're desperate for the written word, then Blindside will do. It may even give you a few unintentional laughs. If you want a great thriller that will keep you guessing, look elsewhere. Blindside is just plain silly.

Yes, there was some awkwardness in the book, and a little too much mushiness for a guy.
But I like mushiness and warmth in a book so it was fine with me.
I did like the characters in the book and the children, too.
There was plenty of excitement and mystery in the plot. The fascinating
lady sherrif, Katie, was the principle character in the book. Very lovable
gal and an illustration of how much women are able to contribute to our general good.
I'm buying her next book BLOWOUT because some of the same characters are there and
I expect a lively read. Freddy B

Though well-know for her many historical novels, Ms. Coulter has engendered many fans with her contemporary Sherlock and Savich series. Married FBI agents Lacey Sherlock and Dillon Savich take somewhat of a back seat in this latest Coulter novel, but they play an important part, nevertheless. When friend and former FBI agent, Miles Kettering is devastated when his six-year-old son Sam is kidnapped, Sherlock and Savich are soon on the case, especially when Sam miraculously escapes the Tennessee cabin where he was hidden by his captors.
Discovered running in the rain by local Sheriff Katie Benedict and her young daughter, Keely, Sam is quickly brought to safety in Katie's home where his father and Savich arrive soon after. But the suspense is far from over, as the kidnappers are relentless in their pursuit of Sam, despite the combined protection of several law enforcement agencies.
Together, Katie, Miles, Savich, and Sherlock discover that one of the kidnappers has a sister living nearby, Elsbeth McCamy, the wife of the ultra-pious Reverend McCamy, pastor of the Sinful Children of God Church. While the good Reverend and his wife repeatedly deny any involvement in Sam's kidnapping, the coincidence of the close proximity of the kidnapper's cabin to his sister's home is too obvious to be ignored.
Thrilling suspense continues with a bizarre twist when the purpose behind the kidnapping is finally revealed. With the ending packing another punch, true to Ms. Coulter's white knuckled novels, the read isn't over until the final page is written, as unbeknownst to lovers Miles and Katie; danger lurks around the next corner.

For the most part, the plot was VERY choppy. She added in Savich & Sherlock into this book but if you haven't read the previous books in her series, it would be confusing. It almost seemed that Coulter tried to take 2 short books and combine them unsuccessfully. I never felt invested in the main characters, Katie and Miles. Even by the end, there didn't seem to be any chemistry between Katie and Miles. The main plot line just seemed to wither out. Also, she tried to add small stories on the edges that don't mix well. Just page fillers. Writer's block and a tight deadline? Not her finest, that's for sure. Read Coulter's first in this series and only read this one if you LOVE Sherlock and Savich and you just have to have another glimpse.

This was my first Catherine Coulter book and it will be my last! The writing was completely unbelievable and you knew who the killer would be five chapters before it was ever revealed. The story dragged on and I found myself skipping two and three chapters ahead just to move things along. (and I found I didn't miss anything in the skipped chapters) I rented the Kindle copy from the library and am very happy I didn't waste anything other than time on it!

This book published on a heavy bond paper feels a lot more substantial than the 370 pages that it contains but the story is entertaining and the characters appealing. The eighth entry in Catherine Coulter's exciting FBI series it is not quite as well conceived as the first four, THE COVE, THE MAZE, THE TARGET and THE EDGE, but it is an improvement over the weaker recent entries HEMLOCK BAY and THE ELEVENTH HOUR. In this episode Sherlock and Savich come to the aid of former FBI agent and friend Miles Kettering after his six year old son ,Sam, has been kidnapped. Sam manages to escape and is recovered by local sherrif and single mom, Katie Benedict. It is now up to Sherlock, Savich, Miles and Katie to discover the reasons for Sam's abduction and to apprehend the culprits. The story moves quickly along with the appropriate amounts of danger, suspense and romance to make a great summer read. (I do agree, however, with a previous review that occasionally the relationship between Sherlock and Savich and their somewhat stilted dialogue slows rather than enhances the plot.) Overall this is another winner for Coulter.

I always enjoy Cahterine Coulter's books and this was no exception. Her characters are very believable and the situations usually leave you breathless. This book is about an ex FBI agent who wakes up one morning to find his 7 year old son has been kidnapped. There is no ransom and it is a frantice race to find him. The little boy is very resourceful and eventually escapes and is found by a sheriff and her 5 year old daughter. If you thought this was the end of the story it is just the beginning. There are so many twists and turns - always leaving you breathless.

Great book for people who love thrillers.

Another great FBI mystery/thriller by Catherine Coulter l have read all of the series to this point and I have enjoyed everyone. The characters are well developed, interesting, and believable. The action is fast and the FBI always gets the bad guys. I would recommend this book and the series to anyone who enjoys great mystery/thrillers with lots of action a an interesting story line. Enjoy!!!!!

Husband and wife FBI team Savich and Sherlock are back in their most grueling case yet.
Six year-old Sam Kettering is kidnapped, but as his father FBI agent Miles Kettering, has taught him, he fights his way to freedom. Rescued by sheriff Kate Benedict, Sam is safely returned to his father, but his nightmare is far from over.
Savich and Sherlock begin their search for the kidnappers, but two questions remain unanswered...Why was Sam the target, and why do the kidnappers want him so badly?
The search for answers leads Savich and Sherlock to strange evangelist Reverend Sooner McCamy, and his wife, but a shocking turn leads to more unanswered questions, and if that's not bad enough the couple is pulled into an additional case, one that has them on a hunt for the killer of five teachers in Washington, D.C.
`Blindside' is another stunning entry in the FBI thriller series. The gripping plot is peopled with likable characters, and twists galore. The pages turn fast as two separate story lines unfold all leading to an explosive climax.
Catherine Coulter has, once again, scored a big hit with a novel that's better than the previous entries in the FBI series, and that's no small accomplishment because all the novels in this series are great. Combining action, murder, great characters, and tons of unexpected plot twists Coulter continues to dazzle with novels that are original and entertaining, and are sure to please her legion of fans. Readers of this fast-paced series will lap this up in one sitting, and be anxious for the next entry.
A MUST read!
Nick Gonnella

I was pleasently surprised with this novel after reading what several reviewers had written.
I am a fan of Coulter and enjoy this FBI series, If someone thought character development missing it was because they haven't read past books with Savich and Sherlock, anyone who knows this team would enjoy this read and the new Sheriff Katie with Miles & kids! Oh yeah I hope to see much more in future books as these characters deveolp. I thought keeping 2 plots going was good and kept me reading. Give it a shot.

I found Blindside to be an interesting and facinating story. Yes, Savich and Sherlock do seem to have some leaway when it comes to assignments, but what are stories for? So what if it seems far fetched that they caught the serial killer with little brain power. Isn't that why he has Max/Maxine? You really root for Sam. I enjoyed the kids in the story. They sometimes are smarter than the adults. When a story seems to bog down, along come the kids to liven it up. I really recommend this book, especially if you have read the others in the series, but it isn't necessary.

Savich and Sherlock do not belong in this story. They seem to be an after thought to fit into a popular series, which doesn't work. This is the eighth in a good series, but doesn't have the quality that expectations from previous stories lead the reader to expect. Maybe one shouldn't mix romance, suspense and mystery all in the same volume. Though this seems to be a current trend.
Nash Black, author of TRAVELERS and QUALIFYING LAPS.

Actually, it's quite possibly the worst one. The plot is great! I like the fact of the kidnapping and the mystery surrounding it, but COME ON! Miles and Katie get married after barely a week and she doesn't call him by his first name the whole time. Then all of a sudden they're cozy, cozy, let's get married? My other pet peeve about this book is the weird woman at Savich's gym. What is up with her? Where did she come from? and why doesn't she go back there? Is she supposed to some character that may appear in a later book? If so, don't bother! And the dialogue!!! I've heard better conversation between 3-yr olds. Like when Savich is in the ambulance and the sheriff is with him and calling him Agent Savich (which is what I expect a county sheriff to call a Special Agent with the FBI). He tells her to call him Dillon (only natural as they had gunplay together previously). You would think that would end it, but NNNOOOO!! He says, "that's what my wife calls me" Who cares, I ask. Is his wife supposed to call him Agent Savich? AAAARRRGGGHHH! It drove me crazy! I had to stop and read some adult fiction for a while before I could go back to that craziness! I don't think Catherine Coulter wrote this book. I think her 3-year niece did.

I usually really enjoy Catherine Coulter's work, but this book was nearly an exception to the rule. While the story line is a good one, the editing left a lot to be desired. Often times conversations seemed very stilted and formal- even between (Dillon)Savich and (Lacey) Sherlock who are husband and wife. Also, the case the two of them were working on had nothing to do with the situation in which we find Miles Kettering (their close friend) and Katie Benedict a small town sherriff. Since there was no direct correlation between the two, why bother to put it in? Also there was the fact that Miles's background as a former FBI agent seems to get "drop kicked" to the background. It is mentioned quite frequently, yet never does he really do or say anything to make you believe it. As for Katie herself, well she is quite believable, but she appears to be more "macha" than Miles.
Another thing that really bothered me about this book, there were a few instances, where I had no idea where a character's comment had come from or parts of the conversations seemed to not fit with the rest of the conversation.
In the end, it is decent book that is best quickly read and put on shelf. I won't say forgotten, because with a little work the book could have been great. If the editors at Ms. Coulter's publishing house had actually read the book rather than skimmed it this review very likely would have read quite differently.

I have read three Coulter books now, with my favorite being Riptide. When I saw Blind Side in paperback, I grabbed it and thought I was in for an enjoyable quick read. WHAT A DISAPPOINTMENT! This book is so poorly written, I could not believe that Catherine Coulter was the author. The story is just ridiculous, but even worse, the dialogue is very poorly written, the characters are not well-developed, and what has become of Savich and Sherlock? It is time for them to go away! Come on, Catherine, I KNOW you can do much better than this! Readers....look for a Coulter book with 4-5 star reviews; this is NOT one of them.

I enjoyed this book with great relish. It was well-written and exciting. Starts off with investigation of kidnapping and a murder of math teachers. I was really pleased that they bought Sherlock and Savich back. With the addition Miles Kettering. Are the crimes related? What is the Motives? It is well worth the time to find out.

This volume of the Savich/Sherlock story was not up to it's usual tension and suspense. I felt from about half way in that I knew who the bad guy was, which was very off putting considering that Catherine Coulter usually is very good at leaving me in suspense and holding out until the very end who the bad guy really is.

It's an okay read, but over all the book was rushed and seemed as if some editor somewhere had hacked it to pieces. The ending also left me a little sick over the fate of the series.

See synopsis above.
This was my first Catherine Coulter book. I liked it. Fast paced, to the point and with characters you love to hate. It was a quick read and a quick escape. I will give Catherine's next book a try.
Recommended.

I was very disappointed with this book. The storyline is illogical, shallow and completely unbelievable. The characters and dialogue are ridiculous and stilted. The two storylines never come together leaving the reader to wonder what was the point? Having read other Catherine Coulter books, I cannot fathom why her editor ever allowed this book to get into print unless it was to meet some contractual deadline.