Mortal Fear by Greg Iles

Book Details
Mortal Fear by Greg Iles
Paperback, 624 pages
1998, Signet
ISBN: 0451180410

Synopsis
By day, Harper Cole works as a commodities trader and at night he leads quite a different life, serving as a systems operator for an exclusive erotic online service that caters to the rich and famous. But a stranger has now penetrated the network's state-of-the-art security, brutally murdering six celebrated female clients. Falsely accused of these horrible crimes, Harper realizes he must lure an elusive madman into the open--and place everything he holds dear directly in the killer's path!

Review
With a little medical mystery, a little computer espionage and a lot of cybersex and murder, Mortal Fear is the ultimate thriller. A serial killer infiltrates Eros. Known by many usernames, he toys with women while trying to achieve a higher purpose. The main character, Harper, is a hero, a villain and a victim, being placed into every possible category during this constant race against time trying to save victim after victim. Harper's personal life, his job and his dalliances on Eros (the sex site he worked for) all come into play during the investigation.

This book is very long, but surprisingly faced paced. I was completely sucked in. The computer aspect of the book is interesting. Although clearly advanced for the time period, I felt a spark of nostalgia reading about how computers and the internet operated over a decade ago.

This is real crazy, mind-blowing stuff. There were lots of disturbing parts, mostly more psychological than gory, although gore certainly had its place too. Mortal Fear is definitely not for those squeamish about sexual crimes and taboos. Sex and high tech are melded to create an exhilarating and terrifying thriller.

Rating

Links

Greg Iles' website