The Bishop

June 21, 2010
James, critically acclaimed author of the series the Bowers Files, sends new chills down the spine in his newest suspense thriller, told from various points of view and centering on FBI Special Agent Patrick Bowers's criminology and geospatial tracking of serial killers. When a prominent congressman's daughter is murdered, seemingly unconnected crimes become evidence of a heinous game played by two people who have the same things coursing through their veins as their victims and the cops trying to catch them: love and hate. James packs the narrative with ethical dilemmas and subplots involving abortion and medical research ("It would have saved us all a lot of trouble if your mother had just gone ahead with the abortion"). The novel moves swiftly, with punchy dialogue but gruesome scenes. Readers must be ready to stomach the darkest side of humanity and get into the minds of serial killers to enjoy this master storyteller at the peak of his game.

August 1, 2010
In the fourth Patrick Bowers thrillerafter The Pawn (2007), The Rook (2008), and The Knight (2009)the FBI criminologist is called to the scene of a gruesome murder. At a primate research facility, a woman was attacked by two chimpanzees, but this was no accident: someone had tied the victim, a congressmans daughter, to a tree and set the animals on her. Patrick, whos faced his share of twisted killers, might be encountering his most clever foe. This is a fine thriller, featuring a strong, compassionate protagonist and a couple of pretty scary villains (imagine if Bonnie and Clyde were serial killers, and if they were completely mad). James, an accomplished writer who seems equally at home writing hard-edged thrillers and books about spirituality for adults and younger readers, clearly knows how to spin a yarn; anddespite its thematic similarities to the television series Criminal Mindsthis novel is fresh and exciting.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)