"The Inquisitor" by Mark Allen Smith - a review

The Inquisitor review

Author: Mark Allen Smith

5 out of 5 stars

Disclosure: I received a free ARC of this book from the Amazon.com Vine program in exchange for an honest review.

Geiger has no memory prior to arriving in New York on a bus – he doesn’t even know his name. He is, however, able to create beautiful creations through carpentry, and, as it turns out, he has another gift – he is able to tell if someone is lying. He is in the Information Retrieval business – he … “convinces” people to tell the truth through various methods and application of different forms of pain. He has few rules, but one of the main ones is that he never, ever works on children. When a client shows up with a last-minute change in plans that includes a young boy, Geiger takes the boy and goes on the run. Will he be able to protect the boy and keep himself and his partner alive? Will he be able to discover the truth behind what the client wants?

This is a unique story with a unique protagonist. Geiger is not a terribly sympathetic person – he is cold, distant, detached – almost schizophrenic in affect. However, underneath the surface, something is boiling and the reader finds herself strangely interested in what is happening to this mysterious man. The other characters are as memorable, as quirky, and as multi-faceted as Geiger. The story was highly engaging and, while occasionally fairly violent, should be one that most fans of suspense and thrillers should enjoy. I’m going to give one spoiler, for those who, like me, worry about such things. The cat comes through just fine.