Velocity
Written by Alan Jacobson
Narrated by Deanna Hurst
4/5
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About this audiobook
From a USA Today–bestselling author: FBI profiler Karen Vail’s hunt for a serial killer leads her into a dangerous criminal web—“relentless as a bullet” (Michael Connelly).
After a colleague connects Vail with covert Department of Defense operative Hector DeSantos, who has a knack for uncovering difficult-to-locate information, the pair pries loose long-buried secrets and deceptions that reveal a much-larger criminal enterprise at work. As Vail squares off against foes more dangerous than any she has yet encountered, shocking personal and professional truths emerge—truths that may be more than she can handle.
In keeping with Alan Jacobson’s style, Velocity is a high-octane thriller, a memorable work rich in believable characters and an intricately plotted story that’s well-researched and ripped from today’s headlines. Velocity was named one of the Strand Magazine’s top ten books for 2010, Suspense Magazine’s top five thrillers of 2010, Library Journal’s top five thrillers of the year, and the Los Angeles Times’ top picks of the year.
Velocity is the second installment of a two-part story that begins with Crush, book two of the Karen Vail Series.
Alan Jacobson
Alan Jacobson is the national bestselling author of the critically acclaimed FBI profiler Karen Vail and OPSIG Team Black series. Jacobson’s years of extensive research and training while embedded with federal and local law enforcement agencies have influenced him both personally and professionally, and have helped shape the stories he tells and the diverse characters that populate his novels.
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Reviews for Velocity
60 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Great follow-up to Crush. Karen Vail is great, if somewhat unbelievable. But as with all crime novels it doesn't follow real life but that's why it's a good read!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The American Heritage® Science Dictionary defines "velocity" as "The speed and direction of motion of a moving body." FBI Profiler Karen Vail is that moving body and she is running to beat the clock with a fiery momentum to find her missing boyfriend who has disappeared into thin air with no clues but a possible connection with a serial killer. Unusual in the mystery/thriller series genre, Velocity picks up right where Crush ended. Literally starting with the next chapter. The plot starts off highly connected with book 2, followed by a resolution, then continues on with book 3's unique plot which always centres on the missing boyfriend, police detective Roberto Hernandez.I loved this book! Jacobson keeps getting better and better. Velocity takes off in different directions, plot-wise, than either of his previous books making it more than just a serial killer case (not that there's anything wrong with that.) These new directions are surprising and unexpected reveals create a story that is much more than one at first assumes they are reading. Certainly plot is the mainstay of Velocity but, as often happens in mysteries, it has *not* been done so at the expense of characterization. Book 2 took us away from Karen's Quantico colleagues and Velocity continues with the now familiar California characters for whom we've grown fond (or not). But Karen gets sent back to Quantico where we are reintroduced to the characters from Book 1 and Jacobson has done a good job bringing these folks back to the reader's mind, especially giving significant development to Vail's boss, Gifford.The book ends with the completion of the plot; the unique experience of a two-parter within a series is over but the personal lives of the main characters continue on, ending with a new trajectory for one of said characters and an interesting reveal which we can expect to be explored in the next book. I'm very much looking forward to the next book, which one can only hope is "in the works".
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is a great book but you must read his book "Crush" first or you will be lost. This book starts where Crush ends. Mr. Jacobson has earned a place among the leading police/detective authors. If you have not read any of his books I encourage you to do so beginning with the first book in the Karen Vail series (The 7th Victim). You will not be disappointed.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Velocity by Alan Jacobson (crime) A Karen Vail novelVelocity is the latest in a series that revolves around Karen Vail, an FBI profiler, and in this case she’s in Napa Valley trying to catch a serial killer. Jacobson captures wine country perfectly, with the descriptions of winery operations, the rural countryside, and the personalities of the nouveau riche jumping into the wine industry. He clearly knows the region. Vail is not a ‘chick’ cop, and fortunately, there are no descriptions of her designer purse or what fashions she may be wearing. She’s a clever detective and works well as a consultant with the jurisdictional police; she doesn’t pull rank or play mind games.As the story begins, several key events have already taken place. Vail’s boyfriend is missing, a suspect has been shot and is critically injured, and the police are trying to solve a string of murders and abductions. Vail is called away just as things start to look promising. But the search continues and leads across the country and creates a compelling mystery to be solved.I hated it. No. "Hate" is too strong a word. In fact, I didn't really dislike it either. I was annoyed by it. I might have actually liked it a lot if it weren't for some distractions in the narrative. These made the story very hard to become fully involved in, despite the clever plot twists.“Got a laptop,” Vail said. “It’s unplugged.” As Dixon joined her, she lifted the lid. The screen remained black. “Looks like it’s off.” Brilliant deduction! This happens more than once. “She plucked the disc from the plastic spindle, then placed the DVD in the laptop tray and watched as Windows Media Player loaded.” Seriously, I am too wordy, I know it. But I’m also not a published author! Why does the reader have to plod through all that detail? A page later we read that “Windows Media Player closed.” Hardly exciting, and it detracted from the pace. Additionally, maybe because my mind was already distracted, there seemed to be a lot of product placement-the brand name of just about everything was noted. Instead of making it more true-to-life, it felt like filler. It occurred to me that fifty years from now-when a reader wouldn't care about a Blackberry-that the book would either feel dated or campy.The most annoying thing of all, however, was the inclusion of two rather boring characters: “the SIG” and “the Glock”. Vail and her partner Dixon carry guns, no surprise. But every time they enter a building, chase a suspect, or sit in their car, we are told the status of their gun. In virtually any scene Dixon appears in, we are told “her SIG drawn” or “SIG in hand”. Vail's Glock is similarly noted. Having read other detective stories and seen countless episodes of Law & Order, I don’t think I need to be told that as they chase a suspected killer that they’ll have their guns out. It’s a given. And in this novel, it becomes a huge distraction. Maybe if I had read the previous books in the series I would know the characters better and not be inclined to notice these things. I do think if someone was familiar with the character of Karen Vail, they’d be pleased with this newest novel.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Finished this one off in the wee hours of the morning...and honestly, can't say that I'm sorry it's over. The writing was good, but the story didn't live up to what I sampled of the book from the start. You see, I read the excerpt...which is almost a full chapter if not a full chapter and what a wicked rush that was. Seriously...the lead bad guy had issues and they manifested in the usual way...death and mayhem. Needless to say I was quite surprised when the book turned the focus to a missing persons case...and drug cartels. Now the missing person aspect was edge of your seat stuff...from time to time. The drug cartel angle while thoroughly researched (which is clear from the information included), for me...was rather dry.End result...a good read for those that like thriller/fiction based in reality (which I do) with a large dose of educational information on the crime (not particularly for me).