You Can't Stop Me

Serial Killer Lite (2010-06-25) : 3/5
I've been a fan of Max Allan Collins ever since I first read his Ms. Tree comic books back in the early 1980s, and am always on the lookout for new books from him that have NOTHING to do with any TV show or movie. "You Can't Stop Me" is a fine book that helped pass a few hours, but isn't within range of the Quarry books or the Nate Heller series that Collins writes. This book features a boring main character chasing a serial killer who leaves clues so he can be found. The premise of the book is the interesting part: the main character is the host of a weekly "America's Most Wanted" style TV show, and the character is tracking down the killer 'Live on the air!'

Overall, this was definitely a fun read, but it could have been a lot better. The ending was way too contrived, and the characterizations were way too weak.

Recommended if you're looking for a quick no-brain read.
You Can't Stop Me (2010-06-21) : 5/5
You Can't Stop Me caught me completely by surprise! Honestly, I got the book because it was free on Kindle. When I read it though, I called, texted, and FB'd all of my friends telling them it was a must read. I should be reading the book for my upcoming book club meeting but I couldn't put it down until I finished it. Some of it was predictable but a whole lot of it wasn't. I would read other books by these authors again and gladly pay.
a very good book - believable and wrenching (2010-06-07) : 4/5
a gripping, wrenching story - very good book - kept me picking up my Kindle often to see if they were gonna nail the guy before he struck again. the characters were great. the idea of the show was a little weird to me, not realistic to me if you are dropping clues to the audience and the killer is part of the audience.
Better Than CSI (2010-06-04) : 5/5
I am not sure that I can properly express how happy I was to open the envelope that contained YOU CAN'T STOP ME by Max Allan Collins and Matthew Clemens. It would be impossible to overstate the extent of Collins's effect upon and contribution to the mystery and detective genres. In addition to a number of series novels (the Quarry and Nathan Heller books, to name but two) and stand-alone works, Collins has written television and film scripts, graphic novels (anyone ever heard of ROAD TO PERDITION?), comic strips (he took over the iconic Dick Tracy when creator Chester Gould retired), comic books (I have a complete run of the groundbreaking Ms. Tree, and no, I don't want to sell them), and a number of books based on series such as "CSI: Miami" and "Criminal Minds."

Collins also has written novels in collaboration with others, including a writer by the name of Mickey Spillane, a series of highly regarded "cozy" mysteries with his wife Barbara under the pseudonym "Barbara Allan," and Matthew Clemens. Clemens is a highly regarded author and editor who has previously co-written a number of titles with Collins, including the Bones and Dark Angel books. YOU CAN'T STOP ME, an original work by the two men, appears to be the first of what undoubtedly will be a popular, long-running series if the first installment is any indication.

YOU CAN'T STOP ME begins with the introduction of John Christian (J.C.) Harrow, an investigator with Iowa's DCI agency. Living in a small town just 30 miles from Des Moines, Harrow is in the middle of what is to be the most significant day of his life, for the best and worst of reasons. In the course of a few hours, he will save the President of the United States from an assassination attempt and find his own wife and son brutally murdered in their home. Eventually, Harrow channels his grief into a force for good and closure. He creates "Crime Seen!," a television program that chronicles unsolved murders in the hopes of bringing justice to victims and closure to their survivors. By the end of its first season, "Crime Seen!" is a top-rated show, the apple of the network president's eye.

Changes are in the wind, however. When a staffer discovers a murder with an irrefutable similarity to the killings of Harrow's family members, Harrow decides to ratchet things up a bit. He announces at the conclusion of the season finale that "Crime Seen!" will devote the following season to finding the person who killed his family (and who apparently has been destroying other families as well). He gathers an intrepid if occasionally prickly group of experts from across the country to assist him. What the team discovers is that the killer has been much more active than they had previously thought and appears to be pursuing a mysterious vendetta that only he can comprehend. Meanwhile, the killer is now aware that he is being hunted down, but surprisingly welcomes it. Calling himself the Messenger, he waits for Harrow and his team to come to him so that the purpose of his long-standing, bizarre and deadly vendetta can finally be revealed.

Collins and Clemens have a winner here. Harrow as a character is nicely balanced by his team, and the overall concept of the show --- part "America's Most Wanted" and part "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" --- is convincing and intriguing enough that if the program, as presented here, were to appear on television, it would be an instant hit as well. That probably will not happen, but we can still look forward to future novels in the series.
Can't wait for more (2010-06-01) : 5/5
I'm hooked. I want more J.C. Harrow. What a great guy! So real. The characterization in this book is great. I want to see all of the characters in action again. I really hope there will be more J.C. books. Interesting use of media!