True Evil

Greg iles has the ability to weave together a great story with a well thought out and feasible plot. I appreciate his ability to also inject a lot of truths about human nature. For example in true evil he points out that young children have a greater ability to see adults as they really are, whereas adults tend to see people as as they would like to perceive them. I’ve read all of his books with only very few exceptions and I hope He continues to produce more books in the future.

Perfect for road trips! All of Greg Iles books are terrific and the audio versions are consistently high quality.

FBI agent Alex Morse at the death bed of her sister Grace as she dies from a blood clot near the brain. Grace's last words, whispered to Alex, accuse her husband of murdering her--and she begs Alex to protect her son. To everyone else, Grace's death is due to a destructive medical condition, but Alex is determined. She believes her sister's death was actually a murder, and she launches herself into investigative mode to unravel the mystery.In the course of her investigation, Alex ignores FBI directions and loses her job. But with the assistance of her friends (past and present) from the Bureau, and help from Dr. Chris Shepard she begins to uncover a demonically clever and original scheme of "murder for hire" -- especially evil since the murders look like deadly medical conditions.I hadn't read Greg Iles in a while, so I just bought this 2002 book last week, and I've spent almost a week reading it. This is a longer than average work, and its complications and plot twists are intriguing. I always enjoyed Ellis's writing style, and in this book he delivers a thoroughly chilling adversary in Dr. Eldon Tarver, a scientific genius. With the help of Andrew Rusk, a divorce lawyer who serves as Tarver's terrified minion, the two leave a trail of murders that are actually non-murders, since the victims seem to be dying of cancer or other deadly afflictions.This is a diabolical scheme that is not seen as credible when Alex tries to issue a call for help from official sources. But Alex is extremely cagey and her few-but-loyal helpmates are wise as well. They know that they are dealing with the epitome of evil, and are braced and ready for the challenge.This is a frightening and chilling tale, and Dr. Tarver is dark to his core. I once read that "A mystery is GOOD only to the extent that the villain is BAD." This book is very good indeed.I would have given this one 5 stars but I think it should have been tightened up a bit. I thought it ran a bit too long and would have been far better if it had been trimmed down. As I kept reading on and on, the final pursuit seemed to extend too long. Still, a smart and cagey book! Recommend.

In essence, this novel explores a theme that has occupied crime novelists as long as the genre has existed, committing the perfect murder. It also explores a proposition that has long interested me as a biochemist and cell biologist. A trained molecular biologist who is also a psychopath could become a formidable murderer and terrorist, particularly if he had access to abundant resources. Iles pushes this theme further by having the individual serve with the Army Biological Warfare Program, then cooperate with a divorce lawyer who plots solutions to unhappy marriages (unsolvable murders). I like the fact that Iles has done considerable homework and sticks to the real concepts of molecular biology and virology in describing the basic science of his central proposition for his killer, rather than creating “science facts” to advance his plot, as some other novelists have. However, to me, the plot falls apart when he endows his murderer with superhuman capabilities, allowing him to create a controllable retrovirus that causes cancer in a short, defined period of time. I am not a virology expert, but I suspect it would take a team of expert scientists in a well-funded lab years to do the preparation and testing that the killer has done on his own with limited resources while working a full time job. Give me a break! This problem has always been my issue with Isles’ novels, the tendency to drift into the preposterous, whether as a plot element or situation. And I do understand that this is what probably sells his books. Other than the psychopathic killer, the characters are from Isles’ stock company: the troubled female FBI agent rebelling against the agency bureaucracy, the honest young doctor (and his hot wife) who is an associate of Dr. Tom Cage, the greed- driven lawyer, the retired cop and father figure of the chief protagonist and the children of the protagonist and young doctor. Even Penn Cage makes a cameo. The setting in Natchez and Jackson is really just a convenience. There is little of the Southern flavor of the Penn Cage novels by Isles. In spite of my issues with the preposterous nature of the plot, I still recommend this novel as a good read. After all, preposterous stories are what drive “thriller” fiction.

Greg Iles is one of my favorite authors! Every story he writes is a gripping page turner.

The villians are strong characters, hard to the core and full of self greed. They are revealed very early on together with those who pay them to kill off their spouses rather than go through a pricey divorce.Alex Morse, an FBI agent, is on the case and with the help of the next victim, sets about to catch the villians driven by personal interest. I found her character a bit unreal but, so what, this is a thriller after all.I agree with the other reviewers that the plot is a good one with extensive research having been carried out - but it is drawn out and the medical explanations can be a bit heavy at times.However, the writing is intelligent and this is well worth reading.

I'm a bit of a crime thriller/serial killer fan, and I purchased this based on other reviews. I wasn't disappointed. The pace is good, the characters are convincing, and the writing is good. The kindle edition seemed well edited with fewer than usual typos.The premise is clever and well thought out, and Iles convinces with it - a killer who uses cancer to kill, thereby creating an almost 'perfect murder'. The denouement was full of action.I didn't give it five stars because the villain was a little bit too stagey, and he didn't frighten me at all - he just seemed a bit of a cypher. That said, the other characters are well drawn and keep your attention.

I am a fan of Greg Iles as an auther. Is there a record for the number of pages in a Thriller? If so Ilse is going for it in this book; there are too many superfluous pages, although they do not detract form the story if omitted would make for a cracking narrative of events.

This is another great story by Greg Iles. A true "can't put it down story. As you read his books you get to know the place and its great to recognise names and characters from other books.I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a thriller and appreciates the characters and interaction drawn by a master story teller.

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