IM | 
| Author: Rick R. Reed
Publisher: Quest
Category: Book
List Price: $17.95
Buy New: $11.49
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Avg. Customer Rating:  25 reviews
Sales Rank: 74670
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 256
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.5
ISBN: 1932300791
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9781932300796
Publication Date: May 10, 2007
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Product Description
The Internet Is the New Meat Market for Gay Men Now a Killer Is Turning the Meat Market into a Meat Wagon. One by one, he's killing them. Lurking in the digital underworld of Men4HookUpNow.com, he lures, seduces, charms, reaching out through instant messages to the unwary. He's just another guy. They invite him over. He's just another trick. Harmless. They're dead wrong. When the first bloody body surfaces, openly gay Chicago Police Department detective Ed Comparetto is called in to investigate. Sickened by the butchered mess of one of his brothers left on display in a bathtub, he seeks relief outside where the young man who discovered the body waits to tell him the story of how he found his friend. But who is this witness...and did he play a bigger part in the murder than he's letting on? For Comparetto, this encounter with a witness is the beginning of a nightmare. Because this witness did more than just show up at the scene of the crime; he set the scene. And maybe, he's more than just a killer...maybe he's dead himself. Comparetto is on a journey to discover the truth, a truth that he needs to discover before he loses his career, his boyfriend, his sanity...his life. Because in this killer's world, IM doesn't stand for instant message...it stands for instant murder.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 20 more reviews...
WOW - I did NOT see this coming! November 26, 2008
Wow! IM is the first novel I've read by Rick R Reed - but it certainly won't be the last. Reed takes a modern-day twist of the gay serial killer that is at once unique and intriging; the killer meets all his victims online. Unlike typical serial killer novels, where bodies stack up will police search clues to find the person responsible, IM displays a strong backstory of the killer's life that is served up to the reader in doses throughout the novel. Just when I thought I'd figured out the reason driving Timothy's terror on the city, Reed tosses in a different twist. I thoroughly enjoyed the POV changes throughout the novel, a fine balance that allows the reader a chance to experience what each of the characters are feeling. Odd to say that IM is a love-story, too, however, the emerging bond between the ex-cop, Ed and his boyfriend, Peter, is real...I was sorry to see the novel end for this reason and hope that perhaps, Reed will return later with their continuing story! If you've never read a Rick R Reed Novel, I'd strongly suggest you begin with IM!
 Honestly not as good as I had hoped October 18, 2008
The author does a great job creating "quick" characters/victims, enough so that you are invested in them when they meet their untimely deaths. The reality of the plot does drive the story but I was just left disappointed as the book developed. The "surprise" ending wasnt really a surprise and what really got me was two strong, able bodied men, one of which is a trained officer, were not able to disarm a smaller man yeilding a hunting knife. In fact, when the killer tied or taped the male victim(s) at the end, I found it completely unbelievable that each character didn't just overtake him during the process. How was the killer holding a knife and tying the victim at the same time? In one case, earlier in the story, a character could have simply ran away, changing the entire ending...I mean, it's not a gun he's holding. So, good read but disappointing...such a good start though.
Gay Murder delivers a great story! July 14, 2008
Excellent gay murder mystery that kept the reader guessing for a long time! Measured backstory on the psyche of the killer gave the reader another dimension of the killer. What horrific events lead this man/boy to commit the murder of gays. Where his rage came from and his helpless life that caused him so much misery.
Well-developed characters and great descriptive narratives of places, murder victims, etc.
Thoroughly enjoyed the novel!
 Review of "IM" June 28, 2008
From the book's very first murder, Mr. Reed takes the reader on a wild ride where nothing is as it seems. Ed is a cop whose job crumbles from under him as he chases after a madman who may already be dead. Timothy Bright seems heartless and cruel, but as the story progresses, the reader learns what has made him who he is. Throughout the book, the pacing is tight and fast, catapulting you through the twists and turns, leaving you breathless, until you're reading as fast as you can in an effort to find out how it ends.
Beware ~ the violence is graphic and sexual, disturbing images that speak to the dangers of anonymous sex. But Comparetto is the perfect counterpart to the evil Timothy Bright, who haunts the cop's every move throughout the story. I found myself rooting for Ed from the start, and as time seems to run out for him, I was on the edge of my seat, reading furiously, flipping pages to find out what happened next.
In short, this book is riveting. I couldn't put it down. This is a must read for any fans of gay fiction who are looking for a good murder mystery/horror story. Think Stephen King meets Patricia Cornwell, with lots of gay sexual references to satisfy readers. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more of Mr. Reed's work.
Three Dimensional November 12, 2007
Rick R.Reed has confected a mystery/horror/suspense tale as only an artist could do. Not only is the story a major page-turner, but the reader comes to know the characters as three dimensional human beings -- and one tends to care about them.
I read at least one book of mystery fiction per month. I tend to enjoy the most those works which shed light on a certain culture or role: being Amish, being a guidance counselor, being a maid, being an Irish inn-keeper, being a journalist, etc. In recent years writers such as john Morgan Wilson, Mark Richard Zubro, and RD Zimmerman have invited readers into the gay community with all of its wonderful and intersting attributes, as well as it demonic dimensions. I believe Reed has done the finest work, however, in the cause and effect within human relationships. Also, the reader cares about the characters, and flinches at some of the events which have formed their experiences. Definitely, this is not a "cozy."
A reader does not have to be gay, however, to share in this story, any more than one needs to be Catholic to understand THE DI VINCI CODE. The author develops the meaning of psychosis, displays the technology which is such a great influence in our current culture, and empathetically focuses on the effect of life minus loving relationships. As well he develops a budding relationship which adds an element of hope to the story, as well as an invitation to further stories flowing from this love.
As a Chicagoan I was excited about the use of so many places in the story which are only blocks from my home. He so well describes these settings, however, that one could live in Newcomerstown, Ohio or Rim-of-the-World, California and still share in the adventure with the same high interest. Again, this is an artist who has developed this tome.
I have already recommended this story to my friends. I want to encourage any mystery buff to explore this novel.
Thomas P. Hull, Chicago
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