Icarus

Title: Icarus

Author: Russell Andrews

Published in: 2001

Date read: 9th March 2010

Score: 3/5

Genre: Thriller, Psychological, Crime

Plot: (Warning, may contain spoilers):
"Icarus" by Russell Andrews (a pseudonym for Peter Gethers) is a standalone psychological thriller that plunges its protagonist into a nightmare of deceit, murder, and a terrifying link to a past trauma. The novel is described as having a Hitchcockian flair, focusing on an innocent man caught in a web of events beyond his control.

The story centres on Jack Keller, a successful restaurateur in New York City. His life, which seemed to have recovered from a childhood tragedy, is shattered again. As a young boy, Jack witnessed the horrific murder of his mother, who was thrown from a high-rise window. This traumatic event is eerily echoed later in his life.

Decades later, Jack has built a thriving life, complete with a successful chain of restaurants and a happy marriage. However, this stability is shattered during the grand opening of one of his new restaurants when a burglary goes horribly wrong. His beloved wife is murdered – shot and then thrown from a window – and Jack himself is severely wounded, left emotionally and physically shattered.

During his arduous recovery, Jack is nursed back to health by Kid Demeter, a charismatic and enigmatic young physiotherapist whom Jack once regarded almost like a son. Kid, who also has a somewhat mysterious past, is instrumental in Jack's rehabilitation, both physically and mentally. During this time, Kid confides in Jack about his complicated personal life, specifically mentioning various women he's been involved with, each described as appealing, sexy, and dangerous. These women are only identified by nicknames.

Just as Jack is getting his life back on track, a third tragedy strikes: Kid Demeter is found dead, having apparently plunged twenty stories to his death. The police quickly rule it a suicide, but Jack refuses to believe it. Feeling a deep sense of gratitude and responsibility towards Kid for helping him recover, Jack is determined to uncover the truth behind Kid's death.

Jack's investigation leads him into the darker, sensual, and often violent underbelly of New York City, a world of lap dancing clubs, after-hours establishments, drugs, and dangerous liaisons – a world that was clearly part of Kid Demeter's secret life. Jack begins to identify and locate the women Kid had spoken about, but with each woman he speaks to, another turns up dead, often under similarly suspicious circumstances.

As Jack digs deeper, he realises that the murders are connected, and that an unseen, highly intelligent, and lethal threat is lurking, anticipating his every move and eliminating anyone who might reveal the truth. The narrative masterfully weaves together past and present, revealing that the traumatic murder of Jack's wife was not a random act, but the catalyst for the subsequent chain of events, intrinsically linked to Kid's death and the shadowy world he inhabited.

The climax sees Jack in a desperate race against time to expose the killer before he becomes the next victim, or before those closest to him are targeted. "Icarus" is a suspenseful and intricate thriller that aims to keep the reader guessing until the very end, playing on themes of obsession, revenge, and the fragility of a seemingly perfect life.

Comments:
I read this, I gave the book to a relative and recommended it but I just can't remember it after all of these years.

Books that we've read by Russell Andrews (1):
Icarus (2001)