Amazon.com The odd couple at the heart of this extremely impressive first thriller--a psychotic genius and a sensitive， scarred psychiatric nurse--have already led to the inevitable comparisons to The Silence of the Lambs. But Bill Kaiser is no Hannibal Lector: he uses his formidable physical and mental skills for a good cause， the preservation of historic buildings. And Sharon Blautner doesn't go up against Kaiser to further her career， like FBI agent Clarice Starling: she's already lost her job because of an act of kindness toward Bill， and seems to genuinely care for him. What's also amazing is how much author Matthew Hall knows and communicates about everything from how to fake mental illness to the way painters create their works. From Library Journal Wealthy entrepreneur Edward Mackinnon wants to purchase a prestigious New York City building and transform it into the first private， for-profit prison. The fact that it will displace hundreds of New York City's lower-middle-class citizens and destroy a community is not his concern. Enter Bill Kaiser， a brilliant， charming psychotic with his own idea of justice. After planting a bomb in one of the developer's apartments， Bill mutilates himself in an attempt to avoid arrest， which lands him in a psychiatric hospital. There he meets Sharon Blauntner， a psychiatric nurse who reveals to Bill her secrets and desire for vengeance. Bill incorporates Sharon into a repertoire of worthy causes and imagines a nonexistant relationship between them. Hale's novel is an enthralling， action-filled story of a killer's twisted conception of love and justice. Highly recommended for most libraries.?Georgia Panos， Johnson Cty. Lib. System， Leawood， Kan.Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information， Inc. See all Editorial Reviews