Blind Fall » (Unabridged)

Christopher Rice is the author of the New York Times bestsellers A Density of Souls and The Snow Garden. The son of author Anne Rice and the late poet Stan Rice, he lives in Los Angeles.

John Houck became a Marine to become a hero. But his life changed when he failed to notice an explosive device that ended up maiming the captain of his Force Recon Company, a respected Marine who nearly sacrificed himself to save John's life. Home from Iraq, John pays a visit to his former captain, only to discover the captain has been gruesomely murdered. John pursues a strange man he sees running from the scene, but he discovers that Alex Martin is not the murderer. Alex is, in fact, the former captain's secret male lover and the killer's intended next victim. When it becomes clear that local law enforcement has direct connections to the murder itself, John realizes that to repay his debt of honor, he must teach Alex Martin how to protect himself, even to kill.

Blind Fall is a startling psychological thriller, a story of honor and integrity, of turning failure into victory — and a stunning departure for three-time New York Times bestselling author Christopher Rice: the story of two men who must unite to avenge the death of the man they both loved — one as a brother-in-arms, one as a lover.

Publishers Weekly

Rice's fourth thriller (after 2005's Light Before Day) clumsily mixes the plight of gays in the military with an unlikely murder investigation. John Houck, a former marine sergeant, returns to the States from Iraq, determined to make amends with his commanding officer, Capt. Mike Bowers, who was gravely injured due to John's negligence. But when he tracks Mike down at home in Owensville, Calif., John discovers Mike gruesomely murdered in his bed. John, who had no idea Mike was gay, reluctantly joins forces with Alex Martin, Mike's live-in boyfriend, to bring the killer to justice. After John and Alex learn that local law enforcement played a role in Mike's death, they must go on the run to save their own lives. A subplot involving John's brother's suicide distracts in a subpar effort that lacks the complexity of Rice's earlier novels. 10-city author tour.(Mar.)