1. #1: Opening Moves, The Bowers Files: The Early Years
    Steven James
    Signet / 2012 / Mass Paperback
    Our Price$7.49 Retail Price$9.99 Save 25% ($2.50)
    4.6 out of 5 stars for #1: Opening Moves, The Bowers Files: The Early Years. View reviews of this product. 12 Reviews
    Availability: In Stock
    Stock No: WW237767
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  1. taralynee
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Fabulous fast-paced detective story!
    March 6, 2016
    taralynee
    Quality: 0
    Value: 0
    Meets Expectations: 0
    A truly edge-of-your-seat series that I recommend to many Thats what Steven James Patrick Bowers novels are. Each one has more creativity and uniqueness than I could begin to describe, so youre just going to have to read them and see for yourself.

    Opening Moves takes us back to the 1990s, with portable phones and videos. We meet Patrick Bowers, a homicide detective in Milwaukee, and quickly realize that hes something special. His observation skills and the depth of his thinking, paired up with his loyalty and perseverance, make him a detective unlike any other. He often finds himself pondering how our choices and experiences shape our lives, and what justice really looks like.

    Pat, as his friends call him, is investigating a series of terribly grotesque crimes. The villain seems to be honoring past twisted criminals, including a cannibal, with his crime spree, and each one is progressively worse and more cruel than the one before. In order to catch the bad guy and end this horrific series of events, Pat turns to new and nearly unheard of investigation strategies. Nobody is above suspicion as this young detective seeks out the truth.

    Personally, I highly recommend this book be read first, even though it wasnt written until after several of the other books in the series. While this series can be read out of order if you insist on it, and they each have an individual storyline, they all fit together like a puzzle, and to get the full picture in the best possible way, they need to be read in order. There are continuing characters and plot lines that show up throughout the series and this should be respected and used to make the most of the story!

    Before I finished reading my first novel by this amazing storyteller, he had already earned a spot as one of my favorite writers. As great as they are, though, be aware that they can be somewhat graphic, due to the nature of Patricks line of work.

    After pondering this for quite a while, I think Ill go with taco salad as a food comparison for this series. There are so many flavors and textures just as Steven James writing is made up of many levels of story, so very intricately woven together to draw in the reader.
  2. Jody
    Rocky River, OH
    Age: Over 65
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    Opening Moves
    January 22, 2016
    Jody
    Rocky River, OH
    Age: Over 65
    Gender: female
    Quality: 0
    Value: 0
    Meets Expectations: 0
    This book filled in a lot of blanks for me since I had already read the rest of the Bowers series. Well written and fast paced. Really creepy in parts. Good read.
  3. Debbie
    Alabama
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    opening Moves
    January 30, 2015
    Debbie
    Alabama
    Age: 45-54
    Gender: female
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    Yes, these books can be disturbing, but so is the fallen world we live in.

    I really enjoy reading these books by Steven James on many levels. They are hard to put down once you start reading, and I am intrigued that the good in some refuse to be stopped by the evil around them. Maybe a life lesson??
  4. Sally Stevenson
    Shoreline, WA
    Age: Over 65
    Gender: female
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    May 18, 2013
    Sally Stevenson
    Shoreline, WA
    Age: Over 65
    Gender: female
    I love Steven James Patrick Bowers series! The man is a genius.
  5. LifeIsStory
    5 Stars Out Of 5
    August 9, 2012
    LifeIsStory
    Quality: 5
    Value: 5
    Meets Expectations: 5
    Since 2007, Steven James has been telling Patrick Bowers' story. As an environmental criminologist, Bowers combines the latest techniques in environmental psychology with geospatial investigation to identify, track, and catch serial offenders. All of that means that Patrick is at his best when things are at their most dangerous–when a serial killer is on the loose and determined to strike again. For five novels–The Pawn, The Rook, The Knight, The Bishop, and The Queen–readers joined Bowers on his quests to catch some of the most dangerous killers ever seen. But through all of it, one name keeps recurring: Richard Devin Basque.

    Basque ties in some way to all of the books in the series–and this reviewer surmises that he will play even larger roles in either The King (2013), Checkmate (2014?), or both–and always in reference to his original crime, the crime that set Bowers on the path of environmental criminologist, the path that made him the personal enemy of a brutal serial killer. Opening Moves takes a step back in time to tell that original story. For those just joining the series, it is a perfect place to begin; for those who have followed Bowers' journey, it is the payoff of five years of waiting. Yet even now this isn't fully the story of Richard Devin Basque.

    It's Milwaukee in 1997: a city still in shock at the brutality and pure evil of Jeffrey Dahmer. They may have razed the building he lived in, but the stench of his crimes still wafts over the city. And now someone just as terrifying has come to play. Copycat? Maybe. But as the killings and mutilations continue, it becomes obvious that Dahmer isn't the killer's only hero. Every killing has some reference to an infamous killer, and it's up to Bowers to connect the dots and draw the conclusions. The result is a plot-twisting, heart-pounding, nerve-wracking, page-turning thriller that will keep you reading and guessing and gasping until the very last page.

    For those that have followed the series, you likely know that the series has been published by Revell, a division of Baker Books. For the last few years, the Penguin Group, under various imprints, has reprinted the books in mass market format. Opening Moves marks the first book in the series to be published only in mass market by Penguin. What does this mean? Well, if anything James's writing has gotten better, so no difference there. But don't go out looking for trade paper or hardcover editions. It isn't a huge deal, I just mention it so that readers who plan on buying this book–and it should be all of you–know what you're looking for.

    In summary, The Bowers Files represents one of my favorite series of books and Steven James is one of the top thriller authors out there. Run, don't walk, to pick this one up. And after you've read it, you may want to sleep with the lights on. I picked this one up at 2am to browse the first few chapters. Sanity demanded I finish it and it wasn't until well past sunrise that I had finally finished the last page, quelled thoughts of serial killers, and was able to sleep...with the light on.
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