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    The Inquisitor: A Novel
    The Inquisitor: A Novel
    The Inquisitor: A Novel
    Audiobook8 hours

    The Inquisitor: A Novel

    Written by Mark Allen Smith

    Narrated by Ari Fliakos

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    A spectacularly original thriller about a professional torturer who has a strict code, a mysterious past, and a dangerous conviction that he can save the life of an innocent child

    Geiger has a gift: he knows a lie the instant he hears it. And in his business—called "information retrieval" by its practitioners—that gift is invaluable, because truth is the hottest thing on the market.

    Geiger's clients count on him to extract the truth from even the most reluctant subjects. Unlike most of his competitors, Geiger rarely sheds blood, but he does use a variety of techniques—some physical, many psychological—to push his subjects to a point where pain takes a backseat to fear. Because only then will they finally stop lying.

    One of Geiger's rules is that he never works with children. So when his partner, former journalist Harry Boddicker, unwittingly brings in a client who demands that Geiger interrogate a twelve-year-old boy, Geiger responds instinctively. He rescues the boy from his captor, removes him to the safety of his New York City loft, and promises to protect him from further harm. But if Geiger and Harry cannot quickly discover why the client is so desperate to learn the boy's secret, they themselves will become the victims of an utterly ruthless adversary.

    Mesmerizing and heart-in-your-throat compelling, Mark Allen Smith's The Inquisitor is a completely unique thriller that introduces both an unforgettable protagonist and a major new talent.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherMacmillan Audio
    Release dateApr 10, 2012
    ISBN9781427214782
    The Inquisitor: A Novel
    Author

    Mark Allen Smith

    Mark Allen Smith is a successful television and documentary film producer and screenwriter. The Inquisitor, featuring the controversial hero known only as Geiger, is his first novel. Mark's experience investigating features for the acclaimed ABC-TV news magazine program, "20/20," planted the seed for his debut thriller when he was involved with a story dating from the 1970s about the remarkably brutal torture and murder of a 17-year-old in Paraguay, the last true dictatorship in the Western Hemisphere.  He was further inspired to action by the shocking death of Lisa Steinberg at the abusive hands of her adoptive father; this event uncorked ongoing interest in the corrosive effect of physical and psychological pressure on children and other innocents.  His journey of research convinced him that the novel was his best way to bring his story to the largest possible audience. A long-time resident of Westchester County, Mark Allen Smith now lives in New York City’s Harlem with his wife, Cathy, and a blended family of six children. He is presently working on the sequel to The Inquisitor, also featuring Geiger.

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    Reviews for The Inquisitor

    4/5

    19 ratings18 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I found this to be a fairly interesting read with interesting characters. However, I'm not a fan of graphic torture and could have used fewer details about it. If this is the beginning of a series, and Geiger really is "getting out of the business," I would be interested in reading about what he makes of his life afterwards.
    • 4/5
      Book Summary: Geiger has a gift: he knows a lie the instant that he hears it. In his business, called Information Retrieval by its practitioners, that gift is invaluable. One of Geiger’s rules is that he never works with children. So when his partner, former journalist Harry Boddicker, unwittingly brings in a client who demands that he interrogate a 12-year-old boy, Geiger responds instinctively. He rescues the boy from his captor, removes him to the safety of his NYC loft, and promises to protect him from further harm. But if Harry & Geiger cannot quickly discover why the client is so desperate to learn the boy’s secret, they themselves will become the victims of an utterly ruthless adversary. Mark Allen Smith’s debut novel is an exhilarating experience through the mob world, NYC, and the life of a professional torturer. Geiger doesn’t remember his childhood and has disturbing nightmares, so he is seeking professional help. He doesn’t talk much, doesn’t have any friends and keeps to a routine. Then, his world is turned upside down when a client brings a child to him. The plot and characters keep the reader engaged in the book and you can’t wait to find out about Geiger’s childhood, who is after them and why! A great novel, I highly recommend especially if you love mystery thrillers!
    • 1/5
      This book was a great disappointment. The premise and described plot were intriguing, but the book did not deliver what it promised. A thriller it is not. I was so bored in the beginning that I had trouble finishing it.The idea that Geiger extracts the truth while not inflicting pain is not true. The part about Geiger meeting his competition begins to spark one's interest, but ends in unbelievable results. The ending fight and flight between Geiger and Hall just seems unbelievable and contrived and , I'm sorry, finally, just boring. I think Mr. Smith should go back to film writing. Perhaps the book is intended to be a diatribe against torture with the post 9/11 information about black sites in the world. If so, it does not work.
    • 5/5
      Geiger is a retriever of information and uses a sort of mental torture to get the information his clients wants. And his clients consist of the mob, corporate bigwigs and even the government. One thing is that he doesn’t interrogate kids, people with heart conditions and the elderly. His business is based only on referral. When he takes on a new client and finds out it is a kid they want him grab to get to the boy’s father, he refuses but takes the boy to protect him. He had his scruples, but now has pissed a bunch of people off and they are out to get him! Although, Geiger is a torturer, he is a man of depth, and we learn so much about him as the story unfolds. Smith has created an exquisite character in Geiger and the story moves so quickly, you don’t realize it has ended until you get to the last page. I found the premise to be exciting and the build-up of tension and suspense to be gratifying. I loved this book.
    • 3/5
      An interesting first half; I liked the characters, they were different and interesting. I did not find the torture scenes too graphic or violent. The Geiger character seems to rely more on mind games than physical torture. I enjoyed the sidekick, Harry, and his backstory. Once the child character is introduced, though, things deteriorate. This scenario started reasonably enough and could have been interesting. Here is where the story turns for me. Starting with a good premise it devolves into a cliched, generic thriller with a standard confrontation at the end complete with multiple distracting elements that seem contrived. Geiger could be a good series character if that can be avoided.
    • 3/5
      Geiger is an Inquisitor. An "artist" at the interrogation of individuals who know things or have taken/hidden things that his employer needs to know. He uses his researched knowledge of the target to intimidate and break them both psychologically and physically. His one rule, he does not work on children.Geiger cannot remember his past. He has many scars and the ability to ignore pain inflicted upon him, but when he is faced with a young boy as a subject for interrogation, his memories and his profession begin to unravel...An intriguing read with several character that add layers to the story. Well written and enjoyable read.
    • 5/5
      Geiger doesn’t remember his past but he knows what he does in the present—and he does it very well. In the business of “Information Retrieval,” he’s known as The Inquisitor. He has a talent for extracting the truth from reluctant targets. And he never fails. But Geiger has one hard and fast rule: He doesn’t do children. So when his client demands he use his skills on Ezra, an 12-year-old boy whose father has something the client wants, Geiger grabs Ezra and runs. Now Geiger is the target and, if he can’t save himself, he can’t save Ezra.Mark Allen Smith’s debut novel, The Inquisitor, is a must-read thriller with an original plotline and an antihero who, despite dispensing torture for a living, gains the reader’s sympathy. Other characters demonstrate equal depth. Even the client and his team, who turn on Geiger when he snatches Ezra away, avoid becoming stereotypes under Smith’s expertise. In addition, the pacing and psychological tension are skillfully deployed to create a novel that’s both hard to put down and hard to keep reading for dread of what might be coming. The Inquisitor sets a very high bar for a first novel.This review is of the audio version narrated by Ari Fliakos, who does an excellent reading that captures all the nuances of the characters and the unfolding drama.
    • 4/5
      This thriller examines torture, the people who implement it, and how it's used to get information quickly. The characters are fascinating, if not always likable. The plot is fast-paced and kept me in suspense right up until the wild ending.Smith holds little back and The Inquisitor is not for the squeamish. Some of the scenes are graphic, but they fit in the context of the story. A few loose ends were left regarding Geiger, the main character, and I wish the details had been given in the end. Also, the POV character switches frequently, at times in the middle of a paragraph. I found this jarring. Aside from that, I was totally immersed in this book.
    • 4/5
      Geiger is a detector of lying who specializes in information retrieval, a euphemism for torture, although he uses more psychological than physical coercion. He has a personal code of ethics, one tenet of which is that he will never work on a child. When an unscrupulous client brings him a 12-year-old boy, Ezra Matheson, Geiger kidnaps the boy to protect him. The chase begins. Not only must Geiger save himself and Ezra, the fates of Harry and Lily Boddicker, his business partner and his psychologically damaged sister, also rest with him. In addition, the arrival of Ezra affects Geiger’s subconscious mind where lie deeply repressed memories of his traumatic childhood. Geiger is a frightening yet fascinating character. He has no name other than the one he chose for himself, no memories of his childhood or his life prior to 15 years ago, no emotions, and almost no ability to feel pain. His psychiatrist (shades of "The Sopranos") finds him “the equivalent of an intelligent stone.” He is also described as “a scarred, aching body with an unencumbered mind, a human machine without a memory card. He ran solely on instinct.” His partner realizes that Geiger has “more demons than a Hieronymus Bosch painting.” Despite his unsavory profession – and he is a consummate professional – the reader comes to admire Geiger because gradually his nascent humanity is revealed. In some respects he is similar to the hangman in Oliver Potzsch’s novel "The Hangman’s Daughter." In how Geiger protects Ezra, he becomes almost a father figure to the pre-teen. It is also clear that he has clearly been damaged by a very traumatic upbringing, so his behaviour becomes understandable. His psychiatrist concludes, “He was a crippled man-child, his psyche the handiwork of immeasurable cruelty.” The fact that Geiger does have a moral code, especially given the circumstances, is admirable. Dalton, another expert in torture, “used a more single-minded, head-on application of brutality” and “has a reputation for getting carried away,” so he serves as a foil to Geiger.The novel is not without its flaws. Some of the minor characters are stereotypes: an overly earnest psychiatrist, a waitress and a Vietnam veteran with hearts of gold, and a cute kid capable of stealing hearts. The plot is also rather derivative: the rough and tough guy who is capable of redemption. It has its mandatory prolonged chase scene with several narrow escapes and a predictable ending. The writing however is of a quality not always encountered in thrillers. While walking near Central Park West, Geiger sees “joggers stretching voluptuous hamstrings at red lights as they waited to enter the park; [and] olive-skinned men trudging through the gutters, pulling their hot dog and souvlaki carts behind them like broken penitents.” There are allusions to art, literature, and classical music. Harry observes that “within every man is his own Caesar and Brutus.” Examples of synesthesia abound: “The cello painted long, aquamarine streaks that tasted sweet and cool. The violins splashed hot red lines with hints of cinnamon.”The novel is also thought-provoking. It forces one to consider whether torture should ever be allowed (with indirect reference to Abu Ghraib), and whether there should be limits to government secrecy (with more direct reference to WikiLeaks). This thriller is sometimes an uncomfortable read, but nonetheless worthwhile.
    • 4/5
      Good - well written, interesting characters, unusual premises, fast pace, easy read. Bad - Stretched plot, which sometimes doesn't seem logical to me.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed "The Inquisitor" by Mark Allen Smith. I thought the premise of the Inquisitor, the job of "information retrieval" was very unique. I was fascinated by Geiger and how he came to be. Harry and Ezra were well written too. And I love the thought that there is a potential for a sequel! Bring it on Mr. Smith!
    • 4/5
      Geiger, the inquisitor, has a special gift of being able to tell when someone is being truthful or not. His area of expertise is in Information Retrieval. He has a few rules, one of which is he doesn't work with children. So, why does he break this rule?I don't want to spoil this for anyone, so I won't go into anymore of the story. The author shows us that what we imagine could happen can be far worse than what actually will happen. The inquisitor doesn't cross certain lines. Some of Geiger's past is revealed and explains why he is good at IR. The second half of the book is a page turner. It kept me up until 230am finishing it.
    • 4/5
      Mark Allen Smith has created a unique character in this well paced, original thriller... his name is simply Geiger. Geiger is a professional torturer (or information retrieval specialist if you prefer) who lives a very controlled life, has a mysterious past (he cannot remember anything that happened to him before age 18), has a unique talent (he knows a lie the minute he hears it), and has a strict code of not working on children. Guess what? You guessed it, his partner, former journalist Harry Boddicker, unknowingly hires a client who wants Geiger to torture a 12 year old boy in order to find out about the boy's missing father and a missing painting. Geiger rescues the boy and the chase is on. An interesting character named Hall, leads the pursuers in the chase to capture Geiger and learn the child's secret. The pace is swift in Mark Allen Smith's first novel. The characters are fairly well developed but the story line is thin and "formulaic" in spots. You might love Gieger or hate him but you have to admit he is unique from the typical thriller protagonist! Overall this is a unique concept with original characters in an interesting first novel worthy of checking out.
    • 5/5
      First Line: The client sat in an eight-foot-square room staring at a large one-way mirror that offered a view into flat, smooth darkness.I can see many readers learning that this book is about a professional torturer and immediately deciding not to read The Inquisitor. They just might be making a big mistake because Geiger-- the main character in this excellent debut novel-- is one of the best characters I've come across in a long time.Geiger is the best in the field of "information retrieval" (torture). What makes him the best is the fact that, while his competitors rely on physical pain to get the answers they're being paid to obtain, Geiger doesn't. He knows that the worst kind of pain is that of the mind. He also knows a lie the instant he hears it. Add to that three facts: he has a strong moral code, a past that he doesn't remember, and one rule that he will not break: he will not work with children.When a client insists on a rush job and Geiger learns that the subject sitting in the torture chamber is a young boy, he reacts quickly. He rescues the boy, hides him from his captors, and promises to protect the boy from harm. But in order to keep his promise, Geiger and his partner, former journalist Harry Boddicker, have to find out why the client is so desperate to learn the boy's secret-- or Geiger, Harry and the boy will all face the very real possibility of death.If you don't find the character of Geiger intriguing, you're probably not going to like this book. Fortunately I read every page of The Inquisitor and wanted more. Just enough of Geiger's childhood is revealed to help the reader understand why the character is the way he is-- and just what he might be willing to do to accomplish his goals. Rescuing the boy is a trigger for his subconscious to begin revealing things that happened in his past, and while Geiger has all this to contend with, he's also got three killers doing everything in their power to find him, his partner, and the boy. It's all pretty serious stuff, but what takes this book above the usual thriller (besides a thinking adrenaline junkie's dream of a plot and a wonderful main character) are two of Smith's secondary characters.Mr. Memz, Geiger's next-door neighbor, isn't your typical Vietnam vet. Memz gives us another opinion on the strange character called Geiger, and he certainly knows how to put his own stamp on the action.In many ways, another secondary character, Harry Boddicker, is my favorite in the entire book, no matter how fascinating Geiger is. Yes, Harry has to check out Geiger's clients and keep the business running smoothly, but for most of the book's action, he's got his fragile, schizophrenic sister in tow. Harry's got to save himself, his sister, his boss, and a young boy-- and he attempts it all with class and with humor. If not for Harry's flip sense of humor in the face of disaster, The Inquisitor might have become too grim to bear.With Harry's help, Geiger turns this book into something special; something I feel would transfer onto the big screen very well. And first-time novelist Mark Allen Smith does all this without writing a book that reads like a tarted-up screenplay. Bravo, Mr. Smith! Might we be seeing more of Geiger?
    • 4/5
      Oh, how I love an anti-hero! Geiger is one interesting cat, coming up with a code of ethics in torturing (or as he likes to call it, information retrieval): he doesn't like to work with "damaged merchandise," and he refuses to work with kids. Enter Ezra, a 12 year old boy that Geiger has been hired to extract information from. Something shifts in Geiger's extremely ordered world, and he makes a decision that will greatly alter the course of his life. With three dimensional supporting characters and a taught and fluid story line, this one is not to be missed.
    • 4/5
      Yes, this is a thriller. Some graphic brutality and unbelievable happenings along the way. About half-way through the book I started thinking the story was just too weird to continue reading, but the action picked up, and my interest did, too. I think the Reacher crowd will like this one.
    • 5/5
      The Inquisitor by Mark Allen Smith is a unique, interesting, and thought-provoking novel. The story is centered around a fascinating, complex, damaged character called Geiger, who is in the business of "information retrieval" (finding out the truth using torture, primarily psychological). Part of the intrigue of the story is reaching an understanding of how a person could end up being good at torturing others, and Geiger himself struggles with the same issue. He has no memories of his childhood, and is seeing a psychiatrist to learn to cope with the disturbing dreams/memories that plague him. He has a highly structured routine and set of coping mechanisms, all of which fall apart when he is asked to interrogate a child to find the boy's missing father. With a strong cast of supporting characters including Geiger's psychiatrist, his partner Harry, and the boy himself, the story is fast paced, interesting, and multi-layered as Geiger & co race to find the boy's father before the bad guys catch him; while at the same time Geiger is trying to cope with the implosion of his carefully built defenses against the past. Excellent story, recommended, and amazing first novel. I will be looking for more books from Mark Allen Smith.
    • 5/5
      The Inquisitor – Mark Allan Smith (ARC from publisher) Geiger is a man who deals in a specialized commodity, truth. And as his name implies, he has the ability to determine if an individual is telling the truth. By using unorthodox methods, usually a psychological form of torture, he retrieves information for his clients. Mark Allen Smith introduces a protagonist that is very structured, disciplined, ruthless, and not without faults. The prologue begins with a scene describing the work environment Geiger lives and operates in. At this point I was almost hesitant to continue reading as I was not looking forward to 300 more pages of the same. Thankfully I am patient, and that coupled with a strong curiosity as to how the author would somehow make this character human, and possibly likeable, kept me reading. Early on we catch glimpses of fissures in the hard veneer surrounding Geiger as he relates a reoccurring dream to his psychiatrist. Could it have something to do with his past, or is it a subconscious warning stemming from his current occupation? With the dreams come migraines and as everything else in his life, Geiger has designed methods to counteract these headaches. But no matter how much structure one lives by or incorporates, you can't plan for every contingency. Hence the almost paranoid need for rules, and a filtered referral system that clients negotiate to even set up a proposal through an ex-journalist Harry Boddicker, Geiger's front man. Rule number one is no children, and another generally accepted rule is no asaps, or rushes, on a possible target. So when Geiger accepts an asap job, which Harry highly recommends, things turn quickly when the client brings in the intended target's son instead. Two wrongs don't make a right as Geiger discovers after kidnapping the kid from the client and subsequently trying to reunite him with his mother. In the ensuing aftermath, kidnapping, chases, narrow escapes, and finally Geiger having the tables turned on him, become an increasing harrowing and page turning adventure. I still can't say I really liked the character of Geiger by the end of the book, he would definitely make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, but I understood him a lot better, and could empathize with his situation and outlook. Harry is the character whom I could relate to, and his relationship with his sister and his protective nature seemed to overshadow Geiger's, although they both looked after those not able to help themselves. The author did a great job with keeping the gray areas realistic throughout while developing strong individuals and contrasting viewpoints. Overall, I would recommend this, but add a caveat on the methods described to the more squeamish of folks. Of course, if you're reading a thriller, one almost expects it, hence the 'thrill', and I'll be anxious to read more from Mark Allan Smith.