EntBrtaimmit
The Compass/Feb.2005 Page 7
By Toby Tate
Editor- in-Chief
Many may recall the movie “The
Bone Collector,” starring
Angelina Jolie as Amelia Sachs,
the protege to Denzel
Washington’s quadriplegic
forensics expert Lincoln Rhyme.
“The Vanished Man,” by author
Jeffery Deaver, who also wrote
“The Bone Collector,” is a return
to familiar territory for fans of
Rhyme.
In “The Vanished Man,” we
learn that Rhyme and Sachs have
more than just police work in
common; they have become
lovers. However, we never see
anything other than a few mild
bedroom scenes involving
intimate conversation and a
passionate kiss.
For the most part, the book is
pure action, not simply of the
kind involving explosions and
car chases, though there is some
of that, but character driven
action. I really wanted to know
what that crazy S.O.B. was going
to do next. Not only that, but
who he was going to be next.
The plot of
the story
revolves
around magic;
more
specifically, a
killer dubbed
the
“Conjurer,”
who" is an
illusionist, a
quick-change
artist, a mind
reader, an
escape artist
and... am I
forgetting
anything? Oh,
yes: A fire-
obsessed
psychotic.
Throughout
the book, he also likes to speak
to his imaginary “revered
audience.”
The Conjurer begins his reign
of terror in New York City, where
the story takes place, by killing
a young Russian woman
practicing the violin in a run
down music studio. His method
is cruel yet brilliant: He hog-ties
her with a rope leading from her
feet and hands to around her neck
so that she slowly strangles
herself to death. It’s an escape
trick known as “The Lazy
Hangman,” only she didn’t
escape.
The man is seen by two police
officers when he decides to over
stay his visit by studying the
victim after she expires. They
train their guns on the man, and
they think they have him, but
there is a blinding flash of light
and he escapes and is seen
running into an adjoining room.
Noises are heard from within the
room as he supposedly piles
chairs and tables against the door
to keep the officers out. He yells
through the door that he has a
hostage and gunshots are heard
from within. When one of the
officers manages to locate an
alternative entrance into the
room, she finds...nothing. Yet,
they heard the man inside the
room just before she opened the
door, and there are no other exits.
Vanished.
The officers eventually leam
the killer may have actually been
seen minutes after his
escape.. .as the janitor, who in no
way resembled the perpetrator;
he had changed that fast.
Rhyme and Sachs are called in
on the case, and Sachs walks the
“grid,” or the crime scene, while
wired via telephone to Rhyme,
and finds several puzzling bits of
evidence: A circuit board with a
small speaker found behind a
stack of tables in the room,
which accounted for the sounds,
and flash paper residue which
accounted for the blinding flash.
Another disturbing factor was
the woman’s wristwatch, which
looked as if it had been
purposefully broken at the time
of the murder. This, they later
discover, is a ploy to make them
think the killer was working on
a schedule.
Rhyme and Sachs, along with
their friends from the NYPD,
realize they are dealing with
some kind of maniacal magician,
and enlist the aid of purple
haired Kara (no last name), the
apprentice of the world
renowned Balzac, the great
illusionist. Kara, a coffee-holic,
becomes instrumental in
understanding the killer and
finding where he (or she, who
knows?) will strike next.
As is the case with most of
Deaver’s novels, such as “The
Blue Nowhere,” there are
enough plot twists and turns to
keep you thinking. They seem to
catch the killer more than once,
yet he inevitably escapes every
time. The
police are
fed clues
which seem
to point in
one
direction,
and the killer
goes in
another. He
is using the
intelligence
of his
pursuers
against them,
like using the
weight of an
opponent to
throw them
over your
shoulder, and
it works.
Other characters such as
Roland Bell, a southern street
wise cop from North Carolina
and Lon Sellitto, a gruff New
York detective with a lowbrow
sense of humor are added to the
mix, aiding Rhyme in his search
for the killer.
I am a huge fan of James
Patterson and his character Alex
Cross, so this book is right up
my alley. I liked the aspect of
having a magician as the heavy,
it’s unusual, and makes for a
spellbinding read (no pun
intended). I could not put this
book down. Whenever anyone in
the room would speak to me, I
literally couldn’t hear them. Or
is that just selective hearing? The
point is it will hold your interest.
With all that said, I regret I
must admit to a slight
disappointment. Another
character, Andrew Constable, is
part of an on-going investigation
which may have a connection to
the Conjurer case. Constable is
your run-of -the-mill southern
white racist right-wing
“Christian” fanatic who wants to
rid the world of all people who
aren’t run-of -the-mill southern
white racist right-wing
“Christian” fanatics. It just
seems a little too politically
correct, cliched and over-used.
It’s not that there aren’t any of
those people; it’s just (hat it gets
old portraying white southerners
as racist bigots. It’s been done to
death already. Yawn.
If you like a good detective
story with lots of action, this is
the book for you. Lincoln Rhyme
is the man, and he’s got a few
tricks up his own sleeve.
“The Vanished Man” is in
paperback and only $7.99 at your
local bookstore.
UnEmployed by Matt Steen
I UKE TO IjEAVE a TIP
FOR THE MAiLWAN
STAMPS
LETTER
YOU THfNK THAT THE
MAHAWW SETS PAJO IN
STAMPS, PONT YOU*
YOU CAN’T TF
MAJLMAN BY PUTTrNS
EXTRA STAJVtPS ON A
i£TTER,
I HEAR THEY
ALSO SET
CENTAL. li
KNOW
CopyrioM
www.unemployecicomics.oeOTi
Stop Getting dumped!
Dear Lisa,
My best friend got me your book and I put it to the test. I am involved with a wonderful man and have been dating him for seven months.
We live in different states, however. He has asked me to move in with him and I have agreed. I’m just not sure what the next step is. He
does talk about getting married and he has used the M word. (I have not.) I truly love him and he is the man of my dreams. I am looking
for a few pointers on how to make the transition to live-in girl friend. I would appreciate any advice you have.
Live-In Fantasyland
Dear Live-In,
You miglit want to reconsider your living arrangements if you’ve decided to move to his city. Why? You’re heading from
o to 6o coming from a long-distance relationship to a live-in situation. The danger here is too much togetherness, too
soon. Also working against you is the fact that you’re moving to his turf. You’ll have no friends, no job or a new job, and
no place to call your own. It’s particularly easy in this type of situation to find yourself entirely dependent on your guy
for everything, and it’s not unlikely that fairly soon he’ll wind up feteling smothered. (And you’ll feel like an insecure
shell of your formerly fabulous self.) Worst case scenario, you two break up, and you end up homeless, jobless and
friendless in a strange city. (Best case scenario, everything works out great and you live happily ever after, of course...)
If you can afford it, I’d recommend that you try to go ahead and get your own place first. That way, you’ll maintain a bit
of independence and take a little pressure off of the relationship. If that’s not possible, or, you’re pretty set on living
together. I’d make sure you start behaving independently in your new city as soon as your plane hits the runway.
Get a job before your move, if possible, make a serious effort to meet new girlfriends right away (and do a girls-only
night once a week to take a break from your gviy.) Find a way to do your own thing on a regular basis in your new city —
whether that’s taking a class, joining a gym, or volunteering. It’s better to start a new life together if both of you has your
own life first.
Gk>od luck!
Best,
Lisa
Dating expert Lisa Daily is the author of Stop Getting Dumped!
Available at www.stopeettinedumped.com and bookstores everywhere.
Got a dating question? Ask Lisa at: asklisa@stopBettinedumped.com
New ECSU
T.V. pro
grams in
the works
Melba Brown works
overtime - again
By Robert Overton
Staff Writer
The spring semester will be an
entertaining time for Elizabeth
City State University students, as
Melba Brown and her Advanced
Television Production class
introduce new ideas of student-
written shows, which are
planned to air in mid-February.
According to a source close to
the airdate, many surprises are on
the horizon.
The source, who wished to
remain anonymous, spoke of a
possible collaboration with
University Players, more fun and
interesting shows that address
student issues, as well as
entertain both commuter and
campus students.
Melba Brown has been a very
influential part of the T.V.
station, and because of her work
and general concerns for it’s
success it seems as if the station
has gotten better. Brown guides
the student’s ideas and does most
of the final editing; however, she
has decided to let her students
gain some experience by writing
the shows.
Brown said there is no definite
line-up of the shows yet to come;
however, she did allow a preview
run through of a news show
broadcast.
Two students ran the cameras,
while others cued tapes and ran
sound checks. The two anchors
of the news show, both ECSU
students, were not available for
an interview after the broadcast.
Students who are bored should
definitely stay tuned for more
updates about the television
station, because there is
definitely a lot of potential in the
future programming.
“Hide and Seek” seeks
to hide its originality
Sorry, Charlie
By Danielle S. Parker
Staff Writer
The tagline “come out, come out
whatever you are” drew many
people, young and old, to
theaters this month to view the
new 2005 suspense thriller
“Hide and Seek.”
The thriller/drama/horror
movie was no. 1 this weekend
and topped the box office
bringing in $22 million in its first
week.
The one hour and 45 minute
movie is about a father (Robert
De Niro), who discovers that his
9-year-old daughter (Dakota
Fanning) has come up with an
unexpected way of dealing with
the death of her mother through
an imaginary friend named
Charlie.
At first her father does not
believe in her imaginary friend,
and thinks that she is still
grieving over the lost of her
mother. De Niro soon realizes
that Charlie is no imaginary
friend and that he is not make-
believe, but real, and Charlie
soon starts to reveal himself in
ways that are frightening and
terrifying.
Dakota Fanning, who plays
Emily, has also starred in other
huge box office movies
including “Man on Fire” and
“The Cat in the Hat.”
Although many critics gave the
movie four stars, many found it
similar to several previously
released suspense thrillers such
as “The Grudge” and the “Sixth
Sense.” The movie is rated R for
its frightening sequences and
violence.
The so-called “frightening”
scenes were not that terrifying or
original, nor were the movie’s
secrets really surprising. There
were a few chilling moments
throughout the movie, but they
were not as fear-inducing as the
previews made them out to be.
The director uses a lot of craft
and make-up effects to create a
film full of scary moments and
doubtful revelations.