The Inquisitor: A Novel

He is a professional torturer with a strict code. A mysterious past. And a dangerous conviction that he can save the life of an innocent child, in Mark Allen Smith's The Inquisitor.Geiger has a gift: he knows a lie the instant he hears it. In his business, called "information retrieval" by its practitioners, Geiger's expertise is priceless. His clients count on him to extract the truth from even the most reluctant subjects. Though he rarely sheds blood, Geiger does employ a variety of complex psychological methods to push his subjects to a place where pain takes a backseat to fear―at which point there's no turning back..."As disturbing as it is compelling."―The Washington PostOne of Geiger's only rules is that he never works with children. So when his partner, former journalist Harry Boddicker, brings in a client who demands that Geiger interrogate a twelve-year-old boy, Geiger responds instinctively. He removes him to the safety of his New York City apartment and promises to protect him at all costs. But what could one boy know that could bring him so much harm? As Geiger and Harry race to discover why their client is so desperate to learn the boy's secret, they find themselves up against a ruthless adversary―one who will stop at nothing to achieve his means. And time is running out..."[Geiger is] one of the most utterly distinctive protagonists in a recent thriller, and one of the most unexpectedly sympathetic."―Kirkus Reviews (starred review)