The Art of Deception FROM THE PUBLISHER
"Friendship comes at a cost. For beautiful Mary-Ann Walker, who struggled with the challenges of a difficult family history, that cost proves to be her life. With Mary-Ann's past as its only guideline, the Seattle homicide unit must delve into the relationships between a misguided young woman and her family, friends, and lover. Let the psychological duels begin." "Seattle Police forensic psychologist Daphne Matthews, who volunteers as a teenage runaway counselor, is haunted by the loss of a suicide, a "jumper," a year earlier. When a woman's body is found beneath the Aurora Bridge, Matthews is one of the first at the scene - and begins a puzzling investigation that becomes entangled with her own past, that of the victim, and even that of Seattle itself." "Mary-Ann's boyfriend has a record of physical abuse, and an attitude that Matthews finds difficult to crack. When the victim's grieving brother surfaces, throwing blame onto the boyfriend and craving revenge, Matthews gains an unstable ally she does not want." Then the stalking begins: the eerie phone calls, the noises outside the house, the shadows that move in the night. Someone has his eye on Matthews - but to stop her, to kill her, or to help her solve the crime?
SYNOPSIS
Ridley Pearson, author of the #1 NYT Bestseller THE DIARY OF ELLEN RIMBAUER delivers a nail-biting crime novel of betrayal and deception.
FROM THE CRITICS
Entertainment Weekly
Better than a guilty pleasure.
New York Times Book Review
Beautifully orchestrated.
Bookstreet USA
Chilling and believable.
Book Magazine - Michael Phillips
Seattle detectives Lou Boldt, John LaMoia and Daphne Matthews are working on a series of potentially related cases, including a suspicious drowning and the disappearance of two women who are presumed dead. Catching the crafty would-be killer becomes harder when a suspect starts stalking Detective Matthews and leads the trio on a chase through Seattle's Underground. It's in this unconventional and creepy setting that Pearson's book really excels.
Publishers Weekly
Seattle police detective Lou Boldt, Pearson's engaging cop hero, retired from the force a few years back when personal problems started stacking up, then returned when those same problems faded. These days, he's in more of a paper-shuffling role, letting his younger charges mix it up on the street. Taking center stage here, in the eighth Boldt entry (after Parallel Lies), are two longtime prominent series sidekicks, forensic pathologist Daphne Matthews and the skirt-chasing stud cop, John LaMoia. Together, they investigate the perplexing murder of a woman who was pushed off a bridge. The case turns creepy when the evidence against the prime suspect falls apart and the victim's brother, Ferrell Walker, simultaneously courts and lashes out at Matthews. Meanwhile, Boldt pursues his own case, following the trail of two missing women who appear to have been stalked before disappearing. As with many of Pearson's plots, the two story lines eventually mesh into a wild, drawn-out finale. The setting this time couldn't be better. It's Seattle's Underground, a subterranean ghost town of abandoned shops and homes now underneath the newer, more flood-resistant city built on top a century ago. It is within this spooky, cavernous landscape that Pearson's forte the manhunt bursts through with all its usual bone-tingling drama and suspense. And what of the somewhat marginalized Boldt? Longtime fans may feel a touch of sadness, yet Pearson ably layers Matthews's personality with new depths to make an appealingly quirky character. As for LaMoia, even he shows that he's more than just a pretty face with an insatiable sex drive. (Aug. 7) Forecast: A one-day laydown, television ads, an author tour and teaser chapters in Parallel Lies add up to major promo activity for this title and should stimulate the usual healthy sales. Don't confuse this with the nonfiction book published under the same title by computer hacker Kevin Mitnick (Forecasts, June 25). Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
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