Synopses & Reviews
Hard-edged, evocative, brilliantly paced, James Swain's novels of crime and punishment in South Florida delve into a shadowy realm where criminals, victims, and cops share the same truths, the same lies, and sometimes even the same nightmares.
Abb Grimes is famous. Just ask the ghoulish tourists who flock to his former home to take photographs. Years ago, Grimes killed eighteen women, some never found. As the head of the Broward County Missing Persons Unit, Jack Carpenter was intimately involved in the Grimes case. Now, days away from execution, the notorious serial killer reaches out to ex-cop Carpenter with a surprising request.
Abb Grimes' grandson was lured from his home. The cops are convinced the boy's father-Abb's troubled son, Jed-is behind the boy's disappearance, but Jack's not so sure. With a personal connection to the kidnapped child, Carpenter takes the case, and that's when the situation goes from terrifying to fatal. There's another gruesome murder, and once again the evidence points straight to Jed. Have the unspeakable sins of his father taken root within this troubled young man?
Carpenter races against time and a police department that wants his help but rejects his aggressive style as he searches through an underworld of predators, assembling the jagged pieces of a depraved puzzle, desperate to put an end to a murderous stalker's blood-soaked rampage.
With unremitting action and skillfully polished prose, bestselling author James Swain has written his most riveting thriller yet, delving even deeper into the fascinating psyche of misbehaving crusader Jack Carpenter. A hero immersed in the evil that is his prey, Carpenter battles a stunning betrayal-anda horrendous danger no one saw coming.
From the Hardcover edition.
Synopsis
Just days away from execution, Abb Grimes reaches out to ex-cop Jack Carpenter with a surprising request. Despite the fact that Carpenter was instrumental in putting the notorious serial killer behind bars, the doomed convict now wants Carpenter to find his missing grandson. The cops are convinced that the boys father-Abbs troubled son, Jed-is behind his disappearance, but Jacks not so sure. And yet, when the evidence in a gruesome murder leads straight to Jed, the question must be asked: Have the unspeakable sins of his father taken root in this disturbed young man? Searching through an underworld of predators, assembling the jagged pieces of a depraved puzzle, Jack Carpenter is desperate to catch a ruthless killer before he strikes again.
Synopsis
In this relentlessly paced novel featuring tough yet likable missing-person specialist Jack Carpenter, the former cop is surprised to receive a summons from Florida State Prison's death row.
About the Author
James Swain, winner of the prestigious Prix Calibre 38 for Best American Crime Fiction, is the bestselling author of eight previous novels. He lives with his wife, Laura, in Florida, where he is currently at work on his next novel.