The most dangerous place to hide is in the dark…
A tough special-agent with the Department of Justice, and a dedicated single mother to her orphaned nephews, Samantha Chase is unbreakable. Until two women, both from the shadows of Sam’s past, are discovered strangled. For Sam, the most unnerving detail is the eucalyptus branch tucked behind the victims’ ears—the signature of a notorious serial murder already convicted and executed for his crimes.
To detective Nick Thomas, the only link to the copycat killings is Sam herself. And when she becomes the target of threats—each one more menacing than the last—his feelings for her just might jeopardize the case. But to understand the killer’s twisted motive is to explore Sam’s past—and a crime she’s spent a lifetime trying to bury…
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This book was the winner of the Romantic Times Reviewers Choice Award. Not really sure of the year but it was re-released in 2012. It’s billed as a psychological thriller and I guess that fits but it is also a romantic thriller and a story of the effects of child abuse.
Samantha Chase works as a special agent for the California Department of Justice. As part of her job, she helps in the prosecution of child abusers. She is extremely well qualified for this job as you realize early on that her childhood was horrendous. Many years before, her sister and brother-in-law are killed in an automobile crash and Sam ends up as guardian to her twin nephews. Now teenagers, at least one of them-Rob-is trying Sam’s patience and getting into trouble. The other nephew, Derek is still crippled from the accident and seems to be weathering the teenage years better then Rob. Nick Thomas is a detective that works occasionally with Sam and loves her and her two boys. But she has closed herself off after a bad divorce and refuses to acknowledge Nick’s feelings. Into this comes a serial killer. He or she is killing abusers of children that are all part of Sam’s old cases. Before long, Sam realizes she is being stalked and bad things start happening to her. To make matters worse, it seems that someone is trying to frame her for the murders. The story is told from multiple points of view, Sam’s, Rob’s, Nick’s, a pedophile named Gerry, and even a little girl named Whitney among others.
IÂ guess I am a little jaded from reading all the paranormal books that I have read and loved. I just expect a little more from a thriller now. I actually figured out who the bad guy/girl was well before the end and I really like it better when I can’t do that. It’s well written with flawed characters that you can root for. But it took me a much longer time to read then it should have. People that love this type of book will probably like it though. I liked it but didn’t love it and I can’t give it any higher than 3 stars which in PureTextuality rating terms, still means it was a fairly entertaining story.
