It's the dead of winter and the weather in the Lake of the
Ozarks region of mid-Missouri is bitterly cold and snowy.
Canton County sheriff detective Claire Morgan returns to
her job after recuperating from severe injuries sustained
on a case during the summer (read HEAD TO HEAD, 3/06).
Claire doesn't want to experience anything like that ever
again. She really thought this rural area would be so much
more peaceful than where she came from -- L.A. But that
doesn't seem to be true, as she'll soon find out.
When a report comes in of a missing person north of the
lake, Claire and her partner, Bud, are sent to investigate.
The man is a teacher at the prestigious Dome of the Cave
Academy for the Gifted. Everyone they interview hated the
man intensely. But what they eventually discover has
happened to the teacher is more bizarre than anything
imaginable -- he's suspended from a tree in the deep woods,
overlooking the campus, wrapped in a plastic bag with just
his head showing. It's what's inside the bag that creeps
them all out. When another body turns up dead in the same
bizarre manner, the detectives fear they have a totally
twisted serial killer in their midst. And it's not just the
weather that's giving them the chills.
Linda Ladd has written one of the most creepy,
crawly and compelling psychological thrillers ever. This
unique, edgy plot truly gave me the shivers. Claire is a
tough-as-nails cop who thinks she's seen it all, and then
is proven wrong. The narrative is from Claire's perspective
and her voice is quite glib (at times even very humorous)
in her telling of the story, which made it even more of a
great read.
A Killer's Tracks…
Missouri detective Claire Morgan is eager to get back to
work after recuperating from injuries sustained on her last
job. But the missing persons case that welcomes her home in
the dead of winter soon turns more twisted and treacherous
than Lake of the Ozarks' icy mountain roads...
Can Only Lead…
The man's body is found suspended from a tree overlooking
a local school. He is bleeding from the head, still alive —
but not for long. Someone wanted Professor Simon Classon
to suffer as much as possible before he died, making sure
the victim had a perfect view of his colleagues and
students on the campus below as he succumbed to the slow-
working poison in his veins...
To Dark Places…
Frigid temperatures and punishing snows only make the
investigation more difficult. And then the death threats
begin — unnerving incidents orchestrated to send Claire a
deadly message. Now, as she edges closer to the truth,
Claire risks becoming entangled in a maniac's web — and the
stuff of her own worst nightmares...