Two years after the brutal murder of his fiancΓ©e where the killer was never caught, probation officer Joe Trumble has finally decided to start socializing again. His blind date with Marlene goes much better than he thought it would, and he has hope that he might actually be able to rejoin the regular world. When she's found strangled to death later, Joe is dumbfounded. The local detectives start looking at Joe as their main suspect when two more women he's met are murdered. What's going on?
Joe lives in a drab apartment above a rundown boxing gym in Kingston, N.Y., where he works out to stay in shape. The only people he associates with are connected to his job as a juvenile probation officer or at the gym. Is someone targeting him for some reason? When it appears the detectives are not going to look any further than him as the murderer, Joe figures he better start investigating on his own to clear his name and end this nightmare. As he searches for the killer, Joe realizes he's facing a psychopath who'll do anything to destroy him -- and the resulting climax is shocking.
Known for his exceptional Alex McKnight series, Hamilton's first stand-alone crime thriller is exciting and suspenseful. His writing is atmospheric to the point that you have a strong sense of place and a connection to the characters.
Joe Trumbull is a juvenile probation officer working in
Kingston, New York. He's also a man with a tragic past.
Two years ago, while his friends were toasting him at his
bachelor party, his fiancΓ©e was strangled in bed at her
parents' home. Joe has shunned women since - living only
for his job and his workouts in the gym below his dingy
apartment.
Now, Joe finally decides to go on a blind date with a
woman chosen out of the Kingston newspaper. The date goes
surprisingly well. But then the woman is found dead, and
Joe begins to realize that there's someone out there with
dark plans for him.
The murder of another woman follows, and still another.
Joe finds himself in a game of cat-and-mouse with the best
criminal investigators in the state of New York. But in
the end, it all leads to a lonely showdown, with Joe
fighting for his life against a faceless man in the
shadows - the one man who will do anything it takes to
destroy him.
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