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Sunshine, secrets, and swoon-worthy stories—June's featured reads are your perfect summer escape.

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He doesn�t need a woman in his life; she knows he can�t live without her.


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A promise rekindled. A secret revealed. A second chance at the family they never had.


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A cowboy with a second chance. A waitress with a hidden gift. And a small town where love paints a brand-new beginning.


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She�s racing for a prize. He�s dodging romance. Together, they might just cross the finish line to love.


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She steals from the mob for justice. He�s the FBI agent who could take her down�or fall for her instead.


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He�s her only protection. She�s carrying his child. Together, they must outwit a killer before time runs out.


The Murder Notebook

The Murder Notebook, June 2008
Nate Rodriguez #2
by Jonathan Santlofer

William Morrow
Featuring: Nate Rodriguez
400 pages
ISBN: 0060882042
EAN: 9780060882044
Hardcover
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"Police uncover modern-day human experimentation that has devastating consequences"

Fresh Fiction Review

The Murder Notebook
Jonathan Santlofer

Reviewed by Denise Powers
Posted August 26, 2008

Thriller Police Procedural

Police sketch artist Nate Rodriguez is used to working on a variety of cases, but facial reconstruction is something he hasn't done in years. He's given the skull of a John Doe and asked to recreate the man's face for identification. John Doe was shot and then his body burned. Without Nate's help, the man is doomed to remain nameless. For some reason Nate feels compelled to do this job, even after he's pulled off the assignment. Nate is pulled off the John Doe case to work with a task force after a college student is brutally murdered in public. The case is red-hot, with plenty of press, the pubic clamoring for a suspect to be caught. The task force head is Detective Terri Russo, who happens to be Nate's girlfriend. Although they prefer to not work together, they each do their part to solve this senseless crime. Terri and her task force do the traditional police work, and Nate, using his uncanny intuition, works with eyewitnesses to coax out fleeting memories. Nate finds parallels between this murder and another one, and both suspects end up killing themselves. And when a third random crime turns into yet another murder-suicide, Nate and Terri suspect there is some hidden link between these men. All of the killers suffered from PTSD and were on various medications for their conditions. What is the cause of their disorders and their sudden snapping? Can more deaths be prevented? How many ticking time bombs are out there? In the course of the investigation, Nate and Terri unearth a frightening study of human testing with devastating consequences. And the John Doe mystery has startling ties to Nate's past. Will Nate survive both cases unscathed? THE MURDER NOTEBOOK is a complex story, rife with conspiracies and secrets. Parts of the plot are truly frightening when one considers today's world. The book ends on a hopeful note, a stark contrast to the main story. Mr. Santlofer has written a timely thriller, sure to please fans of the genre.

Learn more about The Murder Notebook

SUMMARY

Jonathan Santlofer once again combines his extraordinary talents as both a writer and an artist in this second chilling thriller featuring NYPD forensic sketch artist Nate Rodriguez. Though plagued by the death of his father years ago, Rodriguez has little time to dwell on the past. A rash of seemingly unrelated murders holds New York City in a gridlock of terror, and with his reputation for having a sixth sense—an uncanny ability to draw things he hasn't even seen—Rodriguez lands a spot on the task force investigating the crimes. But with his mind's eye clouded, he's forced to search for an answer the old-fashioned way: by hitting the streets.

Rodriguez begins to suspect a common thread between the victims, confirmed when more bodies turn up—those of the killers themselves. As the slayings continue, the link between the crimes comes into focus and Rodriguez must convince the NYPD that they are up against something bigger—and more heinous—than anyone ever suspected.

The Murder Notebook is a smart, innovative suspense novel with a terrifying, ripped-from-the-headlines urgency. Where is the line between advancement and criminality in matters of manipulating the human psyche? What would happen if someone were no longer able to feel fear? With his unique blend of gripping prose and original sketches, Jonathan Santlofer has crafted a tale of morality and duty, love and justice, that is as shocking as it is timely.


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