Jack Carpenter is an ex-cop who cares deeply about finding lost children. It's his specialty in his new business -- well, actually, finding anyone is. But it's the children who make him ache and lose sleep and persevere until he finds them.
Jack is surprised when a death-row inmate contacts him and requests his services. But that inmate's grandson, Sampson, has disappeared and the prisoner has received a threatening note: Stop talking to the FBI or Sampson will die.
The local police have settled on a suspect in the disappearance, the boy's father Jed Grimes. They're so certain it's him that they are not looking for further evidence, and Jack doesn't think they're right. He shares his information and begins digging into the case in his usual dogged, determined way.
In looking at Sampson's disappearance, Jack digs back into the murderous crimes that put the boy's grandfather away. Someone is worried about the inmate spilling too much to the FBI, so there must be a connection.
The convoluted trail will lead Jack in search of a killer who is determined to leave the past uncovered -- even if that means killing in the present. Unfortunately, Jack is on his own, fighting against the police and even the FBI, to solve a case before Sampson dies.
An interesting read, packed with action and suspense. Jack Carpenter is an intriguing character, but he's the only person who really stands out in this book. It's definitely about the action and mystery. A good read.
Hard-edged, evocative, brilliantly paced, James Swainβs
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 Grimesβ grandson was
lured from his home. The cops are convinced the boyβs
fatherβAbbβs troubled son, Jedβis behind the boyβs
disappearance, but Jackβs not so sure. With a personal
connection to the kidnapped child, Carpenter takes the
case, and thatβs when the situation goes from terrifying
to fatal. Thereβs 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 stalkerβs 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 betrayalβand a
horrendous danger no one saw coming.
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