Pasadena homicide detective Nan Vining and her partner, Jim Kissick, are called to the scene of a horrific double murder. Not only were two people killed, the man's body had been dismembered before the bodies were posed grotesquely. Vining and Kissick begin their investigation by getting to know those close to dilettante businessman Oliver Mercer and his latest girlfriend, Lauren Richards.
Friction between Mercer and his business partner, Mark Scoville, appears to be a promising clue at first. But with Scoville having an alibi, Vining and Kissick must consider whether he hired a hit man or if Ms. Richards' stalker finally snapped and lashed out. Or is there another motive for these murders? Seemingly unconnected events begin to weave together into a murder conspiracy.
Vining balances the murder case with her own investigation into the man that nearly killed her over a year ago. T.B. Mannβshort for the bad man, as she calls himβmanaged to get away after ambushing her and knifing her. Her heart actually stopped for two minutes before she was revived. Vining is conducting her own secret look into clues that even her colleagues are unaware of. If her theory is correct, T.B. Mann is responsible for at least one other policewoman's death.
Squeamish readers should be aware that there are some grisly scenes in CUT TO THE QUICK. POVs from various sourcesβthe killer himself, police detective Nan Vining, business associates of the murdered man, among othersβgive readers viewpoints into the thinking of the various characters. This story is the second in a three-book plot arc, so don't be surprised that not all loose ends are resolved. Ms. Emley has created a taut, suspenseful thriller that will leave readers eager for more.
The walls are covered in blood.
Playboy Oliver Mercer has been brutally slain in his posh
home in the Pasadena hills, joined in death by his
long-legged trophy girlfriendβboth not just killed, but
dismembered and displayed in a twisted, gruesome tableau.
The only evidence left at this helter skelter massacre: a
size-eleven high-heeled shoe print and a long strand of hair
from a blonde wig.
The gory horror of the Mercer manse reawakens terrible
memories for homicide detective Nan Vining, who survived her
own harrowing knife attack a year earlier. Still feeling her
ruthless assailantβs hot breath on her neck, Nan breaks her
own rules and secretly tracks the taunting, murderous
gameplayer her daughter Emily dubbed T.B. Mannβthe Bad Man.
Putting it all on the line, she risks both her badge and her
heart. For working the case alongside single mom Nan is
appealing ex-flame Jim Kissick. With conflicted feelings for
him, Nan struggles to stay focused on the Mercer case, with
all its potential suspects.
The male victimβs business partner was Mark Scoville, a
billboard tycoon with a destructive gambling problem.
Scovilleβs wife is the ambitious bombshell of morning
televisionβs βHello L.A,β famous for her gorgeous tears and
triumph over substance abuse. And circling the periphery on
his Harley is Bowie Crowley, the Zen-ful ex-con whose debut
novel transformed him from tattooed outcast to literary
toast of the town.
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