On the day of her friend's wedding, Special Agent Smoky Barrett did not expect to have a case dropped on her, literally. Discovering that a murderer-for-hire makes good on his promise to deliver the tortured wives he has agreed to kill seven years later in revenge for reneged assassination contracts drives Smoky to pursue the husbands, as well as the killer. A torture victim from when a previous case went south, Smoky can put herself in the minds of the victims; however, she has to be able to imagine the inner thoughts of a coldhearted killer to be able to catch this criminal.

ABANDONED is levels beyond the basic "catch a serial killer" genre. The writing is edgy, realistic and fast- paced. Cody McFadyen rushes into realms where reality's twisted people ply their trade, and he does so expertly.