Jo Beckett's work as a forensic psychiatrist for the police
department means that she faces blood-chilling criminals
and equally horrific crimes. But in her latest case, she's
in the deadly world of politics, trying to put together the
path that Tasia McFarland, ex-wife of the U.S. president,
took to her death.
A faltering country singer, Tasia was attracting attention
from a song she wrote and on her comeback tour, she entered
a stadium on a zip line, firing a prop gun into the air.
But when she's shot and killed before she hits the ground,
suddenly the interest in Tasia is higher than it has ever
been. Jo needs to find out -- and quickly -- whether Tasia
killed herself or whether there was a more sinister
political issue behind her death.
Before Jo solves the mystery, she'll be shot at and watch
many people die. But will she lose one of the people she
loves most?
Meg Gardiner doesn't disappoint. Characters with
depth, plot with captivating twists and plenty of action
will keep you reading. Another excellent read!
In Edgar Award-winner Meg Gardiner's third thriller
featuring forensic psychologist Jo Beckett, politics and pop
culture cross paths- with deadly results.
Tasia McFarland is a washed-up country-pop singer desperate
for the break that will get her back atop the charts. She's
also the ex-wife of the president of the United States. So
when Tasia writes a song with politically charged lyrics,
people take note and her star begins to rise anew. In the
spectacle-driven opener of her comeback tour, she is lowered
from a helicopter, hundreds of feet above her adoring fans,
while firing a prop Colt .45 at the fireworks filled stage.
Tasia is riding high.
Until she's killed by a
bullet to the neck, before a shocked crowd of 30,000.
When video can't prove the shot came from Tasia's
Colt .45 and the ballistics report comes up empty, the
authorities call in forensic psychiatrist Jo Beckett to do a
psychological autopsy and help avert a political disaster.
But as Jo sifts through the facts, she only finds more
questions: Did Tasia kill herself in one last cry for
attention? Were those lyrics the ranting of a paranoid woman
losing her grip? Or warnings from a woman afraid and in
danger? And most disturbing of all: Just what does Tasia's
death mean for a president-and in fact a nation- teetering
on the brink of catastrophe?