Seven years ago Lara Church was brutally assaulted by the
Seattle Strangler, and the attack left her so traumatized
that she still has no memory of that night. Lara left
Seattle soon after the attack, and more or less has lived
in her truck just running. She has accumulated a couple
of important items -- a German shepherd named Lincoln, and a
collection of cameras. Discovering she has an awesome
talent with photography was a very welcome surprise. Lara
is back in Austin, Texas where she spent most of her
summers when she was growing up. She is living in the
house that was bequeathed to her by her grandmother, and
she is very close to her only relative, her cousin, Cassidy
Roberts. Cassidy is having a showing of Lara's
photography at her art gallery; the theme is "Mark of
Death." Lara has a collection of scenes of death sites
from the areas she visited on her seven-year road trip,
impressively done in black and white and taken with an
antique tri-pod camera that uses glass negatives.
Texas Ranger James Beck is one tough enforcement officer.
There have been two strangulation/rape/torture deaths in
his area, both bodies found by the side of an interstate
highway. The cases are soon linked to the Seattle
Strangler, who has been MIA for the last seven years, since
the attack on Lara. When Beck discovers Lara now lives in
the area, he gives her a visit, and is met with a double
barrel shotgun pointed at him and a growling watch dog.
Beck treats Lara with the same hostility she shows him, and
threatens her with obstruction of justice if she doesn't
tell him everything she remembers.
THE SEVENTH VICTIM is a first class, Blue Ribbon thriller
and features meticulously created characters, dialogue, and
story lines. Just when you think you have it all figured
out --- you're wrong! In the meantime, just enjoy an
excellent whodunit.
James Beck has just returned to Ranger Division Headquarters
after three weeks on administrative leave with no regrets
about angering the higher ups or disobeying orders by
pursuing the politically well-connected bigwig he was
certain was the killer of ten-year-old Misty Gray. Today,
he's facing murder again, this time a killing seemingly
linked to one in San Antonio. Both involved young, blonde
women found dead and wearing white dresses. When a penny is
discovered in the hand of the new victim, alarms go off for
Beck as he recalls a case of serial murders in Seattle that
was never solved. Six women were strangled. All were blonde
and found wearing white dresses, and each held a penny in
her hand. The seventh victim survived.
Fear kept Lara Church moving from town to town for the last
seven years, until eight months ago when her grandmother
died. Lara inherited the home and land just outside of
Austin where she had spent all of her childhood summers. The
house had been a place of refuge for Lara and, though she
had planned to settle the estate and leave, she remained,
setting up her dark room, diving deeper into her art and
accepting a job teaching photography. Comforting memories
help hold her there, but those are not the ones that matter
to her.
She wants what she can't remember--being raped, beaten and
strangled, her attacker, and the clues that could lead to
the Seattle Strangler. Two months after the attack, Lara,
whose name was never released, dyed her blonde hair brown,
packed her bags and left Seattle forever, hoping to protect
her identity and escape the constant pressure to remember.
Lara's only just begun to believe that she may be able to
stay in one place, that she may have a chance at a normal
life, when Beck shows up demanding her help. But she's
already tried to remember, over and over again, to no avail.
There's no way she's going to let Beck drag her back to
hell, back into the world of shrinks and crime scene photos
that had nearly driven her insane.
Yet, as the killing continues, a mother's plea pulls Lara
into the heart of the investigation, struggling to remember
and to face the terror, even as her home and life are
invaded. Threats mount, the killer draws closer, and nothing
and no one is what they seem to be.
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