by Lisa Gardner
Part of Detective D.D. Warren, book 1
First published 2005
Massachusetts State Trooper Bobby Dodge peers through his sniper scope at a hostage situation in Boston's Back Bay. An armed man holds his wife and child captive. When the man's finger moves toward the trigger, Dodge must make an instant choice that will change everything. The shot kills Catherine Rose Gagnon's husband, but Catherine harbors deadly secrets. Twenty-five years earlier, she survived a month of underground captivity and torture. Now Judge Gagnon, her powerful father-in-law, accuses her of murdering his son and poisoning her own child, who suffers mysterious illnesses requiring constant hospitalization. Meanwhile, a sadistic killer walks free after serving time in maximum security solitary confinement. His rage burns for revenge, and he moves through the city undetected. The violent confrontation brings Bobby and Catherine together, but their attraction pulls them into greater danger. The freed convict weaves a web of terror that threatens everyone connected to that fatal night, hunting his targets until they face him completely isolated and defenseless.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller, action
Vibes: dark, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Back Bay, Boston, Massachusetts
Period: 25 Years Ago
480 pages · Kindle Edition · Bantam
Content warnings: abuse, murder, torture