by Mo Hayder
First published 2010
Detective Jack Caffery drives through the West Country on a November evening to interview a carjacking victim. This case breaks the mold of routine vehicle thefts. The perpetrator used force to steal the car. An eleven-year-old girl was sitting in the back seat when he took it. She remains missing. The carjacker begins contacting police with ominous messages. He tells them this marks only the beginning and promises more attacks. Caffery recognizes the pattern. The criminal will strike again, selecting another vehicle with another child passenger. Caffery has built his reputation as an exceptional investigator with sharp instincts. His colleagues consider him among the finest detectives working. Yet this case unsettles him deeply. The carjacker appears to anticipate police moves at every turn. He stays multiple steps ahead of their investigation. Caffery must find a way to break this deadly cycle before another child disappears.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: cat-and-mouse, police-procedural, serial-killer
Setting: West Country
Period: November
416 pages · Paperback · Bantam Press
Content warnings: child-death, violence