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Synopsis
Book four of the bestselling Max Freeman mystery series: Max's investigation of a string of murders in south Florida leads him to the most shocking of suspects
After three young female bartenders were murdered in Miami and one went missing in Philadelphia, Freeman's ex-girlfriend Sherry Richards hires him to help with the case. Freeman grudgingly accepts the job, despite Sherry's insistence that a retired police officer who saved Freeman's life back in Philadelphia is the prime suspect. As Freeman returns to Philly to investigate, he must face his feelings of camaraderie for his former colleague, his affection for Sherry, and a resurgence of his own personal demons in order to solve the crime before the killer can strike again.
"Balanced, efficient, and compelling from start to finish." -The Miami Herald
"King's writing is gritty, vivid, and suspenseful." -Harlan Coben
Jonathon King is an Edgar Award-winning mystery novelist and the creator of the bestselling Max Freeman crime series. Born in Lansing, Michigan, in the 1950s, King worked as a crime reporter in Philadelphia and Fort Lauderdale for twenty-four years before becoming a full-time novelist. Along with the six books of the Max Freeman series, King has also authored the thriller Eye of Vengeance (2007) and the historical novel The Styx (2009). He lives in south Florida.
Publishers Weekly
In his fourth outing (after 2004's Shadow Men), King's pensive hero, Florida PI Max Freeman, spends more time tooling around Fort Lauderdale and his native Philadelphia than in his beloved Everglades. Max is protecting a dozen immigrant cruise ship employees, who were injured in a boiler explosion, while his pal, attorney Billy Manchester, tries to exact additional compensation for them from the ship's owners. Then Fort Lauderdale police detective Sherry Richards, a former lover and colleague, asks Max's help in tracking down Philadelphia ex-cop Colin O'Shea, whom Sherry suspects killed three pretty female bartenders. Max takes on the job, though he doubts O'Shea, with whom he once worked, is the guilty party. King skillfully alternates between the search for the murderer on the one hand and Max's attempts to guard the ship employees on the other. Max returns to Philadelphia, where he learns more about O'Shea and allays some of his personal demons. Though King's basic plots aren't particularly original, his smooth pacing, which creates tension, vivid place descriptions (for instance, a haunting search through a swamp) and insight into human behavior make this series a welcome addition to the Florida PI subgenre. Agent, Philip Spitzer. (Mar. 21) FYI: King's debut, The Blue Edge of Midnight, won an Edgar Award. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.