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Overview
Charles Wilson, termed a "wizard plotter" by the Los Angeles Times and whose writings are compared by many to John D. McDonald, once again demonstrates why he has earned such critical acclaim in When First We Deceive, his best and most terrifying thriller to date. A most fearsome, crazed presence stalks the deep South, terrifying citizens in cities from Memphis to New Orleans to Mobile, and the FBI has set up local headquarters along the Mississippi Gulf Coast to try and put a stop to this madness. But as fearful as this lone, demented presence is, it does not compare to the evil born of a so-called sane mind bent on gratification, as all involved soon learn. Young police lieutenant Brett Dunnigan and his wife Paige Dunnigan, members of a small police force in a sleepy Mississippi coastal town, are steered to a last-minute prowler call as Brett's shift is about to end and he has already picked Paige up to celebrate their first anniversary. What they find that night changes their dreams to nightmares and starts them on an investigation fraught with terror - and ultimately puts both of their lives in danger from which there seems no escape.Editorials
Publishers Weekly -
Steadily accelerating suspense, deft plotting and a broad cast of likely suspects highlight Wilson's ( Night watch er ; The Cassandra Prophecy ) latest crime thriller. In tiny Pass Christian, Miss., police officers Paige and Brett Dunnigan are headed toward Biloxi and a first wedding anniversary celebration when the report of a prowler sends them to the home of Brett's old girlfriend. There Brett stumbles over the still warm, nearly decapitated body of Tiffany Anderson. The area is immediately overrun by local law enforcement agencies and the FBI, all hoping to collar the elusive psychopath responsible for a rash of murders of young women along the Gulf Coast. Brett's longtime buddy Vic, a former cop turned PI who has been hired by the wife of a New Orleans man murdered with one of the mutilated victims, is also on the scene. As clues are bungled or lost, it soon appears that the killer may be a cop. While Brett harbors guilt at not telling Paige about a chance rendezvous with Tiffany just before their marriage or of his recent encounter with her in the supermarket, Paige disappears, and suspicion then focuses on Brett, who must solve the murder to save his life. (June)Book Details
Published
December 1, 1998
Publisher
Leisure Books
Pages
264
Format
Paperbound
ISBN
9780843944013