THE ART OF DECEPTION - Softcover

Ridley Pearson

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0752856901 ISBN 13: 9780752856902

Publisher: ORION

Synopsis

Seattle police psychologist Daphne Mathews has her hands full with a pregnant, addicted, runaway teenager, a murder victim's brother whose strange behavior unnerves her, and a deputy sheriff she once treated who's now stalking her. She's frightened enough to move in with Detective John LaMoia, a development that doesn't exactly thrill Lou Boldt, their boss and Daphne'sex-lover. But Lou's too busy with his own cases to brood over John and Daphne: the recent disappearances of two local women, and the death of Billy Chen, the nephew of Mama Lu, an old friend and a powerful figure in Seattle's Chinese community, which appeared to be an accident but turns out to have been murder.The only thing the disappearances and murder have in common is location; all three victims were last seen in a part of downtown built over the Underground, a dark and dangerous warren of buildings abandoned after the fire that leveled Seattle more than a hundred years ago.

While Seattle's Underground has been the setting for several mysteries by other authors (Earl Emerson, J.A. Jance), Pearson makes the most of its creepy-crawly atmosphere in a gripping thriller whose solid plotting pulls all of Daphne's, LaMoia's, and Boldt's cases together. It also wisely reconfigures the personal relationships among the three central characters, which bodes well for their future adventures in this long-running series (Middle of Nowhere, The Pied Piper). --Jane Adams

About this title

About the Author

Ridley Pearson is the author of more than two dozen novels, including the New York Times bestsellers Killer Summer, Killer View and Killer Weekend, the bestselling Lou Boldt crime series, and many books for young readers. He lives with his wife and two daughters, dividing his time between St. Louis, Missouri, and Hailey, Idaho.

From AudioFile

Beginning with Mary Ann Walker's jump off a Seattle Bridge, then turning to the investigation of two missing women, a murdered road crew worker, and a peeping tom, this police procedural tells a complex tale. As the police follow leads, the killers leave a multitude of false clues in an attempt to confuse the detectives. Chilling murders and creepy midnight stalkings, described in Pearson's own relentless gravelly voice, add to the story. Pearson reads in a slow, even voice that dips to inaudibility at the end of sentences. Nevertheless, his captivating story never ceases to disturb. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

About this edition

• Publisher: ORION
• ISBN 10: 0752856901
• ISBN 13: 9780752856902
• Binding: Paperback