Preview Cold Case
Crime-fighting psychologist Alan Gregory untangles a vexing unsolved case of double murder in the Colorado Rockies in this rousing page-turner by thriller specialist White. Gregory is drawn into his seventh fictional adventure by a private organization of criminal experts called Locard, named after a 19th-century French detective. Locard, which reopens decades-old murder cases at the request of survivors and their families, wants Gregory to help reexamine a puzzling case in which the partially mutilated bodies of two teenage girlsATami Franklin and Mariko HamamotoAwere found during the spring snowmelt outside Boulder. Gregory is asked to assemble psychological profiles of the girls, their parents and others close to the case in hopes of dispelling the official line that the murders were the work of a drifter. As Gregory's side of the investigation progresses, the finger of guilt seems to point directly at Colorado congressman Raymond Welle, a psychologist who was treating both girls at the time of the killings. Welle also has a shadowy connection to another notorious murderAthat of his wife, who was shot to death seven years earlier by one of his patients. Gregory, along with his wife, Lauren CrowderAnow pregnant and increasingly weakened by her multiple sclerosisAquickly find themselves in the awkward position of accusing one of the state's most powerful politicians of not one, but two crimes. The delicate, bookish Gregory and his enfeebled wife make for unlikely crime stoppers, yet White (Manner of Death) drives the story through agile plotting and fine characterizations to a clever, surprise ending. While his description of the Colorado landscape and humdrum details of his protagonist's daily routines do little to enhance the plot, his fans will enjoy the action and the way the series's main characters evolve in this latest entry. (Jan.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
YA-A long-unsolved murder case is referred to as a cold case, as is true of the murders of teens Mariko and Tami, found mutilated and buried in the snow near Steamboat Springs a decade ago. The investigative group known as Locard, composed of nationally known crime experts, agrees to open this case and calls on psychologist Dr. Alan Gregory and his pregnant, attorney wife for local help. Asked to develop profiles of the teens, Dr. Gregory sees his responsibilities widen as more killings occur and the cast of suspects increases. The methodical, detailed development of the story illustrates the often-ponderous routine of investigation and contributes to increasing tension. There's a rogue's gallery of participants-all brought to life with robust descriptions-from the almost-slimy, talkative, widowed congressman and the young, too-cool, golf-star brother of one of the victims to an irreverent, carping reporter and the agoraphobic head of Locard who leaves his home for this case. The resolution of the murders follows Gregory's terrifying trek through the Blowdown, a part of the forest where a powerful storm upended trees and left them scattered in precarious piles that could fall at the flutter of a bat. Wonderfully clever twists; secrets kept from friends, family, and coworkers; illustrative writing; and the statuesque Colorado Rockies add up to a "gotta-read" thriller.
Pam Spencer, Young Adult Literature Specialist, Virginia Beach, VA
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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