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Critics' Opinion:
Readers' Opinion:
First Published:
Jan 2005, 304 pages
Paperback:
May 2006, 384 pages
Book Reviewed by:
BookBrowse Review Team
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From the master of the suspense novel comes another gripping tale of mystery, money, and mayhem.
Since her husband Eddie's tragic death in a boating accident eight months
ago, thirty-four-year-old Alice Glendenning has struggled to maintain a normal
life for her two children, Ashley and Jamie. To help make ends meet while she
waits for the insurance company to pay up, Alice takes a job as a real estate
agent. The commissions have been nonexistent, but she does make a new friend,
Charlie Hobbs, when she is sent in to try to buy his waterfront land for a
developer.
Things have been tough for Alice, but they quickly become a nightmare when
Ashley and Jamie don't come home on the school bus one day, and Alice gets a
phone call from a woman claiming to have her children. When the kidnapper calls
again and asks for a ransom identical to the amount Alice is due from the
insurance agency for Eddie's accident, Alice forgoes contacting the police and
instead calls Charlie for help. But as all sorts of people scheme to get their
hands on her money, Alice wonders whether anyone can be trusted in her fight for
everything she holds dear.
From the master of the suspense novel comes another gripping tale of mystery,
money, and mayhem. Ed McBain skillfully weaves together his elegant plot and
compelling characters, once again.
Wednesday May 12th
Chapter One
When the same nightmare awakens her, she sits bolt upright in the middle of the
bed.
Where am I? she thinks.
And blinks at the bedside clock.
7:15 A.M.
She is instantly wide awake.
"Kids!" she yells. "Jamie! Ashley! Up! We're late! Up,
guys!"
She hears grumbling down the hall. Ashley's voice. Jamie hasn't spoken for
almost eight months now.
"Guys, are you up?" she shouts.
"Yes, Mom!" Ashley calls.
Ten years old, the elder of the two. Her eyes and her hair brown, like
Alice's. Eight-year-old Jamie favors his father. Blond hair and blue eyes. She
can never look into those eyes without recalling that terrible day.
She shakes off the nightmare and gets out of bed.
In the shower, she realizes she set the alarm's wakeup time, but neglected to
slide the on-off switch to the right. Hurrying to lather, she drops the soap,
the heavy bar falling onto the little toe of her left foot. Yelping in pain --
it feels as if ...
McBain's latest book (a departure from his 87th Precinct detective series) follows one week in the life of Alice Glendenning; a recently widowed 34-year-old with two young children and a bundle of troubles...continued
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(Reviewed by BookBrowse Review Team).
Ed McBain was a pseudonym of Evan Hunter. Born Salvatore Lombino, he
clocked up an impressive number of pseudonyms in his 50+ year writing career -
during the 50s he wrote eight books under the name Richard Marsten, two books as
Hunt Collins and two as Curt Cannon, in addition to starting on his now famous
87th Precinct series under the name Ed McBain. Then in the 1970s he made a brief
appearance as Ezra Hannon, and in 1992 as John Abbott. He published more than 100
books which sold more than one hundred million copies, but is best known for the
87th Precinct series - with more than 50 million copies of the more than 50 books in print.
He died of cancer in July 2005. A number of books are expected to be published
...
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