Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Mar 2013
320 pages
Genre: Thrillers
Publication Information
You have never met an (ex) FBI agent like Brigid Quinn.
"Keeping secrets, telling lies, they require the same skill. Both become a habit, almost an addiction, that's hard to break even with the people closest to you, out of the business. For example, they say never trust a woman who tells you her age; if she can't keep that secret, she can't keep yours. I'm fifty-nine."
Brigid Quinn's experiences in hunting sexual predators for the FBI have left her with memories she wishes she didn't have and lethal skills she hopes never to need again. Having been pushed into early retirement by events she thinks she's put firmly behind her, Brigid keeps telling herself she is settling down nicely in Tucson with a wonderful new husband, Carlo, and their dogs.
But the past intervenes when a man named Floyd Lynch confesses to the worst unsolved case of Brigid's career - the disappearance and presumed murder of her young protégée, Jessica. Floyd knows things about that terrible night that were never made public, and offers to lead the cops to Jessica's body in return for a plea bargain.
It should finally be the end of a dark chapter in Brigid's life. Except…the new FBI agent on the case, Laura Coleman, thinks the confession is fake, and Brigid finds she cannot walk away from violence and retribution after all, no matter what the cost.
"Starred Review. Resist any temptation to bail after the creepy prologue...because then you'll miss one of the most memorable FBI agents since Clarice Starling as well as a killer debut thriller." - Publishers Weekly
"Although Brigid sometimes takes things too far, stretching the bounds of credulity, it is worth the suspension of disbelief to hang with her. Fans of Lisa Gardner and Tess Gerritsen will love this book." - Booklist
"Readers who can accept the coincidence of two sex killers sharing the same zip code and Brigid's unconvincing explanation of why she doesn't just report Peasil's death, which would manifestly be covered by a self-defense plea, are in for a ride as thrilling as they can find outside the pages of Jeffery Deaver (who's regularly invoked here), in the company of a heroine whose cleareyed disillusionment gives each wisecrack a trembling sense of mortality. A scorching, humane first novel that reads as if Masterman's been sitting for a long time on some truly ugly secrets." - Kirkus
"Wow. An absolute pleasure. Chilling, smart, funny, and what a voice she has." - Gillian Flynn, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Gone Girl
"First time is the charm for Masterman's masterful debut, featuring 59-year-old retired FBI Agent Brigid Quinn, still tough, still determined, and still smarting to catch that one killer who got away. An author to watch. A thriller that must be read." - Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Catch Me and Love You More
"Blown away. What else can I tell you? Brigid Quinn is a heroine to cheer for, and Masterman writes like an angel who has seen far too many ungodly things." - Linwood Barclay, author of the New York Times bestseller No Time for Goodbye
This information about Rage Against the Dying was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Becky Masterman, who was an acquisitions editor for a press specializing in medical textbooks for forensic examiners and law enforcement, received her M.A. in creative writing from Florida Atlantic University. Her debut thriller, Rage Against the Dying, was a finalist for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel, the CWA Gold Dagger Award for Best Crime Novel of 2013, the ITV Thriller Award, as well as the Macavity, Barry, and Anthony awards. Becky lives in Tucson, Arizona, with her husband.
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