The black road A novel

In this fourth entry in the dark British series starring police detective Philip Brennan and his wife, psychologist Marina Esposito, Marina takes center stage. The cottage where the couple had been vacationing with Phil's parents and the couple's three-year-old daughter has gone up in flames. Phil is in a coma, his father is dead, and their daughter is missing. Distraught and exhausted, Marina gets a phone call from a stranger claiming to be able to reunite her with her daughter if she follows a series of instructions, part of which involves reading an e-mail detailing the Stuart Sloan case. Stuart was convicted of gunning down his mother and new stepfather on their wedding day. In one of her first cases after college, Marina examined Stuart and had reservations about his guilt. Why bring this up now? Is Sloan connected to her daughter's abduction? If so, is he the kidnapper or is someone else pulling the strings? A gripping and disturbing mystery. Copyright 2014 Booklist Reviews.

At the start of British author Carver's subpar fourth procedural (after 2013's Cage of Bones), an explosion at a holiday cottage in Suffolk kills the father-in-law of newly married Essex police psychologist Marina Esposito and puts her police detective husband, Phil Brennan, into a coma. Meanwhile, someone kidnaps Marina's three-year-old daughter, Josephina. Conventional subplots involve the tormented narrator of the prologue and the buildup to a predictably steamy relationship between Essex Det. Sgt. Mickey Phillips and Det. Constable Anni Hepburn, a friend of Marina's. Marina must contend with a kinky-sex set of villains with an unconvincing motive for the kidnapping. Carver (the pseudonym of the husband-wife writing team of Martyn and Linda Waites) is better at evoking the grungy atmosphere of run-down English resort areas than she is at portraying the police as gatekeepers to the world of victims they try to provide with voices. Some readers may wish for deeper characterizations and less gore. (Aug.) [Page ]. Copyright 2014 PWxyz LLC

Criminologist Marina Esposito enters a deadly race against time after her house is set on fire, her husband winds up in a coma and her baby daughter is kidnapped. By the author of Cage of Bones.

Criminologist Marina Esposito enters a deadly race against time after her house is set on fire, her husband winds up in a coma, and her baby daughter is kidnapped.

The honeymoon is over for newlywed criminologist Marina Esposito. Her house is in flames. Her detective husband is in a coma. Her baby daughter is missing. And then her phone rings . . . "I have something you've lost," the voice said. "Your daughter." The voice on the other end wants to play a game. If Marina completes a series of bizarre tasks within three days, she wins her daughter's life. If she fails, her little girl dies. The clock starts now. In a desperate race against time, Marina begins to suspect that the madman is someone she knows&;someone with a past as troubled as her own. But the truth is far darker than she imagines . . .

The honeymoon is over for newlywed criminologist Marina Esposito. Her house is in flames. Her detective husband is in a coma. Her baby daughter is missing. And then her phone rings..."I have something you've lost," the voice said. "Your daughter."The voice at the other end wants to play a game. If Marina completes a series of bizarre tasks within three days, she wins her daughter's life. If she fails, her little girl dies. The clock starts now.In a desperate race against time, Marina begins to suspect that the madman is someone she knows - someone with a past as troubled as her own. But the truth is far darker than she imagines...

Perfect for fans of Karin Slaughter and Mo Hayder, the twisting, terrifying new thriller from the author of Cage of Bones will leave you breathless with suspense