Killer Weekend
by Ridley Pearson
from Putnam Adult
The #1 New York Times bestseller returns with a completely new setting-the magnificent natural beauty of Sun Valley, Idaho-and a heart-stopping story in which a local sheriff struggles to protect a controversial politician from the elegant plan of a hired assassin.
Eight years ago, in Sun Valley-snowcapped playground for the wealthy and ambitious-all that stood between U.S. Attorney General Elizabeth Shaler and a knife-wielding killer was local patrolman Walt Fleming. Now Liz Shaler returns to Sun Valley as the keynote speaker of billionaire Patrick Cutter's world-famous media and communications conference, a convergence of the richest, most powerful business tycoons. The controversial attorney general is expected to announce her candidacy for president. It's a media coup for Cutter-but a security nightmare for Walt Fleming, now the county sheriff.
As the Cutter conference gets under way, authorities learn of a confirmed threat on Shaler's life, and various competing interests-the Secret Service, the FBI, Cutter's own security forces -begin jockeying for jurisdiction. Amid the conference's opulent extravagances, Walt is suddenly shaken by an apparent murder, his nephew's arrest, and a haunting legacy from his family's past. The clock ticks down toward Shaler's keynote address as we track the chilling precision of her assassin's preparations.
Undercurrents: A Haunted Detective. A Shadowy Killer. And A City Drowning In A Tide Of Fear. (Lou Boldt Mysteries)
by Ridley Pearson
from St. Martin's Paperbacks
Seattle is a city paralyzed by fear. A serial killer is loose on its streets. And as each new victim surfaces-chest slashed, eyes taped open-the tide of panic rises.Driven by guilt and frustration, too exhausted to consider stopping, Detective Lou Boldt thinks he's finally gotten the break he needs to end the Cross Killer's twisted spree. But each new clue contradicts another. And each new corpse mocks Boldt's efforts.To fathom the silent tale told by the latest corpse washed up in Puget Sound, Boldt has to go beyond every state-of-the-art method at his disposal. But as he gets closer to the truth, he travels deeper into the tortured mind of a relentless killer....into the depths of his own fear....and into a whirlpool of madness more frightening than his worst nightmares.
Seattle is a city paralyzed by fear. A serial killer is loose on it its streets, and as each new victim surfaces, the tide of panic rises. Driven by guilt and frustration, too exhausted to consider stopping, Detective Lou Boldt thinks he's finally gotten the break he needs to end the Cross Killer's twisted spree. But each new clue contradicts another, and each new corpse mocks Boldt's efforts
No Witnesses
by Ridley Pearson
from Hyperion
Ridley Pearson's reputation for smoothly-paced, edgy suspense fiction is unassailable. In this, his eighth novel, a Seattle food company is under siege from an unknown poisoner/extortionist, and innocent consumers are in constant danger. Police sergeant Lou Boldt and psychologist Daphne Matthews -- both too close to the case for comfort -- work furiously to build a profile of the madman, but the police department is cracking under the strain as the lunatic slips away unapprehended from ATM machines one after another. As the manhunt builds to a furious crescendo, Boldt and Matthews are jolted again by the discovery that the man they seek may not be working alone.
Ridley Pearson's reputation for smoothly-paced, edgysuspense fiction is unassailable.In this, his eighth novel, a Seattle food company is under siege from an unknown poisoner/extortionist, and innocent consumers are in constant danger.Police sergeant Lou Boldt andpsychologist Daphne Matthews -- both too close to the case for comfort -- work furiously to build a profile of the madman, but the police department is crackingunder the strain as the lunatic slips away unapprehended from ATM machines one after another.As the manhunt builds to a furious crescendo, Boldt and Matthews are jolted again by the discovery that the man they seek may not be working alone.
PIED PIPER, THE
by Ridley Pearson
from Hyperion
A wave of babynappings has terrified parents from San Diego to Portland. And when the Pied Piper--named for the penny flute he leaves in the cribs of his victims--claims his first Seattle infant, the investigation draws in homicide detective Lou Boldt. Assigned temporarily to Intelligence so he can spend more time with his kids while his wife is hospitalized for chemotherapy, Boldt's role is to keep the FBI out of the Seattle Police Department's way. But FBI special agent Gary Flemming is a tough adversary--so tough it almost seems as if he's intentionally sabotaging the SPD's investigation. Then the Pied Piper snatches Boldt's own daughter, promising that unless Boldt throws both the Feds and the SPD off his trail he'll never see his child again. Caught between his professional obligations and his fear for Sarah's life, Boldt launches his own private manhunt with the help of John La Moia, his replacement in homicide, and police psychologist Daphne Matthews, his closest friend in the department. They form a sub rosa task force under the noses of the Feds and the SPD, and soon discover how the Piper has managed to stay a step ahead of the police, elude capture, and find his small victims. The chase moves from Seattle to Portland to New Orleans, culminating in a thrilling denouement in the daffodil fields of Washington's Skagit Valley. Combining strong characterizations with an impressive command of both policing and pacing, Ridley Pearson, author of Chain of Evidence and Beyond Recognition, delivers another sure winner in this outing for Lou Boldt. --Jane Adams
A wave of babynappings has terrified parents from San Diego to Portland.And when the Pied Piper--named for the penny flute he leaves in the cribs of his victims--claims his first Seattle infant, the investigation draws in homicide detective Lou Boldt. Assigned temporarily to Intelligence so he can spend more time with his kids while his wife is hospitalized for chemotherapy, Boldt's role is to keep the FBI out of the Seattle Police Department's way.But FBI special agent Gary Flemming is a tough adversary--so tough it almost seems as if he's intentionally sabotaging the SPD's investigation. Then the Pied Piper snatches Boldt's own daughter, promising that unless Boldt throws both the Feds and the SPD off his trail he'll never see his child again. Caught between his professional obligations and his fear for Sarah's life, Boldt launches his own private manhunt with the help of John La Moia, his replacement in homicide, and police psychologist Daphne Matthews, his closest friend in the department.They form a sub rosa task force under the noses of the Feds and the SPD, and soon discover how the Piper has managed to stay a step ahead of the police, elude capture, and find his small victims. The chase moves from Seattle to Portland to New Orleans, culminating in a thrilling denouement in the daffodil fields of Washington's Skagit Valley. Combining strong characterizations with an impressive command of both policing and pacing, Ridley Pearson, author of Chainof Evidence and Beyond Recognition, delivers another sure winner in this outing for Lou Boldt. --Jane Adams
CUT AND RUN
by Ridley Pearson
from Hyperion
While Ridley Pearson's Lou Boldt series seems to have run out of steam lately, his new stand-alone thriller shows this perennial best-selling author at the top of his form. It begins with a taut prologue introducing federal marshal Roland Larson and his protected witrness, Hope Stevens, whose testimony will send the Romero crime family to jail if she ever makes it to court. When Hope walks away from the witness protection program, she takes Larson's heart with her; he hesitates just long enough to regret it; and spends the next six years searching for her. Then she surfaces again in connection with the disappearance of another protected witness, a computer expert who holds the safety of everyone in the program in the top secret software program he developed. Noone wants access to that program more than the Romero family, and Hope Stevens is the first and most important target of their wrath. As a member of the elite Fugitive Apprehension Task Force, Larson races the clock to find the man whose knowledge threatens the life of the woman he still loves…and the child he never knew he had. A heart-pounding thriller that's impossible to put down, this is Pearson's best to date. --Jane Adams
While Ridley Pearson's Lou Boldt series seems to have run out of steam lately, his new stand-alone thriller shows this perennial best-selling author at the top of his form. It begins with a taut prologue introducing federal marshal Roland Larson and his protected witrness, Hope Stevens, whose testimony will send the Romero crime family to jail if she ever makes it to court. When Hope walks away from the witness protection program, she takes Larson's heart with her; he hesitates just long enough to regret it; and spends the next six years searching for her. Then she surfaces again in connection with the disappearance of another protected witness, a computer expert who holds the safety of everyone in the program in the top secret software program he developed. Noone wants access to that program more than the Romero family, and Hope Stevens is the first and most important target of their wrath. As a member of the elite Fugitive Apprehension Task Force, Larson races the clock to find the man whose knowledge threatens the life of the woman he still loves#133;and the child he never knew he had. A heart-pounding thriller that's impossible to put down, this is Pearson's best to date. --Jane Adams
Beyond Recognition
by Ridley Pearson
from Hyperion
Ridley Pearson manages to make high-tech crime-fighting more human and fascinating than anyone else in the field--witness such bestsellers as Chain of Evidence. Once again, Sgt. Lou Boldt, inspired and seemingly tireless forensic investigator for the Seattle police, zigs from the lab to the field--this time to find out why single mothers are being burned to death by flash fires fueled by an unknown, amazingly volatile fuel. The chief villain might remind you of recent headlines, but Pearson's research and writing skills create fiction more interesting than fact.
Ridley Pearson manages to make high-tech crime-fighting more human and fascinating than anyone else in the field--witness such bestsellers as Chain of Evidence. Once again, Sgt. Lou Boldt, inspired and seemingly tireless forensic investigator for the Seattle police, zigs from the lab to the field--this time to find out why single mothers are being burned to death by flash fires fueled by an unknown, amazingly volatile fuel. The chief villain might remind you of recent headlines, but Pearson's research and writing skills create fiction more interesting than fact.
Hard Fall
by Ridley Pearson
from Hyperion
The tragic bombing of EuroTours Flight 1023 was big news. To FBI Agent Cam Daggett it was more than that.It was personal.His parents and son were on that plane.And for two years he's been after the killer who did it.All he has to go on is a name: Anthony Kort...and the knowledge that Kort is in the United States with a detonator no airport security can detect.HE MUST BE STOPPED. Daggett's colleagues at the Bureau and his girlfriend tell him his vendetta has become an obsession.They suggest he leave the investigation to other agents, in order to keep it objective.But having painstakingly constructed a portrait of the terrorist, Daggett believes he's now the only one with any chance of predicting Kort's next target.A novel of madness and revenge, Hard Fall begs readers to fasten their seatbelts.
FIRST VICTIM, THE (Lou Boldt/Daphne Matthews)
by Ridley Pearson
from Hyperion
Lieutenant Lou Boldt, the Seattle cop who stars in Ridley Pearson's deservedly popular series, is a sharp and touching figure--perhaps the most believable police officer in current fiction. Early in this ninth book about his public and private life, Lou has to put on a bullet-resistant vest to lead a raid against some dangerous criminals. "The vest was not physically heavy, but its presence was," Pearson tells us.
It meant battle; it meant risk. For Boldt a vest was a symbol of youth. It had been well over a year since he had worn one. Ironically, as he approached the hangar's north door at a light run behind his own four heavily armored ERT personnel, he caught himself worrying about his hands, not his life. He didn't want to smash up his piano hands in some close quarters skirmish...Boldt plays jazz piano one night a week in a local bar, and despite his concern for his hands, he takes every opportunity he can to get away from his desk and into the streets. But money pressures, caused by his wife's recent illness, also make him think about the possibility of a better-paying job in the private sector. Meanwhile, some extremely ruthless people are murdering illegal Chinese immigrant women and leaving their bodies buried in newly dug graves. An ambitious local TV journalist named Stevie McNeal and the young Chinese woman she thinks of as her "Little Sister" risk their lives to investigate the killings, while Boldt and his team round up a most unusual array of suspects. This combination of hard-edged realism and softer sentiment has become Pearson's trademark, and once again it works smoothly. --Dick Adler
Lieutenant Lou Boldt, the Seattle cop who stars in Ridley Pearson'sdeservedly popular series, is a sharp and touching figure--perhaps the most believable police officer in current fiction. Early in this ninth book about his public and private life, Lou has to put on a bullet-resistant vest to lead a raid against some dangerous criminals. "The vest was notphysically heavy, but its presence was," Pearson tells us.It meant battle; it meant risk. For Boldt a vest was a symbol of youth. It had been well over a year since he had worn one. Ironically, as he approached the hangar's north door at a light run behind his own four heavily armored ERT personnel, he caught himself worrying about his hands, not his life. He didn't want to smash up his piano hands in some close quarters skirmish...Boldt plays jazz piano one night a week in a local bar, and despite his concern for his hands, he takes every opportunity he can to get away from his desk and into the streets. But money pressures, caused by his wife's recent illness, also make him think about the possibility of a better-paying job in the private sector. Meanwhile, some extremely ruthless people are murdering illegal Chinese immigrant women and leaving their bodiesburied in newly dug graves. An ambitious local TV journalist named Stevie McNeal and the young Chinese woman she thinks of as her "Little Sister" risk their lives to investigate the killings, while Boldt and his team round up a most unusual array of suspects. This combination of hard-edged realism and softer sentiment has become Pearson's trademark, and once again it works smoothly.--Dick Adler
Pearson returns with another Lou Boldt suspense novel. A shipping container washed ashore leads Seattle television news anchor Stevie McNeal and her reporter friend, Melissa, on the trail of a scam involving the importation of illegal aliens. A career stepping-stone for McNeal, the investigation puts her at cross-purposes with the Seattle Police Department's Lou Boldt and Seargeant John LaMoia. When Melissa disappears, McNeal turns from foe to ally and teams up with the detectives on an investigation that takes them from Seattle's docklands to far more dangerous territory.
Blood of the Albatross
by Ridley Pearson
from St. Martin's Paperbacks
Seattle sailing instructor by day, rock musician by night, Jay Becker leads a life others only dream about...until he meets his new sailing student. A German beauty named Marlene, she soon sparks trouble beyond Jay's darkest imagining: beyond the lies about her "employer"-a shadowy figure known only as Albatross...beyond the brutal deaths surfacing in her wake...Soon Becker will be drowning in a sea of stolen U.S. defense secrets and high treason, trapped by a cold savagery that will test-or break-his last mortal fiber...
The Angel Maker
by Ridley Pearson
from Hyperion
Urban legend, or frightening fact? "One of the better fictional detectives ever penned,"* Seattle's Lou Boldt, and forensic psychologist Dephne Matthews suspect illegal organ harvesting is behind recent assaults on teenage runaways.The trail leads them down dark streets and darker corners of the mind, as they find themselves pursuing a twisted surgeon with his own ideas of mortality and social justice.Packed with action, The Angel Maker takes the reader on a joy ride from Seattle's homeless to an abandoned homesteading cabin and kennel hidden away in the forests of the Northwest.Daphne Matthews, intent on rescuing a teenage runaway from the madman's scalpel, puts her own life on the line, finding herself face to face with the Angel Maker.Award-winning author Ridley Pearson carves out and serves up a thriller that will make you look twice at your local veterinarian.*Book Magazine
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