Straw Men
A Thriller
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
"An engrossing mystery with a wonderfully unique sleuth [who] tackles the most mysterious setting of all: the Bermuda Triangle of human memory" (Barbara Seranella, author of the Munch Mancini Novels).
Eight years ago, Brenna Kennedy defended Carmen DellaVecchio. He was a loner, a freak, and accused of the brutal rape and near-murder of Pittsburgh cop Teresa Harnett. She lost the case and DellaVecchio was sent to prison.
But now, DNA evidence has cast doubt on DellaVecchio's guilt, and he is freed while waiting for a new trial. Kennedy continues to believe he is an innocent man. But if DellaVecchio is not guilty, then a dangerous sociopath is still out there.
Kennedy's boyfriend—the brilliant and compassionate psychologist Jim Christensen—has dedicated his career to studying the effects of memory loss, including victims of trauma. When Teresa Harnett asks him to help her remember the events of that terrible night, he reluctantly agrees—and soon all of them are caught in the web of a madman who will kill to stay free . . .
In this finalist for the Edgar and Barry Awards, Martin J. Smith delivers "the creepiest good time I've had in ages—a genuine page-turner" (Laura Lippman, New York Times–bestselling author of And When She Was Good).
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Yet again, Teresa wakes up screaming, reliving the nightmare of when she was viciously attacked and left for dead eight years ago. But this time, something's different. Before now, she was absolutely positive that her attacker was Carmen DellaVecchio (aka the Scarecrow), the man who had been imprisoned for the brutal crime. Now, however, she hears a different voice. Is it the Scarecrow or not? Since DellaVecchio's sudden release from prison--based on new DNA evidence--Teresa and Brenna, the Scarecrow's aggressive attorney, have been receiving strange phone calls. Reluctantly, Brenna's boyfriend, Jim, a psychologist who's an expert on memory, works with Teresa to try to determine which of her memories are real and which are not. In fact, it is Jim who starts wondering whether Teresa's husband, also a cop, and some of his friends on the force are involved. As a walk through the halls of justice, forensic psychology and police procedure, this novel provides diversion. Smith (Shadow Image; Time Release) fails to create characters that emerge as real people, however, and readers will come away thinking they've read similar, albeit stronger, novels.
