Cut to the Bone
A Thriller
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3.9 • 16 Ratings
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- $29.99
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- $29.99
Publisher Description
Ruby Day is a young vlogger, a rising star of YouTube, and a wholesome role-model to millions of teenage girls. And she is missing. Detective Inspector Kate Riley, the head of a new high-powered team of detectives, and Detective Superintendent Zain Harris, the newest member of the team and a poster boy for multiracial policing, are brought in for what they expect to be a routine runaway. Then a video of a wild-eyed Ruby running through the woods and begging for her life is posted online. Amid mounting hysteria and heightened media coverage calling for Ruby’s safe return, Riley and Harris must decode the dark secrets of this seemingly squeaky-clean internet darling. Their hunt leads them to a smug ex-boyfriend who hungers for online fame of his own, a culture of online cyber bullying by anonymous thugs, and a corporation of ruthless advertisers who exploit online celebrities for their network of eager consumers. It becomes increasingly clear that the case is more complicated and nightmarish than Riley and Harris could have imagined. And the videos keep coming . . .
This debut novel is a slick, contemporary police procedural that explores the dichotomy of public life and one lived online. For fans of Megan Abbot and Kimberly McCreight, Cut to the Bone provides a harrowing glimpse into the friendships, ambitions, and secrets of the internet generation.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A missing-persons case drives British author Caan's fast-paced debut. When Ruby Day, video blogger, role model, and favorite of millions of teenage girls, disappears, Ruby's parents, who live in London, immediately inform the authorities, fearful of foul play. Det. Chief Insp. Kate Riley and her second in command, Det. Sgt. Zain Harris, think it more likely that Ruby ran away from home. Then Ruby's father receives a video on his phone that shows Ruby running through some woods, pleading for help, and it's clear that someone has abducted her. Kate and Zain and their team probe every area of Ruby's life, exploring both her private and online personas. They eventually unearth political, business, and police shenanigans, which may or may not be related to Ruby's disappearance, plus a series of online social interactions, some of which expose their participants to grave danger. Readers will want to see more of Kate and Zain, both of whom have traumatic pasts that affect their present private lives and job performances.
