Naked Cruelty
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3.3 • 3 Ratings
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- $16.99
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
From internationally bestselling author Colleen McCullough comes another gripping Carmine Delmonico thriller—a tense and atmospheric page-turner set against the unrest of 1968 America.
America in 1968 is in turmoil, and within the quiet suburb of Carew, fear is spreading. A brutal serial rapist is targeting women with chilling precision, and the community remains paralyzed by silence—until one victim finds the courage to go to the police. But as the investigation begins, the predator escalates from rape to murder.
Captain Carmine Delmonico faces one of the most troubling cases of his career. With no clear leads and tensions rising inside the Holloman Police Department, Carmine must navigate internal chaos as well as a cunning killer. A struggling lieutenant, a volatile sergeant, and the arrival of Helen MacIntosh—a striking and fiercely ambitious trainee with powerful connections—only complicate matters further.
As the killer closes in on his next victim, Carmine and his team race against time, drawing on every possible ally—including the determined neighborhood patrol known as the Gentlemen Walkers.
Rich in suspense, sharp characterization, and psychological intrigue, this is Colleen McCullough at her masterful best.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in 1968, McCullough's uneven third Carmine Delmonico novel (after Too Many Murders) finds the Holloman, Conn., police captain facing multiple problems. On the crime front, a serial rapist calling himself Didus ineptus, the Linnaean name for the dodo bird, is increasing the violence of his attacks; a vandal strikes at a mall; incipient gang violence threatens area high schools; and the fate of a kidnapping victim strains resources. Within the department, everyone detests bright, beautiful, ambitious detective trainee Helen MacIntosh, the daughter of the president of Holloman's "world-famous institute of higher learning," Chubb University. One lieutenant, Corey Marshall, isn't working out, and another, Morty Jones, has a drinking problem. On the domestic front, Delmonico's wife, Desdemona, may be suffering from postpartum depression and is worsening by the day. The admirable Delmonico holds this character-driven novel together, but awkward plot twists and a climax more silly than shocking undermine credibility.
