Cold Hit
A Shane Scully Novel
-
- £9.99
Publisher Description
A chilling conspiracy threatens to destroy everything Detective Shane Scully holds dear in this gripping thriller from Emmy award-winning writer Stephen J. Cannell.
Under the PATRIOT Act, federal bureaucrats can take murder cases away from local cops—then bury those cases, never to be investigated again. Government agents can bug your entire life with nothing more than spoken permission from a secret panel of judges. The Department of Homeland Security can pull police officers off the street and hold them in cells indefinitely as material witnesses.
Detective Shane Scully suspects that the regional boss of the Department of Homeland Security is thwarting a major murder investigation into the "Fingertip Killer," a serial murderer preying on homeless Vietnam vets in Los Angeles. A bullet from one victim matches another from an unsolved case ten years earlier—a "cold hit" that turns out to be an LAPD cop's murder.
But Robert Allen Virtue wants Shane taken off the case. Virtually at will, he can surveil anyone he considers a threat to national security and take over criminal investigations. There's no way to know if he's exceeding his authority or breaking the law.
To solve the cop's murder and stop the Fingertip Killer, Scully must go behind the powerful bureaucrat's back and deep undercover—where he begins unraveling a deadly conspiracy that threatens his career, freedom, and family.
The fifth book in the intriguing Shane Scully series combines fast-paced action, forensics, and a chilling glimpse into the far-reaching consequences of unchecked government power. Cold Hit is a gripping thriller delving into street crime, police procedure, and international espionage from the mind of bestselling author and Emmy award winner Stephen J. Cannell.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
After a successful career as a television writer-producer (The Rockford Files; Wiseguy), Cannell is carving a strong second, thanks mainly to the series featuring LAPD homicide sleuth Shane Scully. In this outing, Scully's partner has slipped into an angry, alcoholic funk and their high-priority case the search for a serial slayer who snips the digits of his homeless victims is usurped by a task force headed by an arrogant FBI profiler. Cannell's strong suit has always been unique characters, and Scully's world-weary cop and family man is no exception. Add to that an intriguing mystery, authentic cop jargon (smoothly translated), snapshot descriptions of Southern California locales and a couple of tense and amusing LAPD Homeland Security face-offs. Brick's rendition is clear, precise and effective in adding accent touches. While he knows how to build tension when a buzz saw is pressed to Scully's hand, his voice is too youthful and newsreader perfect to stand in for a disillusioned veteran cop. Scully narrates the novel, and a deeper, darker timbre would have turned this entertaining audio into an exceptional one. Simultaneous release with the St. Martin's hardcover.
