The Five

Synopsis: The sixth book in the author's Mary MacIntosh murder mystery series centers around a serial killer (Chandler Craig) who commenced his murderous rampage before the ripe of age 12, but due to a loophole in the law, is released from juvenile detention at age 21. "Mac" hosts a reunion for her four college roommates at her family cabin in the Colorado Rockies. Within months of his release from jail, Chandler shows up at the cabin and captures each of the five with means of force, violence and torture, telling them that "one of their husbands hired him to kill one of them, and it was up to each to convince him that she was not it." Each friend struggles with the notion that her husband wants her dead, soul searching the past, present and future of the bonds of marriage and friendship. Chandler's mayhem and means of torture stem from his abusive and tumultuous childhood and with each act of violence committed against THE FIVE, he reveals the depths of his hatred and sorrow. Mac's search for the truth behind Chandler's motive to kill is entangled with the revelation of infidelity, betrayal, and conspiracy stemming from Chandler's true birth father and a husband's fall from professional sports grace - into a league of crime involving performance enhancement drugs that, if discovered, will certainly derail dozens of high-profile athlete's careers. The grisly killings and complexity of plot make this sixth novel in the series a "Jeffrey Dahmer meets Scott Turow," as the courtroom drama unfolds.

Praise from WRITER'S DIGEST for Maureen Meehan Aplin's previous Mary MacIntosh books:

PANDEMIC PREDATOR: "Wow--good beginning, really jumps into the action. . . a wide-ranging, intriguing book."

SNAKE RIVER SECRET: "The structure of the book reminded me of the old Perry Mason novels, in which the legal staff itself is involved in the case personally. . . . Some very clever manipulation of clues, evidence, and trial procedure makes this a very good mystery."

DYING TO SKI: "(The)dialogues are brisk and realistic. A very intriguing premise. An excellent eye for physical details."