Probable Cause
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4.2 • 14 Ratings
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
A police detective struggles to outwit a twisted killer in this “breathless” crime novel by the New York Times–bestselling author of Undercurrents (Chicago Tribune).
Carmel, California is a scenic, peaceful tourist haven where James Dewitt is the police force’s only detective. His usual caseload is stolen bicycles and the occasional burglary—but things are about to change with frightening speed.
A series of apparent suicides—which soon prove to be murders—shocks the community. Dewitt, a former forensic scientist, struggles with the smallest of clues in his quest for the killer, while departmental turf wars and local politics increase the pressures on his investigation. His steps are further dogged by renegade ex-cop Howard Lumbrowski—the man Dewitt blames for his wife’s death. How is Lumbrowski connected to the killings? And why does he have information from Dewitt’s confidential files? Dewitt finds himself playing a dangerous game, breaking his own rules in a desperate search for answers . . .
“A natural storyteller . . . He keeps the thread going, twisting the details . . . Dancing the forensic shuffle without missing a step.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Delivered in a dreary, stilted prose style, Pearson's new procedural (after Undercurrents ) reflects the tedium of most police work. In Carmel-by-the-sea, Calif., Detective James Dewitt, a former forensic investigator, comes across a couple of suicides in as many days. He and forensics aide Clare O'Daly suspect murder and focus on a bent policeman. When the cop dies, asphyxiated in his car like the first victims, Dewitt steps up his investigation, working his way through a varied cast--a rich assemblywoman, a petty thief, a sexy female lawyer, a spoiled rich kid, a jailed serial killer, a vengeful psychotic. Though Dewitt is endangered and half his family murdered, few readers will care. The action and love scenes are as unconvincing as Dewitt's anguished misgivings about justice; the novel fizzles out in three ``climaxes'' and a couple of sentimental codas. 100,000 first printing; $100,000 ad/promo.
