This one seems to tick the boxes for crime/psychological/thriller. I enjoyed reading this book. It was hard to put it down once I started it. I liked the main characters and the pace of the story is just about right.
Jessica has been released from a secure mental hospital 15 years after her father was brutally murdered. There were several suspects at the time but no one went on trial for the murder although the lead detective in the investigation believed 12 year old Jessica, who had been found at the scene, holding a kitchen knife and with blood on her nightdress, was the culprit and that she may have been abused by her father.
On her release she is taken to a halfway house by her social worker who may or may not have ulterior motives. There she is befriended by another resident, Debbie, who may not be entirely honest. We also know from the start of the book there is a brother Jesse who was taken away at the time of his father's murder and subsequently adopted. He hasn't had any contact with his sister Jessica during her long stay in hospital and desperately wants to meet her and have her come to stay with him so he can protect her. The authorities want to delay any meeting to allow Jessica time to assimilate into the community.
Shortly after Jessica is released there is another murder with a similar MO. Jason Stone is the young LAPD detective assigned to the case. He's not shy about breaking the rules in his search for the killer and ends up getting taken off the case. However he continues to investigate the case unofficially.
The suspect list keeps getting longer and there are a few red herrings along the way (and a few more deaths).
I had my suspicions as to the identity of the killer but was never really be sure and was kept guessing until the end.
An enjoyable book. Although it's not the author's first book, I believe this is the first of the Jason Stone books. I hope there will be more.
Author's website: www.declanconner.com
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