Mariah Stewart Cold Truth

Cold Truth

Mariah Stewart

Ballantine, Sept. 2005, $6.99, 400 pp.

ISBN: 0345476654

Twenty-six years have passed since the horror, but Cassandra "Cass" Burke will never forget. When she was six, someone killed her family, but made one mistake; the assailant thought she was dead too. Rookie police officer Craig Denver comforted the child and over the tears provided support to her.

For the past decade, Cass has served as a cop turned detective with Bowers Inlet, New Jersey, headed by Craig. Suddenly in the past week four homicides occurred by the same person who has taunted Craig with notes just like the Bayside Strangler did twenty plus years ago. Craig and Cass know they are out of their league so ask for help from the FBI. Special Agent Rick Cisco works with Cass and Denver while Special Agent Mitchell Peyton is dispatched to the home of writer Regan Landry, daughter of a recently famous bestselling true crime author to see if he had information on the Bayside Strangler and hopefully a lead to stop Bowers Inlet killer.

Though this is the first novel of the Truth mini series, Mariah Stewart will recognize some of the law enforcement characters from the previous Dead tale leading to the feeling that crime never sleeps. The story line is action-packed as the beleaguered local cops and their outside allies struggle with time slipping into the future summer tourist rush, which could mean an exponential increase in homicides. There is romance in the tale, but that takes a back seat to a strong serial killer police procedural that will leave Ms. Stewart's grateful but frightened audience leaving lights on 24/7.

Harriet Klausner