The Murder Artist

Starred review from September 20, 2004
A parent's worst nightmare is realized in Case's expertly written new thriller. During a summer-long, last-ditch attempt to reconnect with his family since separating from his wife, Washington TV reporter Alexander Callahan loses his identical twin six-year-old sons at a Maryland Renaissance fair. After facing the media avalanche outside his house, Alex and police detectives discover mysterious objects placed inside: a carefully crafted origami rabbit, a bowl of water in the closet, seven winged Liberty dimes in a neat stack. Following a "maelstrom of emotion," Alex is eliminated as a suspect and authorities concede a lack of reliable leads. Scouring the Internet, Alex discovers connections between several cases of abducted twins and his own situation, and with relentless determination he continues his investigation, traveling to Daytona Beach, Fla., to interview wary sources and Las Vegas, Nev., to research the horrific deaths of two abducted young showgirls. The kidnapper, it seems, is a malevolent magician dabbling in voodoo practices. Case's pace reaches a fever pitch as Alex chases more leads to New Orleans, where he teams up with a local albino sleuth and ends up on the doorstep of a witchdoctor who insists on a nightmarish rebirthing ritual before he'll break his silence on the killer. Northern and Southern California provide the final backdrops for a harrowing conclusion that will leave readers breathless. A long, winding narrative that's impossible to put down, this is another work of superior suspense from the author of The Genesis Code
. Agent, Elaine Markson.
(Oct. 12)

FYI:
John Case is the pen name of husband-and-wife team Jim and Carolyn Hougan.

June 1, 2004
Bad news for high-profile TV correspondent Alex Callahan: someone evil has kidnapped his twin sons at a Renaissance fair. From the best-selling author of The Eighth Day.

Copyright 2004 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2004
After a series of fanciful international-conspiracy thrillers, Case (aka Jim Hougan and Carolyn Hougan) changes direction with this first-person, present-tense narrative that effectively plays upon every parent's worst fear. Workaholic journalist and absentee dad Alex Callahan takes his twin sons to the Renaissance Faire only to find they've vanished during the distraction of a joust. During the moment-by-moment ordeal that follows, hope recedes, and Alex's life disintegrates until he falls back on his investigative instincts in a forlorn attempt to find his sons, or at least track down their killer. Alex's dogged search takes him around the country, where he meets colorful characters--or colorless, in the case of Pinky, an albino private eye--and picks up intriguing leads about magic, voodoo, and the significance of twins. The disturbing pattern that emerges points toward a grisly use for his boys that is far beyond his wildest nightmares. Case's hero is appealingly fallible, and his gripping pursuit of a warped monster doesn't let go until the final showdown. This solid kids-in-jeopardy thriller should appeal to a wide range of suspense fans.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)