Don't Tell a Soul

Starred review from May 19, 2008
Near the start of this stellar stand-alone from Rosenfelt (Play Dead
), ordinary guy Timothy Wallace, still grieving for his wife, Maggie, who was blown to bits in a boating explosion on Long Island Sound a few months earlier, hears a gruesome secret from a fellow bar patron on New Year's Eve. Tim was investigated and cleared as a person of interest in Maggie's death, but now Tim becomes a suspect in a second woman's death. Meanwhile, as a partner in a security construction firm that's prospered in the wake of 9/11, Tim is focused on his company's part in the building of the Federal Center, a huge complex funded by the U.S. government, in Newark, N.J. The president is due to appear at the center's opening festivities. Det. Jonathon Novack believes Tim's a stone-cold killer and is eager to arrest him. Rosenfelt keeps the plot hopping and popping as he reveals a complex frameup of major proportions with profound political ramifications both terrifying and enlightening. Author tour.

Starred review from April 15, 2008
Rosenfelt's first stand-alone novel (after six Andy Carpenter mysteries, including "Play Dead" and "Dead Center") is a riveting thriller that should boost him to best-seller status. Unjustly suspected of killing his wife in a boating accident, Tim Wallace, co-owner of a construction company, is shadowed by Jonathon Novack, a relentless homicide detective who knows in his gut he's chasing a killer. Then, in a bar one New Year's Eve, Tim encounters a drunk who confesses to having murdered a woman three months earlier. When her death is linked to his wife's, the first of many surprises to come, Tim goes on the run, pursued by Detective Novack and the FBI. As complications mount (even the president's life will be at risk), Tim must unravel a horrifying plot featuring him as the mastermind of an unprecedented terrorist attack. Compelling twists and turns, a lightning-fast pace, and breathtaking suspense make this a harrowing ride equal to James Patterson's or Harlan Coben's best. Marred only slightly by a conclusion that seems a bit rushed, the book deserves a wide audience and is highly recommended for popular fiction collections. [Library marketing campaign planned.Ed.]Ron Terpening, Univ. of Arizona, Tucson

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