Run to Ground

June 25, 2012
At the start of forensics expert Lyle’s middling third mystery featuring Huntsville, Ala., criminal consultant Dub Walker (after 2011’s Hot Lights, Cold Steel), Tim and Martha Foster hatch a plot to assume new identities and disappear after killing Walter Whitiker, who abducted and murdered their seven-year-old son, Steven, and is now due for early release after serving time only for perjury and obstruction of justice. As Whitiker walks out of Stone Gate Prison, he’s hit by two rifle shots, one of them fatal. Huntsville homicide cop T-Tommy Tortelli takes charge of the investigation, for which his friend Dub becomes an official consultant. In addition to sifting through trace evidence left behind at the shooting site, they need to locate the Fosters. J.D. Whitiker, Walter’s brother, is also looking for the Fosters for more sinister reasons. Lyle’s sure handling of forensic issues helps make up for thin characters and too many unlikely occurrences. Agent: Kimberley Cameron, Kimberley Cameron and Associates.

August 1, 2012

Could grief push ordinary parents to commit murder? In Huntsville, AL, eight-year-old Steven Foster was abducted and, months later, found dead in the woods near his home. Murder charges were brought against pedophile Walter Whitiker, but dismissed evidence resulted in a greatly reduced sentence. After fewer than two years, Whitiker was released on good behavior but then killed by an unknown shooter as he left prison. Evidence seemed to implicate Tim and Martha Foster, Steven's parents, who disappeared without a trace the day Whitiker was killed. Forensics and criminal behavior consultant Dub Walker and his pal, homicide investigator T-Tommy Tortelli, work together to solve the case. In a tense, action-packed five-day manhunt across states, Dub and T-Tommy risk their lives to track down the answers. VERDICT This third series entry (after Stress Fracture; Hot Lights, Cold Steel) delivers a powerful punch of action and intrigue. Mystery and thriller readers will welcome Lyle's likable characters and surprise-filled plot.--Mary Todd Chesnut, Northern Kentucky Univ.Lib., Highland Heights

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.