The Dead Place

July 28, 2008
After a brutal assault, New York artist Kate Corbin attempts to make a new life for herself and her family in the small town of Wickfield in this suspenseful but ultimately unsatisfying mystery. After she voices her suspicions that their strange, doll-collecting neighbor is to blame for a series of abductions and murders, Kate's sanity is called into question by her frustrated husband, rebellious teenage daughter, Grace, and even the local police. Then Grace goes missing, and Kate knows that she can rely on no one but herself. Drake (The Next Killing
) heightens this thriller with depictions of the perverse, sadistic killer, who leaves a nude photo of each victim as a signature memento. The conclusion leaves too many questions unanswered and plotlines unresolved, and the killer's motivations make little sense, but readers will enjoy Kate's passionate and intelligent sleuthing.