Cut and Run

October 6, 2003
Abbott's latest thriller (after Black Jack Point
) plunges readers into the sleazy, seductive world of crime in Houston, Tex. Thirty years ago, Ellen Mosley abandoned her six children, changed her name to Eve Michaels and began laundering money for a major crime family. Now her youngest son, Judge Whit Mosley, is intent on tracking her down, spurred by a request from his dying father. Unfortunately, his timing couldn't be worse because Eve, caught in the middle of a drug deal gone wrong, is on the run from a mob boss's son and his adviser, both of whom blame her for the botched deal and are convinced she has their missing millions. Whit wanders into this lion's den thinking only of finding Eve, but instantly—and unbelievably—he finds himself playing rough with some of the most insidious criminals in the area. The maternal concern Eve supposedly feels for Whit rings false, but luckily the story's relentless action leaves little time for sentimental reunions. Layers of deception pile up faster than dead bodies, and readers may loose track of the story's many threads; but each page offers up the kind of brutal action and blunt dialogue ("They'll blow the fingers off his hand one by one. Cut off his balls. Cut him so he bleeds to death an inch at a time") that should gratify Abbott's fans.

March 14, 2005
Crime fiction king Pearson's (The Body of David Hayes
) latest fast-paced thriller finds a smitten U.S. marshal and a vengeful killer chasing after the same elusive woman in witness protection. Hope Stevens, a technical consultant for the Justice Department, helped indict the deadly Romero white-collar crime family in a million-dollar fraud investigation. For six years, she's been in the witness protection program, waiting to testify. Now, the Romeros have infiltrated the program's participant list, and she's in grave danger. Roland Larson, a U.S. marshal in St. Louis who met Hope just before she was admitted to the program, still pines for her and is determined to find her. But close behind him is Paolo, a throat-slasher commissioned by Romero and a scarification fetishist, whittling his way through Hope's acquaintances to get to her. Accidental exposures keep Hope on the run as the vigilant Paolo and heart-heavy Roland grow increasingly desperate. Hope and Roland's heated reunion is marred by the kidnapping of Hope's previously well-concealed five-year-old daughter, Penny, a surprise to everyone, especially "new" father Roland. Separately, gutsy mother and daughter try to outsmart Paolo, then chase electronic messages to Florida and onward to the finale in Washington and Seattle, where protection program names are being auctioned off to mob goons. As seasoned heroes and a league of gangland villains lock horns for the busy wrapup, even fans accustomed to Pearson's heart-pounding pacing will find themselves short of breath. Agent, Al Zuckerman. 10-city author tour.

February 15, 2005
Pearson's Lou Boldt series brilliantly jumps between subtle interpersonal dynamics and high-voltage suspense, with the resulting shifts in narrative drive somehow never stripping the gears. In his stand-alone thrillers, however, there is hardly any gear shifting; the pedal crunches the metal from start to finish. So it is here, in a classic chase novel that pits a federal agent with the Fugitive Apprehension Task Force (FATV) against a psychotic, razor-wielding killer and his Mob bosses. When the Romero crime family abducts a computer genius and forces him to decrypt the government's witness-protection database, Roland Larson knows that Hope Stevens--prepared to testify against the family--is at risk. Larson's assignment is to find the computer nerd, but his real concern is Hope--their against-the-rules love affair while she was being relocated in the witness-protection plan ended badly, and he has been pining for her ever since. But will he find her before the Romero's henchman does? Throw in Hope's daughter--Is Larson the father?--and all the pieces are in place for a nerve-jangling locomotive ride that just keeps gaining speed. Pure action fans will prefer Pearson in his full-throttle, stand-alone mode--" Parallel Lies" (2001) and " Hard Fall" (1991) are other examples--but the wide range of his talent is better displayed in the Boldt novels, where the varying tempo and complex underpinning produce a more deeply satisfying brand of crime fiction.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)