Dead Woman Walking

July 17, 2017
Jessica Lane, the heroine of this hit-or-miss thriller from Mary Higgins Clark Award–winner Bolton (Daisy in Chains), plans a birthday surprise for her sister, a Carmelite nun—a balloon ride over England’s Northumberland National Park. But as the balloon floats over a dilapidated farm house, Jessica and the other passengers see a man, later identified as Patrick Faa, beating a woman to death. Faa fires a rifle at the balloon, causing it to crash; Jessica is the only survivor. Bolton shifts—sometimes smoothly but too often in the middle of a scene—among the police investigation, led by Supt. Ajax Maldonado; Jessica’s attempt to evade Faa; the prior, sometimes prickly, relationship between the sisters; and a larger, somewhat more far-fetched story involving human trafficking and a massive cover-up. Maldonado and his team soon discover Jessica is a fellow police officer, but they’re stumped as to why she’s now on the run, a question the reader shares for too long. Despite some emotional resonance, Bolton’s plot is too cluttered for any real impact. Agent: Anne-Marie Doulton, Ampersand Agency (U.K.).

The smooth, cultured voice of narrator Julie Barrie might suggest a novel of manners, but this is an action-filled thriller. It's gory, suspenseful, and full of plot twists. Beginning with a crashing hot-air balloon, it moves on to chilling chase scenes, police corruption, and illegal organ harvesting, and ends with the heroine facing a knife. Barrie is subtle in her portrayal of characters, conveying their complexity and emotions, especially the terror of the helpless crash victims and the cold nonchalance of the murderous criminals. The plot may be convoluted and far-fetched, but Barrie's authoritative voice makes it all believable. Listeners will follow the adventure to its dramatic conclusion. D.L.G. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine