Book details

From Publishers Weekly

In Crouch's lurid, disappointing sequel to Desert Places (2004), horror writer Andrew Thomas has been hiding in a small Yukon town after being framed for a series of murders committed by his disturbed twin, Orson, and the soulless Luther Kite. Andrew thought the two were dead, but a new crime spree—the kidnapping of Andrew's old girlfriend; a mass murder in his hometown of Davidson, N.C.; and the abduction of Elizabeth Lancing, the widowed wife of his best friend—suggests that one of them is still alive. In the hope of rescuing Elizabeth (and, perhaps, clearing his name), Andrew travels to North Carolina and the Outer Banks island of Ocracoke, where Kite's parents live, setting the stage for a drawn-out, bloody climax involving the novel's major players. The action is nonstop, the violence is visceral (if largely gratuitous), but the bad guy is so bad that he holds no interest at all for the reader. In a silly subplot, one Horace Boone recognizes Thomas in the Yukon and hopes to write a true-crime book about unveiling the reputed serial killer. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

--This text refers to the

Hardcover

edition.

From Booklist

Andrew Thomas was a successful suspense writer until he was framed for a series of murders by his insane brother, Orson (Desert Places, 2004). Orson is dead now, but Thomas, with no way to clear himself, has adopted a new identity--Vincent Carmichael, a recluse living in the Yukon. Unfortunately, Orson's psychotic partner, Luther Pike, is very much alive, and he's after Thomas. Pike kidnaps Thomas' former girlfriend in North Carolina, hoping to bring his prey out of hiding. It works. Thomas is determined to find Pike and kill him before more innocents die. Once one accepts the Fugitive-like premise--innocent man chases a killer the cops can't catch--this tautly written, very scary thriller quickly grabs the reader by the throat. Luther Pike is the most interesting character in the mix. He's so gleefully coldhearted and inventive it's almost difficult not to root for him against the self-absorbed, somewhat whiny protagonist. Leave the lights on; Luther may be out there. Wes LukowskyCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

--This text refers to the

Hardcover

edition.