“This nail-biter teems with suspense…An unrelenting debut thriller.” –Kirkus ReviewsThe strangled body of a 9-year-old girl is discovered behind a hedgerow bordering her school playground in York, Pennsylvania. The local authorities’ only clue lies in a scrap of paper left in her front pocket, with a short phrase printed on it in an unfamiliar language.Jackson Byrne, an FBI agent who … agent who specializes in investigating crimes against children, has just completed a book tour promoting his best-seller about solving his most recent high-profile case–the abduction and murder of a celebrity’s young daughter. Unexpectedly, Jack receives an invitation from an old family friend and powerful political insider urging him to run for the U.S. Senate. At the same time, his FBI division learns of the murder of another child with a similar mysterious message, launching them into a search for a serial killer given the moniker The Playground Predator. As Jack becomes torn between his excitement about a new career and others’ expectations of a celebrated investigator, he must also continue to deal with demons from his past. While Jack’s devoted wife, a sycophantic young FBI colleague, and an ambitious and attractive female reporter all try to influence his path, none of them pulls the strings as effectively as the enigmatic Randall, the psychologically disturbed but brilliant Playground Predator himself, who orchestrates his own master plan,eventually dragging Jack into an inevitable showdown.
“A BUSTLE IN THE HEDGEROW starts out deceptively simple, but gets more complex and interesting as the mystery deepens. Characters are three-dimensional and multifaceted… a good psychological thriller that allows the reader to piece together the clues to a mystery.” –Catherine Langrehr, IndieReader
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Can’t put the book down. Need to get to the end fast.
This book began a little slow but quickly picked up the pace and kept you guessing. Even at the end of the book I wanted to know more of the story. The characters were believable because they were not perfect. I live in the DELMARVA area so were familiar with the places where the action took place which made it more exciting for me. All in all, excellent read.
While I really enjoyed the majority of this book, I had a bit of trouble getting fully engaged at the beginning. I felt like I was trying to read two books at the same time. Granted, I realize Mr. Miller needed to give the background story so that the motivation for the characters’ later actions would be understood; but wow, what detail. I think half of it could have been left out and the story would have been just as good. Mr. Miller definitely has a way with writing villains because Randall got my blood pressure going several times and I could have gladly strangled Corrinne on more than one occasion. I will say, once Mr. Miller began to focus on the current case the reading became much easier and more engaging – well, with one caveat. I wish the book had the services of a good proofreader and/or editor. There were entirely too many typos and poor sentence structure. The majority of these errors wouldn’t require an English major to catch. I will never understand why an author doesn’t make use of friends and family to at least attempt to put out quality work. Oh, well, I have a feeling this will never change with most indie authors. All in all, I was pleased with this book and look forward to reading the next in the series.
Okay story. Slow and boring in some places.
Bad downloan. Nevr got to finish book – liked what I was able to read. Will look for in hard cover.
A page turner
The monsters are not under the bed….
The title caught my eye, and the story hooked me. Non-formulaic, and good read.
I enjoyed the book. The characters were well-drawn and the plot was well written. I often use my concern for what happens to the characters in the book as a yardstick for how much I enjoyed the book. Despite his flaws, my heart was in my throat as the book reached its climax and Jack faces an almost impossible choice between saving his wife or saving his son. Solving the case takes a backseat to saving his family. I am looking forward to reading the sequel in which the main characters, including the villain all reappear (at least it looks that way based on the free preview at the end of the first book.)
I thought this book would never end. Story moved so slowly.
The book was well-written and kept me engaged throughout. I would certainly recommend it.
Ok, was a bit odd for my liking skipped to the end which is very unlike me
Interesting plot, horribly distracting editing, preachy info about how registering sex offenders isn’t effective. Could have been great, but fell short.
not a bad book but a totally unbelievable ending
Enjoyable read
Great book. Kept my interest from beginning to end.
It was kind of a slow read at times, a little too much useless information. The plot was good.
A good read. Hard to put down.
Just ok. Got through half the book and put it down. Not very interested in the characters or the storyline
I was quite interested in the main character. He was a complex character. The supporting characters were also interesting. I’d like to see them developed in future books.