An Arizona teenager’s disappearance has an ex-cop remembering her own tragic past–and questioning her own sanity . . . Winner of the New Mexico-Arizona Book Award When a teenage girl goes missing in Arizona, retired NYPD officer Jamie Butler is frantic to find her. Haunted by the brutal murder of her own daughter, Jamie is convinced that this girl has been abducted in the same way. … that this girl has been abducted in the same way.
There are inexplicable similarities to her own daughter’s abduction. Connections that seem impossible–because her daughter’s killer is long dead.
But as her search for the missing teen intensifies, new evidence comes to light.
Evidence that implicates Jamie herself . . .
Praise for the novels of Shannon Baker
“Excitingly fast-paced.” —Publishers Weekly
“Finely crafted mystery.” –Anne Hillerman, New York Times-bestselling author of The Tale Teller
“A compulsive, white-knuckle read.” –Linda Castillo, New York Times-bestselling author of Outsider
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An intense psycho-thriller!
Is she crazy or is it grief and guilt over the brutal murder of her teenage daughter that compels Jamie Butler to “Protect and Serve” long after she has officially retired from the New York police force? She lives in Pima County now, in the desert, as far from her past life in New York as possible. After years of mental hospitals and therapy, she lives alone, isolated from family and friends, maintaining an uneasy truce with the voices speaking in her head.
She has made great progress in her recovery and volunteers with the Arizona Rangers, assisting local law enforcement, often at schools. Her mother and her therapist worry about the psychological effects of being in such close contact with children but Jamie wants to build a new life, if she could just figure out what “normal” is.
Being around children is stressful, especially since neither the children nor their parents understand how much danger there is; she must always be hyperaware of possible threats to their safety and watch over them. Now young girls are being abducted and Jamie sees similarities to her daughter’s case, but no one will listen to her.
The book is another well written thriller from Shannon Baker. There is a fine line between sane and insane and the author is able to make Jamie walk it. The story line is suspenseful and the plot twists kept me on the edge of my chair.
What Jamie has repressed about her daughter’s murder may just kill her, too! This book was superbly crafted to continually ratchet up the suspense. Jamie Butler’s daughter was abducted and killed, and it nearly broke Jamie. After a breakdown and hospitalization, she retired from the Buffalo PD and moved to Tuscon, but it seems something evil has followed her. Battling depression, repressed memories, voices screaming in her head, and an overbearing mother may push her over the edge into madness, especially when girls resembling her daughter go missing in Tucson. I loved Jamie the fighter, even against unsurmountable odds, to save those blonde little girls and her own sanity. See my 5-star rating? It’s THAT GOOD!
Twisted, dark, and impossible to put down!
I haven’t read a psychological thriller in a while but this one grabs a hold of you and doesn’t let go! Our main character is broken from her past and trying to mend. She is a former (now retired) cop whose daughter was murdered. She moved out to the desert to heal but trouble seems to follow her. She sees trouble where it might not exist and hears voices in her head. There are two girls missing with the evidence pointing to Jaime herself. Is she just imagining everything, did she kidnap the girls, is someone trying to frame her? So many twists and turns in this you’ll need to hold on tight for the ride. Dark, twisted, but what a good read!
I received an ARC. This is my honest review.
Shannon Baker has gone darker in this truly scary psychological novel. But she’s told a good story, with a very strong yet flawed protagonist and it kept me intrigued throughout and rooting for Jamie to find the lost girl and her own truths. She’s a strong writer, getting stronger with each book.