An exceptional first novel by a Hollywood scriptwriter, a gripping, horrifying, unputdownable story of abduction, murder and parental despair.  It introduces ex-police officer turned private detective Frank Behr who is definitely a character to follow.  With endorsements from some of the best writers in the business, Harlan Coben, Lincoln Child, Robert Crais, I can only echo their enthusiasm and urge you to read him.

Comparison: Harlan Coben, Robert Crais, Michael Connelly.

Synopsis

Twelve-year-old Jamie Gabriel gets on his bike before dawn to deliver newspapers in his suburban neighbourhood. Somewhere en route, he vanishes without a trace. Fourteen months later, still with no sign of Jamie and having lost all faith in the police, his parents Paul and Carol are on the verge of abandoning hope.

Then they meet private investigator Frank Behr, a tough, reclusive ex-cop. Abandoned by his former colleagues, separated from his wife and haunted by his own terrible past, Behr doesn't make it a practice to take on hopeless cases, but the desperate couple's plea for help awakens a personal pain he can't ignore.

Reviews

'The most impressive crime debut of the year . . . grips from the off' Evening Standard

'Heart-stopping suspense and a heartbreaking story' LEE CHILD

'Gripping . . . Levien's skill is to chart the emotional plight of the parents within the twists and turns of a fast-moving and complex plot' Mirror

'A writer who takes dead, calculated aim at our deepest fears' Entertainment Weekly

'One of the toughest, most gut-wrenching, and most believable suspense novels I've ever encountered. If David Levien pulled any punches, I was too dazed to notice' LINCOLN CHILD

About the Author

David Levien is one of the top screenwriters in Hollywood. He has co-written the screenplay for Ocean's Thirteen, Runaway Jury and several others. He lives in Connecticut. More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation