One of our Great Reads You May Have Missed in 2012.

Hayman's first novel, 'The Cutting', introduced us to detective Michael McCabe, recently moved to Portland, Maine, with his young daughter.  It was a good read but very much a first novel. Now Hayman hones his skills with book number two, so much better.  It is detailed crime detection stuff, and as the investigation unfolds so you slowly learn more of the characters involved, a nice approach which will carry well into future books.  And the plot? It's cold, chilly stuff, intriguing and tense especially as an unreliable witness comes forward and we start seeing the case from her sad view point. Despite all its detail this is a fast paced read and a series well worth following.

April 2012 Book of the Month.

Comparison: Giorgio Faletti, Harlan Coben, Oliver Stark
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Synopsis

A frozen corpse means a big headache for Detective Michael McCabe Lainie Goff thinks she has it all. A glamorous young Portland attorney with the brains and looks to match her ambitions, she's on the fast-track to a partnership. Until one cold winter night she discovers that her belief in her ability to handle any situation was misplaced. Now she's just a frozen corpse in the boot of a car at the end of Portland Fish Pier. And a problem for homicide detective Michael McCabe. Luckily for McCabe, there's a witness. A mentally disturbed young woman named Abby Quinn saw what happened to Lainie. Unfortunately, Abby mysteriously goes missing the very same night.

Reviews

'A stunning debut that gripped me from first page to last. A thriller of a thriller!' Tess Gerritsen

'A clever and suspenseful thriller Boston Globe Pick of the Week McCabe is a formidable detective tested to the limit in Hayman's atmospheric puzzler' Publishers Weekly

About the Author

James Hayman spent more than twenty years as a senior creative director at one of New York’s largest advertising agencies. He and his wife, artist Jeanne O’Toole Hayman, now live in Portland, Maine.   Author photo © Fran Houston More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation