THREAD OF FEAR – Laura Griffin
Pocket Star Books
ISBN: 13:978-1-4165-7063-9
October 2008
Suspense

Present Day Texas

Fiona Glass has just completed her last case as a forensic artist. The news stations are now broadcasting her sketch, and the police department is receiving leads in the kidnapping of ten-year-old Shelby Sherwood. Fiona is exhausted, having worked with Shelby’s traumatized young brother, Colter, who witnessed the abduction. It was difficult, but she was able to coax out of him the physical description of the abductor. Fiona’s work is so successful because she personalizes each case, but this leaves her emotionally drained and burnt out. To make matters worse, Fiona and her sister Courtney fled from California to Texas after she received death threats from the brother of a convicted killer she helped put behind bars. Both she and her sister have lived on a THREAD OF FEAR for too long.

Fiona is ready to pursue a new direction with her art. A gallery is about to showcase her work, and Fiona is ready to start over. Even before she finishes her last case, she is requested once again by the police chief in Graingerville, Texas to come down, we’ve got a homicide down here; the witness is highly traumatized, and we heard you can help. Fiona insists she is finished as a forensic artist, but Jack Bowman is extremely insistent. When Fiona meets Jack, she agrees to help. She feels an intense attraction to the handsome lawman.

Jack Bowman is the police chief of Graingerville. Eleven years ago, his girlfriend was brutally beaten and raped. Because there was no evidence, the case went cold. But now another teenage girl has been found beaten, raped, and murdered. Jack believes these cases are related, but since he has no evidence, the investigation has stalled. With Fiona working with the rape victim, Jack knows she can produce a sketch that will put a face to the rapist and killer. As they attempt to work together, both Jack and Fiona feel the pain of the victim and their families. Jack can see how Fiona bonds with the victim, and he now understands how fragile and burnt out she is. As the investigation starts to move forward, so does the growing strain between Jack and Fiona. Neither is looking for a relationship, but can they admit their attraction to each other is real?

Graingerville is a small town, and like all towns, has its own deep dark secrets -- could the psychopath be lurking in plain sight? Jack feels a THREAD OF FEAR when he makes the horrific discovery that the killer is stalking Fiona. Can Jack keep Fiona safe?

Laura Griffin has delivered a fast-paced read that balances the story line between forensic evidence, a romance, and the emotional turmoil that victims and their families endure. The characters are well defined, and the readers will embrace Jack and Fiona. THREAD OF FEAR is a tantalizing suspense-filled thriller. Enjoy, but lock your doors.

Deborah C Jackson