"Intriguing look into the mind of a serial killer."

Teenage girls, vibrant and pretty, disappear as a serial sociopath picks them off, one after the other. The suburbs of Raleigh, North Carolina, are reeling from the senseless murders as Special Agent Steven Thatcher seeks to uncover the killer before any more families are torn asunder. Something Steven can relate to, all too well. Raising three boys on his own is anything but easy. His youngest is still recovering from an abduction, while his oldest son, Brad, has become angry, defiant and totally different from the well-adjusted boy he used to be.

Jenna Marshall, Brad's teacher, contacts Steven when Brad is failing her class, never realizing that her run-in with Steven is going to stray from professional. Yet sparks of passion and longing leap every time they meet, leaving Jenna feeling guilty. Especially when her late-fiancés' family reminds her at every turn about the man she watched die of illness. However, Jenna can't help but be charmed by Steven and his family, who need her just as much as she needs them.

Ms. Rose has you emotionally involved from the first page. You feel the cold drip of fear along your back and the anger and helplessness of the lives the murderer violates. She presents an intriguing look into the mind of a serial killer, his pursuers and victims. Fast-paced, tight and well-written, this one will leave you breathless and on the edge of the couch, until you turn the last page.

Reviewed by Anne Barringer
Courtesy Old Book Barn Gazette
Posted February 1, 2004

Read an Excerpt

Summary

DO YOU LOVE HER?

One by one, the girls disappear from their beds at night. Each one is pretty, with long dark hair. And each one is found brutally murdered.

DO YOU MISS HER?

Special Agent Steven Thatcher has sworn to find the serial killer preying on this small town. As the investigation pulls him one way, his family pulls him in another. A widower haunted by loss, he now worries about his son Brad slipping away. But there's a bright light in his life: his son's teacher, Jenna Marshall, has reached out to help.

She's beautiful, kind, and considerate—and slowly, tentatively, she and Steven are starting to fall in love. But both have been hurt before—badly. And as the two try to find the courage to bare their souls, a murderer who has slain many looks for the real treasure he craves. He sets his traps. And waits. For Jenna...

HAVE YOU SEEN HER?