Sacred by
Dennis Lehane
pbk out Jul 98
(Bantam)
at £5.99
Dying billionaire Trevor Stone hires Boston private detectives Patrick
Kenzie and Angie Gennaro to track down his daughter, Desiree. Grief
stricken over the accidental death of her mother and Stone's own impending
death, Desiree has been missing for three weeks. What attracts Kenzie to
the case is that the first investigator Stone hired is also missing. And
that investigator was Patrick Kenzie's mentor.
The trail starts on the streets of Boston with a counselling organisation
that looks suspiciously like a front for a mind-bending cult. But before
too long, the PIs are led to the sun and sin soaked Florida Gulf Coast. By
now, the one thing that is clear is that nothing and no-one can be trusted
to be what they appear. Stolen millions, drug trafficking and a string of
double-crossing stings stretch Kenzie and Gennaro's resources to the very
limit as they try to make sense of the terrible evil humans can unleash on
each other.
Sacred is the most nail-biting thriller I've read in a long time. Like a
switchback mountain road, it exhilarates and terrifies in equal measure;
like an Escher drawing, the picture changes every time you look at it. As
well as a great story, Lehane provides crackling dialogue and hot action
with a heart. With this book, he confirms his position head and shoulders
above the competition.
(
Val McDermid
- 1995 Gold Dagger winner and creator of the highly acclaimed Kate Brannigan, Lindsay Gordon and Tony Hill series. Val's reviews originally appear in the Manchester Evening News)
Sacred by
Dennis Lehane