18 Seconds (Sherry Moore Series #1) » (~)

George D Shuman is author of Lost Girls, Last Breath, and 18 Seconds. A retired twenty-year veteran of the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department, he resides in the mountains of southwest Pennsylvania, where he now writes full-time. To learn more, visit his website at www.georgedshuman.com.

Investigative consultant Sherry Moore is blind and stunningly beautiful, with the extraordinary ability to "see" the deceased's last eighteen seconds of memory by touching the corpse. At age five, she was found near death on the steps of a city hospital. A head injury had left her without sight and prevented her from remembering her past. When Sherry discovers she does have sight -- sight that transcends death -- she learns to use her gift to help others solve mysteries that only she can tap into.

Serial killer Earl Sykes was never caught for his vicious murders. Instead, a deadly traffic accident landed him in prison. Now, almost thirty years later, he returns to the seaside town of Wildwood, New Jersey -- and to abducting young female victims from desolate areas of the boardwalk for his gruesome games.

Wildwood police lieutenant Kelly O'Shaughnessy is stymied over the disappearance of young women from the boardwalk -- crimes horrifyingly reminiscent of unsolved cases from the seventies. When an old man's untimely death leads Sherry Moore to Wildwood, O'Shaughnessy's desperation to stem the bloodshed forces her to accept Sherry's help, but not without consequence. As the two women join forces to discover the killer's identity, they unwittingly become the hunted, marching deeper with every step into the monster's lair.

A law enforcement veteran himself, Shuman packs a realistic style and authentic investigative detail into this taut tale filled with pulse-pounding tension that will send readers right to the edge.

The Washington Post - Patrick Anderson

18 Seconds is one of the best-written, best-plotted, most impressive thrillers I've read in some time. Yes, it's a police story -- set in New Jersey, not Washington -- and offers plenty of action, but what distinguishes the novel is Shuman's skill at characterization. In his opening chapters, he introduces two admirable women and one unspeakably vile man. By the time the novel reaches its climax, we have come to believe so completely in these people that we suffer almost unbearable suspense.