Under Cover of Darkness » (Reissue)

As the old cliché goes, write what you know. Former lawyer James Grippando has certainly taken this bit of wisdom to heart with his mega-successful courtroom thrillers, many of them starring Miami defense attorney Jack Swyteck. Time and again, this bestselling author has proven that he not only knows the law but he knows how to conjure an expertly paced tale of suspense.

From the bestselling author of The Abduction and Found Moneycomes another pulse-pounding thriller.

Gus Wheatley thinks he's found success. Money, power, prestige—they all come with the territory for the youngest lawyer ever to grab the helm of Seattle's most prominent law firm. Nothing can interfere with his meteoric rise to the top—until his wife vanishes. .

Beth dropped off their six-year-old daughter at the youth center one afternoon, and no one has seen her since. Her disappearance comes just as FBI profilers are called in to examine a bizarre emerging pattern of brutal serial murders that rocks Seattle. The FBI dubs them "bookend killings, " as the killer seems to be striking his victims in pairs: first two men, then two women. The victims are unrelated, yet within each pairing, one mirrors the other in chilling detail. .

But this is just the beginning of the nightmare for Gus. Soon Seattle police fashion a theory that leaves two horrifying possibilities: Either Beth is the killer's latest victim ... or she is his willing accomplice. .

As the gruesome murders continue, and with Beth's whereabouts still unknown, Gus starts to investigate. He cannot accept the idea that Beth would ever ally herself with a cold-blooded killer, but only now that she's gone does Gus realize just how far apart they've grown. Slowly, Gus begins to unravel the shocking truth about the woman he thought he knew. Beth may be alive. She may or may not be innocent. She may have come up against something far more evil than just a serial killer. And for Gus and his family, that evil is far too close to home. .

An intense tale of success and betrayal, and a frightening look into the darker side of the human psyche, Under Cover of Darkness is James Grippando at his best.

Bellingham Herald

Grippanso is a sophisticateed writer, good with plot labyrinths and emotional darkness. His style is intelligent and tense.