Dead Wrong
by Mariah Stewart
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Book Summary Information
Author: Mariah StewartEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-06-01
ISBN: 0345463927
Number of pages: 416
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Book Reviews of Dead Wrong
Book Review: Good romantic suspense thriller
Summary: 4 Stars
Excellent premise - strangers on the train scenario - three prisoners - each a very different kind of `criminal' - awaiting an appointment in court, locked in a room together, strike up a conversation and things go horribly awry from there. What if they could kill three people and get away with it? Of course, to confuse the police each one would `do' someone else's list, so they couldn't connect the victims and the murderers. It's a clever premise and adds more dimension to the plot. Dead Wrong is the first in the "Dead" series of four books, the first three of which each cover one `murder list'.
The FBI and local police are stumped when women with the name M. Douglas start turning up brutally murdered, the apparent victims of a serial killer. What could be the motive? And when a connection between all the victims becomes apparent, the only possible suspect is sitting in prison with no means of hiring a killer. The FBI and police must, of course, work both sides of the case - the serial killer (and since when does a serial killer hire out as a contract killer?), and the victims. They are stumped trying to find the connection between the two until the very end. This is not hard core suspense thriller, but it's much more carefully developed than many romantic suspense thrillers. ...which brings me to the romance...
Child Advocate Mara Douglas (M. Douglas - get it?) isn't a terribly attractive heroine in the beginning - uptight, a bit obsessive. Even recognizing the tragedy she's already endured seven years ago, losing her daughter - I wasn't really drawn to her at first. Clearly Stewart is setting us up with two broken people. FBI agent Aidan Shields is still grieving the loss of his brother, Dylan, in an investigation gone bad the year before, and the loss of his job as he knew it. His injuries are severe enough that he knows he'll never pass the physical to return to work. He's spent the last year grieving, brooding, and drinking beer. In his own words, he's become pathetic. But, he can't resist the favor asked by Dylan's fiancée and Mara's sister, Annie, when it becomes apparent that Mara's life may be at risk.
Neither Mara nor Aidan is particularly happy to be stuck with the other initially, when Annie asks Aidan to keep an eye on Mara until the murderer is found. They warm to each other slowly, and more believably than in some stories. I like Stewart's books because of the relationships, and because the emphasis is on the suspense thriller, NOT on the romance. The murder investigations are not simply pretty scenery for a sizzling romance, with the police work awkwardly dropped between hot sex scenes in bed and all over the place. The romantic relationships are there, and she develops them well, but in proper perspective to the stories, which are well thought-out and plotted. Let's face it - if two people are going to meet, fall in love, and end up together in the course of 350-400 page book, WHILE THEY SOLVE A MAJOR CRIME - things are going to develop more quickly and less problematically than they do for most of us in the real world! Stewart's books juggle the romance with the suspense-thriller very nicely, in my opinion. They're a good read.
I recommend the "Dead" series, and "Dead Wrong" in particular. In fact, you could start with "Voices Carry" and "Until Dark", as some peripheral characters in "Dead Wrong" are introduced in those books. It's true that, for all the loose ends to be tied up, you'll want to read all four books, at least, in the series, but each book stands somewhat alone in terms of its own story. I found that once I read "Dead Wrong", I couldn't stop until I'd read them all (including the "Truth" series which shares some characters with the others), and gone back and gotten the other two as well.
Summary of Dead Wrong
Three devious prisoners vow murderous revenge.Now the first is free.
It was inescapably chilling, as if the murderer was methodically working his way down a page torn from the phone book. The three victims brutally killed in their own homes had one thing in common: they were all listed as M. Douglas. The fact that Mara Douglas is next on the list has her jumping at shadows, until FBI agent Aidan Shields shows up to make sure she doesn?t become the fourth victim.
Aidan has been out of commission since an undercover operation went bad more than a year ago. Back on the job, his razor-sharp instincts are returning. But it will take all of Aidan?s wits to stay one step ahead of the elusive killer who has engaged him in a deadly game?a game in which Mara?s life is the prize. A game only one can win . . .
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