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The childhood murder of Lydia Strong’s mother has turned her into a woman obsessed with bringing brutal killers to justice. The reclusive, bestselling true-crime writer and investigative consultant has made a life out of chasing monsters. And her powerful intuitions rarely fail her. When three adults—loners, drifters—go missing, no one seems to notice except for Lydia. Enlisting the help of her friend, former FBI agent Jeffrey Mark, Lydia starts an investigation of her own. But when someone raises the stakes and goes after Lydia—just as fifteen years ago when she put the FBI on the trail of her mother’s killer—the real hunt begins.
The childhood murder of Lydia Strong’s mother has turned her into a woman obsessed with bringing brutal killers to justice. The reclusive, bestselling true-crime writer and investigative consultant has made a life out of chasing monsters. And her powerful intuitions rarely fail her. When three adults—loners, drifters—go missing, no one seems to notice except for Lydia. Enlisting the help of her friend, former FBI agent Jeffrey Mark, Lydia starts an investigation of her own. But when someone raises the stakes and goes after Lydia—just as fifteen years ago when she put the FBI on the trail of her mother’s killer—the real hunt begins.
Due to publisher restrictions the library cannot purchase additional copies of this title, and we apologize if there is a long waiting list. Be sure to check for other copies, because there may be other editions available.
Due to publisher restrictions the library cannot purchase additional copies of this title, and we apologize if there is a long waiting list. Be sure to check for other copies, because there may be other editions available.
Excerpts-
From the book
Chapter One
Lydia Strong ran. She ran until her muscles cramped, until her lungs were on fire. She ran until she couldn't run any farther. And then she kept running. She ran like she had something to prove, and would die trying to prove it, if necessary. Down the dirt drive from her home, nestled in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains north of Santa Fe, off onto the rocky path that led past the church in Angel Fire.
When she ran, she was lost and she was found. She left behind the chaos of her thoughts and fears, left behind her life, her work. In running she found an animalistic kind of peace. She was a living organism motivated only by her physical self, the desire to rest and the drive to go on, go farther, and farther still. She was only her lungs and her legs. It was painful but it was quiet. This ritual served as Lydia's only religion these days.
She did not deny the possibility of a god or a godlike force, but organized religion . . . out of the question. Still, this August morning, like most mornings, she felt a tug at her heart as she ran past the small white church. The Church of the Holy Name sat proud and undeniable by the side of the dirt road. White and immovable like the moon, it rose from the dust and the weeds. It was just as it was one hundred years ago, solid and righteous as if it had grown from the earth like a mountain. It was so sure of itself, its walls painted orange, pink, purple by the rising sun.
As a child, she had attended church with her mother every Sunday. It was always an event, because her mother was a devout woman. The joy Marion Strong took in the church service was contagious, for Lydia loved her mother fiercely and had wanted, then, to be just like her in every way. She was excited to wear one of her most precious dresses. She would walk with her mother proudly, imagining that people who saw them would think she was an adult, since her shoes made noise just like her mother's as their heels clicked on the sidewalk.
Once inside the church her mother would give her four quarters, two for lighting a candle for each of her dead grandparents and two for the collection plate. They would sit in the center pew. Lydia waited with restless anticipation for the time to sing. When the organ sounded and the hymns began, with all the might of her few years Lydia would sing her heart out, for she knew all the words. Her mother would look down at her, smile and sing in her high, melodic voice. Lydia felt such a sense of belonging. Everybody, it seemed, was there for the same reason. Everybody sang together and everybody smiled and shook hands. "Peace be with you."
Of course she hadn't thought about it at the time, but she wondered now if her mother had missed her company when she turned into a rebellious teenager, shunning everything that smacked of institution and refusing to go to church with her "on principle." Her mother never forced her to go; she never lectured or manipulated her with guilt. Her mother just looked away and shook her head. Lydia remembered that small break in the ground beneath their feet as the first in the chasm that would grow between them in her early adolescence.
After her mother's death, Lydia had tried to return to the church. The loss of her mother had left a hollow place in her heart where the wind blew through. But the service seemed empty, contrived, rather than rich with meaning and faith. Not beautiful, as she remembered. And when it occurred to her that she had never been to mass without her mother, had never entered a church without holding her mother's hand, she felt deeply sad. Rather than filling the void where her mother's love had been, her visit made...
About the Author-
Lisa Unger is an award-winning New York Times and international bestselling author. Her novels have sold over 1 million copies in the U.S. and have been translated into 26 different languages.
www.lisaunger.com
Reviews-
February 1, 2002 Miscione hits the ground running, quite literally, in her debut novel featuring crime writer Lydia Strong, who tries to exorcise through running ("her religion," she says) the demons that haunt her from her mother's brutal rape and murder some 15 years earlier. Strong has taken refuge in rural Angel Fire, N.Mex., far from suburban New York where, delinquent from school one day, she returned home to find her mother's "arms tied over her head, her wrists bleeding.... Her throat was slit from ear to ear." This early scene of mayhem sets the tone for a grim tale of dark and twisted minds committing ever more ghoulish crimes against parishioners of a local church run by a sinister priest and a blind mystic. The author spares no detail in her descriptions of mutilated bodies buried in odd places with their hearts cut out. Strong herself becomes the target of a psychopathic killer and seeks assistance from sympathetic former colleague Jeffrey Mark, an ex-NYPD investigator who flies in for the duration. There's a surreal and nightmarish quality to this story as innocents, one after another, are drawn to their slaughter soon after seeking help from Juno, an enigmatic guitar player believed by the locals to have godlike healing powers. Vengeance Is Mine, the title of Strong's bestseller (not to mention of an early Mickey Spillane bestseller), is also the message sent by a sick mind bent on destroying nearly everyone in this unfortunate mountain village. This novel isn't for readers with weak stomachs, but it remains gripping and terrifying right through the carnage of its final scene. Agent, Elaine Markson.
January 7, 2002 Miscione hits the ground running, quite literally, in her debut novel featuring crime writer Lydia Strong, who tries to exorcise through running ("her religion," she says) the demons that haunt her from her mother's brutal rape and murder some 15 years earlier. Strong has taken refuge in rural Angel Fire, N.Mex., far from suburban New York where, delinquent from school one day, she returned home to find her mother's "arms tied over her head, her wrists bleeding.... Her throat was slit from ear to ear." This early scene of mayhem sets the tone for a grim tale of dark and twisted minds committing ever more ghoulish crimes against parishioners of a local church run by a sinister priest and a blind mystic. The author spares no detail in her descriptions of mutilated bodies buried in odd places with their hearts cut out. Strong herself becomes the target of a psychopathic killer and seeks assistance from sympathetic former colleague Jeffrey Mark, an ex-NYPD investigator who flies in for the duration. There's a surreal and nightmarish quality to this story as innocents, one after another, are drawn to their slaughter soon after seeking help from Juno, an enigmatic guitar player believed by the locals to have godlike healing powers. Vengeance Is Mine, the title of Strong's bestseller (not to mention of an early Mickey Spillane bestseller), is also the message sent by a sick mind bent on destroying nearly everyone in this unfortunate mountain village. This novel isn't for readers with weak stomachs, but it remains gripping and terrifying right through the carnage of its final scene. Agent, Elaine Markson.
The Oklahoman
"Gruesome, gory, baffling, shocking, awesome--and incredibly suspenseful describe this mystery."
The Tampa Tribune
"A captivating tale."
New Mystery Reader Magazine
"Remarkable and emotional debut... The touching love story that plays out in the background is refreshing in its sincerity and emotional depth."
Deadly Pleasures Magazine
"Worthy of widespread acclaim. She has the ability to write with great beauty in describing the landscape of this character-rich debut...well recommended."
Book Review Café
"An excellent debut novel... A smart, well developed mystery that will leave you hanging on every page as you devour this book... There's a new author on the scene, Lisa Miscione. You don't want to forget this name!"
Publishers Weekly
"Taut prose, insidious suspense, psychological motivation, police procedural sidebars, and a would-be lover make this debut from a former member of the publishing world a real winner. Don't miss it!" --Library Journal (starred review) "Miscione hits the ground running, quite literally... in her debut novel featuring crime writer Lydia Strong... There's a surreal and nightmarish quality to the story... it remains gripping and terrifying right through the carnage of its final scene."
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