The Burying Place

Brian Freeman

Language: English

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Published: Jan 1, 2009

Description:

From Publishers Weekly

Though Jonathan Stride is still recovering from injuries he suffered in a high fall at the start of Freeman's intriguing if overly plotted fourth thriller featuring the Duluth, Minn., police detective (after In the Dark), he's soon looking into the kidnapping of the 11-month-old daughter of a Grand Rapids, Minn., surgeon, Dr. Marcus Glenn, who happens to be a local cop's brother-in-law. Jonathan thinks the kidnapping is an inside job, especially after unsavory secrets about the arrogant surgeon come to light. Meanwhile, Jonathan's partner, Det. Maggie Bei, aided by rookie Kasey Kennedy, scrambles to catch a serial killer who's murdered several women in Duluth. When Kasey is witness to the fiend abducting a victim, the killer becomes fixated on Kasey. An appropriately creepy atmosphere and well-rounded, flawed characters compensate only in part for the forced connection between the two cases, either of which could have easily carried the novel. (Apr.)
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From Booklist

Duluth, Minnesota, detective Jonathan Stride is struggling with the emotional and physical aftermath of the bridge plunge that nearly cost him his life when the abduction of a wealthy surgeon’s infant daughter brings him back to work. Young Callie Glenn disappeared from her home while her father, Marcus, and a babysitter were on the premises. Could either of them have been involved? Stride and his girlfriend, Serena (a former Las Vegas detective), dig deep into the case, and the longer they search, the more suspicious and cold-blooded Doctor Glenn appears. (He only agreed to have a child to placate his depressed wife and admitted on more than one occasion that he wished the little girl had never been born.) Meanwhile, a serial killer is murdering young women across the Minnesota countryside. Stride navigates his way through a tangled web of family dysfunction and distress while coping with a rocky patch in his relationship with Serena. Crisp dialogue, steady suspense, and a cast of original characters drive this fifth entry in Macavity Award–winner Freeman’s excellent series. --Allison Block