Melanie (MELNELYNN) reviewed on 12/21/2008 + 669 more book reviews

FBI agent Portia Cahill returns stateside after her undercover anonymity is blown. She doesn't want to be there, she wants to be back doing the adrenaline rush of a job overseas, but that's no possible. Her first assignment is to talk to inmate Sheldon Woods and find out where the body of Christopher Walsh is buried. It's believe that Walsh had been one of his victims, but he never confessed. Now, Madeline, Christopher's mother, is dying, and her last wish is to see her son's remains be laid to rest before she's gone.

Portia makes a deal with Woods and finds remains believed to be Christopher's. However, there's a new development: another set of remains, smaller, is under Christopher's. Try as she might, Woods won't give up the identity to the second set of remains; `He's mine'. But Portia doesn't care. While the comment is disturbing to say the least, she's determined to bring the boy back to his family.

But there are twists, and a new development. Seems Woods has been talking to someone else, for a `fresh' body of a young boy is found in another one of Woods' victims' graves. Obviously it wasn't Woods; he's behind bars. But who's copycatting Woods's MO? Another discovery: Woods sexually assaulted his victims before killing them. The new bodies turning up were simply strangled and nothing more.

James Cannon, Woods's ex-lawyer, is determined to help Portia find the bodies and the new killer. Both are determined to keep each other at arm's length, yet they both lose that fight. And while they're close, a young friend of the family becomes a victim and Portia is determined to keep Cannon away from her until this is solved. Even consummed with guilt, she's determined to stop the lastest murderer, no matter what. But who is he?

Stewart sure knows how to write a story with believable characters and twists that seem to freeze and puzzle you as much as the characters. With words, the characters come to life and you can't help but follow the path laid out for them. Woods seems just as creepy as if he'd been real, and the sparks between Portia and Jim are terrific. The plot is excellent, and the twist Stewart throws in throws off the unsuspecting reader, and makes then want to turn the page desperately needing to know what and why. Excellent read!

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