Redemption Road

In this stellar crime thriller, Edgar-winner Hart (Iron House) explores the human capacity for resilience and trust in the face of heartbreaking betrayal. North Carolina police detective Elizabeth Black faces the prospect of criminal charges arising from her gunning down two men who were sexually abusing 18-year-old Channing Shore in an abandoned house. Given that Elizabeth, a white cop, shot the men, who were black, 18 times, the incident has attracted major media attention. But Elizabeth seems strangely indifferent to the investigation’s outcome. Her plate gets even fuller after Adrian Wall, a cop she once had feelings for, is paroled after 13 years in jail for murdering a woman, a crime she always believed he didn’t commit, despite compelling forensic evidence. Adrian is almost gunned down by the victim’s revenge-seeking son and again finds himself a suspect when another woman is killed. Though Hart employs plot twists effectively, it’s his powerful, wounded but courageous lead whom readers will remember. [em]200,000 first printing; author tour. Agent: Esther Newberg, ICM. (May) [/em]