Both a razor-sharp thriller and a poignant love story, this twisting tale of psychological suspense is Patterson's most compelling novel in years
Mark Darrow grew up in a small Ohio town with no real advantages beyond his intelligence and athletic ability. But thanks to the intervention of Lionel Farr—a professor at Caldwell, the local college—Darrow became an excellent student and, later, a superb trial lawyer. Now Farr asks his still-youthful protégé for a life-altering favor. An embezzlement scandal has threatened Caldwell's very existence—would Darrow consider becoming its new president?
Darrow accepts, but returning to his alma mater opens old wounds. Sixteen years ago, on the night of his greatest triumph as Caldwell's star quarterback, he discovered the body of a black female student named Angela Hall at the base of the Spire, the bell tower that dominates the leafy campus. His best friend, Steve Tillman, was charged with Angela's murder and ultimately sent to prison for life. But now, even as Darrow begins the daunting task of leading Caldwell, he discovers that the case against his friend left crucial questions unanswered. Despite his new obligations—and his deepening attachment to Farr's beautiful though troubled daughter—Darrow begins his own inquiry into the murder. Soon he becomes convinced that Angela's killer is still at large, but only when another mysterious death occurs does he understand that his own life is at risk.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
September 1, 2009 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781427208088
- File size: 318967 KB
- Duration: 11:04:30
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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AudioFile Magazine
Mark Darrow, popular athlete, graduate of Caldwell College, is invited back to the college by his friend and mentor, Professor Lionel Farr. Lionel wants Mark to give up his successful Boston law practice and become president of Caldwell. Furthermore, he hopes Mark's presence will boost alumni confidence as they investigate the embezzlement of college funds. As Mark considers his future, memories crowd in. Seventeen years earlier his best friend was convicted of the murder of a young black woman, and Mark still has doubts about the case and the outcome of the trial. Holter Graham does wonderful things with the voices in this story of racism, sexual sadism, and justice delayed. While Graham's voice doesn't betray the identity of the killer, listeners will guess the truth early on. Even so, Patterson and Graham make this first-class listening. S.J.H. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine -
Publisher's Weekly
July 6, 2009
This thoughtful if less than suspenseful thriller from bestseller Patterson (Eclipse
) charts the impact of the brutal murder of black coed Angela Hall at Caldwell College in Wayne, Ohio, on gifted athlete Mark Darrow, who discovered the body and later became a nationally renowned lawyer. Mark’s best friend was convicted of the crime, but many aspects of the trial troubled Mark. Lionel Farr, Caldwell’s provost and Mark’s former mentor, offers Mark the post of college president 16 years after Angela’s murder. Mark agrees to return to Caldwell, now struggling with the suspected embezzlement of $900,000 from its endowment by its current president. With Lionel’s support, Mark investigates both the embezzlement and the old murder. Patterson evokes the quiet schism between town and gown in Wayne as well as the fragile relationship between blacks and whites, while Mark’s probing hits exposed nerves with fatal results.
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