 |
 |
 |
 |
|
THE BLUE HOUR (1999) Tim Hess is a semiretired veteran cop staring at a death sentence—his own. Detective Merci Rayborn, young enough to be his daughter, is brash, impatient, and not someone from whom Hess wants to be taking orders. He certainly isn't planning on falling in love with her. Together they must track down a psychopathic killer dubbed the "Purse Snatcher" for the chilling way he brags about his shockingly distinctive crimes, abducting and murdering beautiful young women from the malls of Orange County. Read an excerpt. Read reviews.
 Jeff Parker on THE BLUE HOUR
I wanted to do an homage to RED DRAGON, which is one of the best crime novels ever written. So I started it on a beach with a detective coming out of retirement, just like Harris did. After that the similarities pretty much end. It becomes a story of impossible love, courage, commitment—and of differing opinions about how a monster can be caught. At the time I was writing, the so-called Megan's Law was being implemented at local levels, so there were lots of neighborhood scares where molesters and rapists were revealed to be living right out there with the rest of us. I took this idea and wondered what it would be like to be a guy finishing out his sentence, only to have the neighbors discover who he is. Also, at the time I was writing this book, the California Assembly legalized—and in some cases mandated—chemical castration of sex offenders. So one of my characters, Matamoros Colesceau—who may or may not be responsible for some rather horrible things—is undergoing chemical castration as the book opens. The hero, Hess, was based on my father. The other hero, who takes over the book, really—is Merci Rayborn.
Hyperion US hardcover May 1999 ISBN 0786865598 Hyperion US mass-market paperback April 2000 ISBN 0786889691 Hyperion UK hardcover May 1999 ISBN 0786862882 HarperCollins UK mass-market paperback Oct 2000 ISBN 0006513697 Thorndike hardcover (largeprint) Sept 1999 ISBN 078622164X Phoenix audio cassette Dec 2001 ISBN 1590400089 Audio Literature unabridged audio cassette May 1999 ISBN 0787119385 Audio Literature abridged audio cassette May 1999 ISBN 0787119350 Audio download available from Audible.com
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
One of Parker's best—and that's a major statement considering his track record. —Chicago Tribune If you're seeking a thinking man's bestseller, T. Jefferson Parker is the writer for you. —Washington Post Book World Ingenious, intricate, complicated yet credible, a real page turner. —Los Angeles Times Insanely imaginative. —The New York Times Book Review  |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|