A crime from the past revisited...Retired detectives Robert Raines and Dale Gamble are horrified to learn three young black girls have been kidnapped from Englewood…again! A copycat has re-created the decades old crime that scarred both men during their days with the Chicago Police Department. But unlike in the original case, this perpetrator leaves taunting clues and has made it a game with a chilling stipulation: Find the girls within 72 hours, or they die!
Ashe is missing...In a gruesome scene, an unidentified body is found in Ashe’s bloody apartment, with no trace of his whereabouts. Dead or alive, he’s landed atop CPD’s suspect list!
And their most lethal adversary awaits...Robert, Dale, and Ashe have been targeted by a deadly assassin. If they lose the game their opponent is playing, they will find themselves dead and buried in the end! In the throes of winter, in the streets of Chicago, it will take all of the skill and experience they have to unravel the clues to find the three missing children in time, and to possibly save their own lives in the process!
Assessment:
Plot: Starting out focusing on the kidnapping, the story evolves into related subplots much like a TV crime show. There is a little focus lost on the main crime; however, Scuefield manages to reel all subplots in while hooking the reader to stay tuned until the end. Despite the subplots, the story remains concise and compelling.
Prose/Style: Easy to follow with a dash of humor among the characters, the camaraderie among the heroes of the story is evident. Each chapter ends strategically pulling the reader further into the story and urging the reader to continue on.
Originality: Ending on a cliffhanger, the author has set the reader up to read the next book in the series even though each can stand alone. The author has created a clever premise that could be used as a television series. Scuefield has found ways to develop and create interesting characters throughout the book.
Character Development/Execution: The main characters know each other well in the story and the reader learns plenty about each character through dialogue and interactions. Scuefield has created situations that allow individual characters to grow throughout the series. Some characters that are the main focus of the crime are not explored enough, which causes the novel to lose its focal point.
Date Submitted: July 27, 2021
