Dead Wrong

by Mariah Stewart

Ballantine, June, 2004.
Paperback, 416 pages.
ISBN: 0345463927
Subgenre: Romantic suspense

Dead Wrong by Mariah Stewart

Bestselling author Mariah Stewart (Until Dark) turns up the heat in this first book in a new trilogy. Mara Douglas is a court appointed advocate, who represents the best interests of the child in various court proceedings, especially family law matters. When a serial killer murders several people who are all listed as M. Douglas in the phone book, it appears that Mara is next on the list. Mara's sister is FBI profiler Dr. Anne McCall. Anne calls in an old favor and convinces FBI agent Aiden Shields to protect Mara until the killer is caught. Mara doesn't feel like she needs a protector and Aiden is still recovering from his last assignment, in which his brother was killed, so the last thing he wants is a babysitting assignment. But Anne is a persuasive woman and soon Aiden is by Mara's side as a killer hunts them down.

Ms. Stewart shows her depth of talent as she effortlessly moves into mainstream thrillers with her latest offering. Dead Wrong, the first in a three book series, is a gripping story with interesting characters and a tightly constructed plot. From the tantalizing prologue which sets the chain of events in motion, to the climactic ending, the suspense level stays high. Mara and Aiden are a likeable couple who find love when they are least expecting it. But it is the killer with his own warped sense of justice and responsibility and his tragic background that steals the show whenever he's around. Mariah Stewart is clearly an author to watch.

Dead Wrong is available for purchase on Amazon.com

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This review was published in the May-June, 2004 of The Internet Writing Journal.