Time bomb

Edgar Award winner Jonathan Kellerman once more explores the corruption of California and produces a novel of complex characterizations and nonstop suspense. "Scythe-sharp...a great, good read." Daily News, New York. By the time psychologist Dr. Alex Delaware reached the school the damage was done: A sniper had opened fire on a crowded playground, but was gunned down before any children were hurt. "Though a time bomb is ticking away at the heart of this novel, readers will forget to watch the clock once they begin it." Chicago Sun Times. While the TV news crews feasted on the scene an Alex began his therapy sessions with the traumatized children, he couldn`t escape the image of a slight teenager clutching an oversized rifle. What was the identity behind the name and face: a would-be assassin, or just another victim beneath an indifferent California sky? "Virtually impossible to put aside until the final horrifying showdown." People. Intrigued by a request from the sniper`s father to conduct a "psychological autopsy" of his child, Alex begins to uncover a strange pattern of innocence, neglect, and loss. Then suddenly it is more than a pattern it is a trail of blood. In the dead sniper`s past was a dark and vicious plot. And in Alex Delaware`s future is the stuff of grown-up nightmares: the face of real human evil. "A meticulously constructed thriller." Publishers Weekly.