UNFORGIVABLE

A serial-killer thriller involving a crisis intervention social worker in Oregon, by an author with a decade’s experience in field.

When 23-month-old Sara Germane is brought into the emergency room of Scottsdale Memorial Hospital and dies shortly thereafter, social worker Emily Martin recognizes all the earmarks of longstanding child abuse, making the death a murder. After reporting the case to the Department of Children and Family Services, she is startled when the child’s mother is brought to the hospital, the victim of a vicious assault and kidnapping that’s eventually linked to several other cases in the area—apparently the work of a local serial killer. Soon Emily finds herself deeply entrenched in more ways than one when she crosses paths with FBI agent Seth Brady who has his own personal reasons for pursuing the case—his sister was one of the victims. Both Emily and Seth are hiding details about their pasts from one another. Emily becomes a witness to the latest murder as it happens within the hospital, but a bash on the head makes her unable to remember. As Brady, local detective Richard Dixon and a team of investigators race against time to catch their killer, Emily holds the key to the monster’s identity—and the murderer is determined to destroy his greatest threat before she can unlock that last terrifying memory. Although seasoned mystery readers may guess whodunit early on, assured storytelling, a brisk pace and a good cast of characters sustain the interest throughout. Police and hospital procedurals are nicely detailed and believable, aided by the author’s expertise. A great detraction, however, is sloppy or nonexistent copyediting. Repeatedly misused words (“defiantly” instead of “definitely,” “option” instead of “opinion,” “women” instead of “woman”), typos, repetition in sentences (“How could he begin anew, when he had left something left unfinished?”), improper verbs and the like are liberally sprinkled throughout the manuscript. The meticulous care the author gave to structure and pacing are desperately needed for proofing. Paisley-Pardon shows promise and storytelling talent in her entertaining debut murder mystery.