Abandoned

Keeps you on the edge

Another great read in the Smoky Barrett series. A different king of monster this time. The whole team is involved & a little more deepening of the relationship with Tommy, Smoky, & Bonnie. Also changes coming in the FBI teams & funding. These books are very well written by Cody. He does a fantastic job with his lead female character & sub characters. Can't wait to read the next in the series "The Truth Factory"

It was a long awaited moment for FBI Special Agent Smoky Barrett to be attending the wedding of her best friend and colleague Callie. The wedding was beautiful and memorable until a woman clad in a white nightgown staggered down the aisle, incoherent, emaciated with a shaven head. When a fingerprint check determined that she was a former cop who had been missing for nearly eight years Smoky and her team found themselves faced with one of the toughest cases they'd ever encountered. Smoky discovered the mandman's name was Dali; a professional predator who abducts wives for men who wish to be rid of them; imprisoning them for years in total darkness and isolation. Dali seldom spoke except to issue rules and punished his prisoners heartlessly when his rules were not followed to the letter. Dali never makes mistakes but there was a reason he let a victim go, and by the time Smoky discerns his twisted mind, it would almost cost her everything she valued most. *** ABANDONED was my introduction to both this author and lead protagonist, FBI Special Agent Smoky Barrett. Although this is the fourth Smoky Barrett thriller the intensity and realism of his characters, especially the villain in the story, Dali, chilled me to the bone. Smoky Barrett is not your normal run of the mill drop-dead gorgeous heroine, but a woman who has lived through heartbreak and terror, humiliation and degradation; who in spite of all has borne the pain and lived through some of the worst scenarios anyone, man or woman, could experience in one lifetime and still retain their sanity. Written from Smoky's perspective I was truly surprised to discover that author, McFadyen was a man and applaud him for creating one of the strongest and fearsome heroines I have ever encountered. While listening to this audio book I probably spent more on gas than ever before as I took the long way around to wherever I was going and let the car idle a bit longer than was necessary when I arrived at my destination. Yeah - it was that good and if it had been a paperback I probably would not have put it down for a second. All of the characters in this novel were fleshed out beautifully and totally and the big surprise ending was big - very big, and one I never saw coming! ABANDONED is top of the line terrifyingly real suspense and whether you are reading it or listening to it on audio as I did, then you are in for the one of the best thrillers, I've encountered lately. This is a highly recommended read for fans of Suspense Thrillers! Awesome! Marilyn Rondeau, for [...]

This was the first book by Cody McFadyen that I've read and I have to say, I'm hooked. McFadyen's writing style grabs you quickly and pulls you in without letting go. I've spent many a night reading til the a.m. because I just couldn't put down the book. Smoky is the kind of heroine I really enjoy reading about, tarnished with a horrific past, but she still remains human. The suspense is drawn tight, the horror hits you right in the core as it peels back all your worst nightmares, and there are plenty of twists and turns to keep you addicted. I am now reading his other novels and am enjoying them just as much. I highly recommend this author!

I have been an avid reader for more years than I'm going to admit too. Cody is the best!!!!! I ordered Cody's 1st 2 books from a book club and was so entralled with his descriptive writing skills and the fact that he scared me out of my wits with his plots, I emailed him and asked "if I die of a heart attack reading your books, can my husband charge you with murder?". I look forward to each new publication. I've read his 3rd book and now Abandoned. He never disappoints! You never see his endings coming. Most writers are so predictable. Can't wait for his next one.

I have just finished reading Abandoned, the last in the Smoky Barrett series. I read the series books consecutively, within a week, and I think what truly makes these books so disturbing and addictive, is the realization that, even though these books are fiction, that what occurred in them could actually happen. There are points in these books where I felt that I just couldn't continue reading, in fact, I actually threw out the last two books in the series when I was halfway through the second last book because I thought that I just couldn't go on. Fortunately, like a good citizen, I recycle, so I only had to root around in the recycling bin to retrieve them. There is something about this series that leaves a vivid impression with the reader as well, I, for one, am upgrading my security system and enrolling family members in self-defense courses.

One of the staples of thriller literature is the deranged killer. The more imaginative authors are able to use these madmen to take their readers by the hand and nudge them to varying degrees in the direction of the abyss of madness. In some cases, it's a glance toward it; in others, a peek downward. And, in the most extreme, it's a push forward when you reach the edge. ABANDONED by Cody McFadyen goes a bit further, dragging you kicking and screaming to the chasm and then giving you a hearty two-handed shove. While this is only McFadyen's fourth novel, his writing is possessed with a sureness and confidence that some veteran authors would kill for. This talent is beautifully displayed in ABANDONED, which features the return of Smoky Barrett. An FBI Special Agent, Smoky has had so much happen to her in McFayden's preceding volumes that the mere whisper of her presence is enough to cause familiar readers to cringe. Her family murdered and her face terribly scarred (not once, but twice), one fears what will happen to our heroine next. But somehow, she finds the strength to soldier on. And in ABANDONED, she finally has a chance at happiness: she is in a relationship with the quiet and capable --- and very deadly --- Tommy; she has Bonnie, her adopted daughter, who is everything one could wish for in a child; and, separate from this, she has two secrets, one she keeps with Tommy and the other from him. While celebrating the wedding of Callie, her team member, Smoky receives an enigmatic text message followed shortly by the abrupt deposit of a seriously injured woman into the midst of the festivities. The woman, a police officer, had been missing for seven years and is unable to describe what has happened to her in her current condition. Smoky and her team begin an investigation, one that uncovers what appears to be a clandestine service run by a criminal mastermind who, for a significant fee, will make a troublesome wife disappear without a trace. That is, until such time as she can legally be declared dead and insurance proceeds can be collected. The provider of the service is detached, precise and amoral. And heaven help the man who reneges on the agreement. Smoky precisely and methodically leads her team through the investigation, discovering similar occurrences as they slowly move in on the fiend. Then, just as they seem to be on the verge of honing in on him, the unthinkable happens. Smoky has to make a terrible choice, one that will change her and the team forever, even as the identity of the mastermind provides the biggest surprise of all. I haven't lived what one could call a sheltered life by any stretch of the imagination, but McFadyen manages to make me cringe. Naturally, I loved every word, every sentence. McFadyen's storytelling prowess and plotting ability as displayed in ABANDONED would be enough to recommend it; however, he is also a remarkable writer who brings considerable literary skills to the desk. The result is a work that, w