Dead End: A Novel

The book was in great shape and came very fast! Thumbs up and I will definately order from them again!

If you haven't read the first three books in Mariah Stewarts "DEAD" series--Dead Wrong, Dead Certain, and Dead Even--go pick up a copy today. Although not necessary to enjoy DEAD END, you'll get a much better feel for some of the main characters--plus just three really good reads--if you read the other books first. That said, DEAD END centers around Dr. Anne Marie McCall, an FBI profiler, and her new love, police Detective Evan Crosby. At a mutual friend's wedding, Evan is surprised over the jealousy he feels by how close Annie still is with the Shields family. Her fiancé, undercover agent Dylan Shields, was murdered two years ago during a covert op. The Shields family, with its many children all in FBI positions, is a close-knit one who still has a place for the memory of what Annie and Dylan were to each other. Evan, attempting to get over his jealousy but knowing that Annie will never be at peace until she knows what really happened to Dylan, suggests that they take one last look at the file on his death--hoping that maybe this one last shot might provide Annie with the closure she needs, and that a new set of eyes might come up with new leads in the investigation. What they uncover are more questions, missing files, and situations that prove more and more dangerous. Who was really the intended victim that night? Does the locale of Dylan's death have something to do with the current case Evan is working on? Why are members of the extended Shields family ending up in questioning situations? Ms. Stewart has written another winner. I'm sad to see the "DEAD" series end, but I was happy to see that with the release of DEAD END all the questions from the last three books were answered. A real winner, you won't want to miss this book. It's an excellent offering in the romantic suspense genre!

Anne Marie McCall is a psychologist and one of the FBI's most skilled profilers. She is still grieving for her dead fiance, Special Agent Dylan Shields, who was killed more than two years earlier in an undercover operation that turned sour. Pennsylvania Detective Evan Crosby is now Annie's lover, but he is having a hard time competing with Dylan's memory. After a nasty quarrel with Annie, Evan suggests that both he and Annie reexamine Dylan's death to see if they can uncover any fresh leads. Little does the couple know that by opening up this old case, they are trespassing into dangerous territory. Meanwhile, Evan has other pressing items on his plate. A series of wealthy young teenaged girls have been found dead, the victims of a serial killer, and he and his colleagues are trying to find clues that will lead to the perpetrator. Equally perplexing, when more corpses of teenaged girls turn up, they are of unidentified Hispanic girls who have never been reported missing by their parents. Thus begins Mariah Stewart's "Dead End," a fast-paced romantic thriller that features engaging protagonists and a compelling plot. Stewart deftly balances her large cast of characters, including FBI agents, county detectives, and assorted villains and victims. The dialogue is, for the most part, realistic, although there are some stilted exchanges when the loose ends are tied up at the end. Stewart inserts clues and hints along the way to give the reader a fair shake at guessing the outcome, and she also puts in enough red herrings to keep us off balance. However, the outcome will not greatly surprise most attentive readers. To her credit, Stewart expertly handles the love story between Evan and Annie. They are equals in every sense of the word; both are respected professionals who value one another not just as lovers, but also as human beings. Their relationship provides a solid backdrop to the story, and as their investigations progress, they learn to rely on and trust one another implicitly. Annie and Evan make a good team, both on and off the job. "Dead End" works because Mariah Stewart is a competent writer who doesn't condescend to her public. Her prose style is clear and crisp, her story is complex but not convoluted, and she is not afraid to kill off some good people for the sake of realism. Fans of romantic suspense will find "Dead End" involving and entertaining.

In Avon County, Pennsylvania, Homicide Detective Evan Crosby is sick when he sees the fourth victim in under a month. Each casualty was pretty young female, ages 12 - 14, attending a private school, and left without shoes. His lover, FBI profiler Annie Marie McCall tries to give him solace, but knows how difficult coping with this case is. At the wedding of Annie's sister to a Shield sibling, Evan feels left out as the happy occasion is more a wake to FBI Agent Thomas Shield, who was assassinated. Upset, Evan leaves when another girl is killed without a word to Annie who is inside the Shield zone since Thomas was her fiancé, which bans the detective from entry. Not long afterward, knowing she needs closure, Evan offers a fresh pair of eyes in investigating the murder. As they work together on the Shield murder and the serial killings, an agency insider watches them very closely because he will have them eliminated if they get to close to him or his young girl black market ring. The fourth Dead tale is a potent romantic suspense tale starring two likable protagonists in love yet struggling to form a relationship because of the ghost of her murdered fiancé. The Shield Zone is tighter than ever, denser than a black hole as no matter escapes this closely knit family to the chagrin of Evan. Annie is terrific as she balances her second strike of love's lightning bolt with her first hit, but still needs closure, which Evan knows means uncovering who killed Thomas. Mariah Stewart is dead on with this tale and series. Harriet Klausner

In December 2002, FBI Agent Shields had completed his mission in Santa Estela, Central America. He was on the docks, en route to the boat that would begin his journey back to the States, when he stumbled upon men and vehicles in the process of buying children. It was a child-slave trade obviously. As Shields pondered what he should do, his cousin (another agent) appeared and informed him that the child-slave ring would end that very night. Shields met his boat contact and went home, secure in the knowledge that his cousin's team would save the children. Dr. Anne McCall, FBI Profiler, had been engaged to Dylan Shields two years ago. But Dylan had been killed in an undercover drug deal gone bad. The Shields clan still considered Annie to be one of their own though. The entire clan was either in the FBI or retired from it. Annie knows she is lucky. Not only does she have the deep affection of the entire Shield family, but she also has found love a second time in the form of Homicide Detective Evan Crosby. Annie and Evan attend the wedding of Mara, Annie's sister, to Aiden Shields. It is there that Evan realizes the relationship between Annie and himself could go no further until Dylan's death is put to rest. Evan offers to look into Dylan's case, as a fresh set of eyes, with Annie. It is something the couple plan to do together, as time permits. Evan's primary focus is on a serial killer. Pre-teen girls were being targeted. Some of the victims have a tattoo. Those with the tattoo have no ID and no one has filed missing reports on them. As Annie and Evan investigate the serial killer and Dylan's death, coincidences begin showing. Then people with possible leads begin to die. As both cases begin to make even a little bit of sense, Annie realizes that she may be walking around with a target on her back. **** This is the fourth and last novel in the "Dead" series. Fans of the CSI television series will adore this book as the two main characters work through all the evidence. The plot is complex and will keep your mind working as you follow along. If you have read the other books of the series, you will see familiar names and faces. By using past characters in secondary roles this time around, the author has made the story seem more realistic. Excellent series that I highly recommend to all. **** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.