The Cutting

I thoroughly enjoyed The Cutting, and couldn't put it down till I had devoured every page. Towards the end, I was so spooked that after work I had to sit in the park and finish reading the book, because my boyfriend wasn't home and I was too scared to come home to an empty house! Now that's the mark of a good thriller! I can't wait for Hayman's next...

Chances are you've never heard of James Hayman before, but you're going to hear a lot more about him. THE CUTTING is a first novel, but it doesn't read like an apprentice effort. Hayman's getting a late start as a fiction writer, but he's right up there with his idol Michael Connelly as a master of the police suspense thriller. Michael McCabe, is a cop who's left New York for a new job in Portland, Maine -- not exactly known as a high crime city. Only a young girl has turned up murdered, and another has disappeared -- and if he's right about the motive involved, that second girl has only a week to live. It doesn't help that the local powers-that-be are getting on his case as he works the case. As if that weren't enough, he has personal crises to deal with -- including his ex-wife who wants to get back into his daughter's life after ignoring her for years (McCabe has another woman in his life -- two, if you count his partner on the case.). But while mastering all the ins-and-outs of the police procedural, Hayman adds some delicious variations of his own -- a vital clue to the mystery lies in movie lore. Your next step: order THE CUTTING here, or run (do not walk) to your book store. --John J. Pierce

The Cutting breaks with tradition and moves the genre outside the big cities. I am reminded of the Swedish writers Maj S? and Per Wahloo who took their mysteries to an unexpected and intriguing locale. This is, I hope, the beginnining of a new character who can last in a locale that has much to be explored. This is a dynamite read. Kept me up til the wee hours. Bill Green, New York

From the moment Lucy began her jog around Western Promenade I was hooked. I stayed up all night reading this book, cheering on Detective McCabe, hoping against hope that there wouldn't be another victim. This book is a must read. It's gripping. It's smart. And you'll love the characters. It's a complex thriller with layers of crime and interpersonal relationships brilliantly intertwined. I highly recommend this book for your summer reading.

The Cutting is a great read from beginning to end. It kept me wanting to know what was going to happen on the next page so I had trouble putting it down. A great setting, wonderful characters, a compelling story and timeline. I hope this is the beginning of a long series of Sergeant Michael McCabe books. For those of us who love the genre, it is to be savored and shared.