The Deepest Cut

Whew. What a finger-nail-biting read to the end. In "The Deepest Cut", Pasadena Detective Nan Vining continues her personal hunt for T.B. Mann (The Bad Man), who nearly killed her in "The First Cut". While working on her latest assignment, HE continues to taunt her and, in her gut, she KNOWS he is somehow behind these latest murders. As her relationship with fellow dectective Jim Kissick heats up, Nan fears he will try to stop her from pursuing her obsession. The parallel murder investigations keep us wondering . . .we just KNOW he (TB Mann) is behind them. We are kept on edge wondering if they will be connected and if Nan or her loved ones--daughter Em and Jim--will be hurt along the way. Dianne Emley is a superb writer with an amazing ability to weave words, create visuals and memorable, well-defined characters. And her wry wit adds some relief until the next wave of anexity grabs you. Drawing upon the Asian culture in Pasadena added a great dimension--from the gang element to the para-normal moments with twinkling chimes and butterflies linked to Chinese customs. Where did she come up with that idea for those human directionals? What a clever way to use them. And one of the main characters, Li, is so strong and well-defined. (What a great movie role!) "The Deepest Cut" will keep you flipping pages to find out if Nan survives, if TB Mann is finally exposed and captured. And just WHO is he anyway? You will be surprised.

In The Deepest Cut, Nan Vining uncovers new gang activity in Pasadena, puzzles over signs from the ghost of Frankie Lynde (found murdered in The First Cut) while continuing her search for her attacker, T.B. Mann. Dianne Emley has given us a suspenseful police procedural filled with memorable characters, shocking violence, and a plot filled with surprising twists until the stunning climax. All this set against vividly drawn California locales, from the central coastline to the San Gabriel Mountains. How will Nan uncover T.B. Mann's true identity while keeping her daughter and herself safe? Once you start this book, you won't be able to put it down, let alone exhale, until the last page

I'll be brief. I don't usually care for serial killer stories. Been there, done that. This is different. "The Deepest Cut" is a cut above the genre. Detective Nan Vining is one of the most interesting characters in crime fiction. I'd want her on my side in any cat-and-mouse with a killer. A fast-paced, riveting read.

This was an excellent conclusion to the T.B. Mann thrillogy. What a rollercoaster ride from the first page to the last sentence. There were so many emotions wrapped in the story from Nan, Jim, Emily and the supporting characters who were influenced by what happened with Nan. That twist towards the conclusion rocked me, I never saw that one coming.

In Dianne Emley's "The Deepest Cut," Pasadena detective Nan Vining is trying to piece her life together after it was nearly ended by a psychopath who stabbed her, leaving her with "a diagonal slash across the back of her right hand and a long garish scar on her neck." The attacker, whom Nan has dubbed T. B. Mann (the bad man) for want of a better nickname, left her for dead, but although she flatlined briefly, she managed to survive and is now back at work. Nan is determined to do everything in her power to catch and kill her assailant, but she knows little about him except that he targets high-profile females in law enforcement. One day, Mann enters her home and leaves behind a shirt with her blood on it. He is taunting her, letting her know that he is biding his time, waiting for an opportunity to finish the job that he started. Meanwhile, Nan is secretly conducting her own illegal investigation. She has stolen evidence and lied to her colleagues, knowing that if she is caught, she will probably lose her job. As it is, her co-workers sense that she is high-strung and paranoid. They call her "Poison Ivy" behind her back and consider her to be a loose cannon who is liable to explode at any moment. Fortunately, Nan has a loving grandmother and the support of her partner, Detective Jim Kissick, who is also her lover. Nan is a single mom whose fourteen-year-old daughter Emily is a source of both pride and exasperation. Em is beginning to show signs of adolescent rebellion and Nan has no idea how she should handle her. When Nan investigates the murder of a former gang member, she has no idea that this case will somehow converge with her quest for her elusive assailant. "The Deepest Cut" hits the ground running and keeps the reader engrossed with its well-drawn characters, sharp dialogue, and fast-paced action. To her credit, the author skillfully balances a number of disparate elements that come together seamlessly, including Nan's off and on love life, her struggle to calm her inner demons before she loses her bearings, her efforts to stay on good terms with her volatile teenage daughter, and her desperation to destroy the man who almost destroyed her. In addition, Emley provides interesting local color about Pasadena and its environs, showcasing the many ways in which this area is changing. She also touches on the familiar themes of political machinations and rivalries in the police department, the tedious and painstaking detective work that is often necessary to solve crimes, and the role of luck in any investigation. Emley does resort to cliché when she enters the mind of Nan's tormentor. He is your typical sicko who is aroused by the sight of blood and collects souvenirs of his victims. Nevertheless, "The Deepest Cut" is a generally well-constructed and suspenseful police procedural with psychological depth and a slam-bang conclusion containing some clever twists that most readers will not anticipate.