Frayed

by Anthony M. Harrington

Kevin has a near perfect life. He owns his own business, has a wife with a baby on the way, and is surrounded by friends who adore him. As a winter storm approaches the suburb of Perry Hall, a dangerous killer arrives with it and begins targeting the senior citizens of Baltimore, Maryland. Police homicide detectives Stephen Fry and Lisa Cooksey delve into the murders and slowly uncover a common thread. The murders are not random; the victims are all connected though the threads are tenuous. At each horrific crime scene they discover the photo of a young boy. Kevin Kessecker receives word that his estranged father, a prominent Johns Hopkins physician, may be the latest victim of the killer. Even more disturbing, the pictures at each crime scene are of Kevin as a child. Kevin's life is turned upside down as he becomes the prime suspect in a rash of murders rocking the county. With nowhere to turn and a case slowly mounting against him, he contacts private detective Bryan LeHane, a disgraced ex-cop with a dark past that intricately ties him to the two police officers investigating the murders. Soon, Kevin discovers that everything he knew about his life is built on years of family lies, deceptions and a secret so dark that someone is going to great lengths to keep it silenced. Kevin finds himself in a dangerous game of cat and mouse with the police who want to arrest him and a vicious killer who will stop at nothing to claim everything Kevin holds dear.

352 pages, Paperback

First published May 20, 2010

Reviews

[Tracy Carbone · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read a lot of thrillers and mysteries, and in general am able to surmise the plot early on. That was not the case with Harrington's Frayed. It was a fast moving novel I couldn't put down. I had no idea who the villain was, what the motives were, and with each page, the author drew me in deeper and added an ugency to my reading. Very good writing, plotting, and plenty of intrigue. I was surprised at the end, and satisfied with how Harrington deftly tied up all the loose ends. Looking forward to more work by Anthony Harrington!