Product Description

In Hunter's Point, New York, high-ranking lawyer Peter Lake returns home one evening to find his wife strangled and his daughter's neck broken. On the bed lies a black rose, and a note: 'Gone, But Not Forgotten'. They are not the first victims of the so-called 'Rose Killer', but when Hunter's Point police track down their suspect - and he is shot - they expect them to be the last. When several years later, on the other side of the continent, the sequence of missing women appears to be occurring again, there is a desperate hunt to discover the links between the two. The 'Rose Killer', whose systematic abductions of women reveal no trace of his identity, is back. Or is he? Is someone else involved in the New York case playing the copycat? Who is abducting women again, leaving not a single sign of a struggle - not a hair, not a fibre, not a trace - just a note, a rose...and eventually, a victim.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #529339 in Books
• Published on: 1994-08-18
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 428 pages

Review
'The story twists and turns inventively, and the portrait of the sadistic killer is chillingly believable' SUNDAY TIMES 'A hot favourite by word of mouth ... and the plot has so many compelling twists' DAILY MAIL 'Unputdownable' DAILY MIRROR 'What starts as an unnerving thriller turns neatly into a courtroom drama before moving back out into darker territory again.' BIRMINGHAM EVENING MAIL 'This is a cleverly conceived plot, intricate and intriguing, and one is almost compelled to keep reading to the end. A very accomplished piece of work.' BOOKS 'Good, gripping and geninely chilling mystery with moments of real tension.' HARPERS AND QUEEN 'This is a sharply written thriller with a good twist in the tail. Well written with nicely drawn characters- recommended.' SOUTH WALES EVENING POST 'Pacy thriller.' NEW WOMAN

About the Author
Phillip M Margolin is a practising criminal defence lawyer in Oregon where he has tried many high profile cases. He is married with two children.

Customer Reviews

Not one to read on your own at night...
If you like who-dunnits which keep you guessing...the ones where all the clues are there, but it's not until the last 5 pages that realisation dawns..this is the book for you.

This is a tale with a difference; from the outset we know who the bad & good guys are. The book is about what happens when those parameters begin to blur, when what is morally right, is against everything we believe in.

A great read & one that you won't be able to put down.

An Excellent Psychological Thriller - Not Easily Forgotten!
Women are disappearing in Hunter's Point, NY, an affluent commuter suburb with a population of slightly more than 100,000. Four married women from the same town, all wives of wealthy professional men, all childless, with luxurious lifestyles, go missing without a word to anyone. However, a note was left on the pillow of each, along with a rose, dyed black. The notes read, "Gone, But Not Forgotten." Then, prominent young attorney, Peter Lake, comes home one evening to find his wife, Sandra, brutally beaten and strangled to death. A black rose is by her body and a note in her hand. The message is the same as the others. At the top of the staircase, on the second floor landing, the corpse of Melody Lake, the couple's 6 year-old daughter, is also discovered. Apparently, she died quickly. Her neck had been snapped. An FBI profiler briefing the assembled task force, says the killer is probably an organized nonsocial - a sexual psychopath, unable to feel pity or empathy for his victims. After a lengthy investigation, the serial killer is identified and during the apprehension process, shot resisting arrest. He died before interrogation was possible.

Ten years later, in Portland, Oregon, women are disappearing. All are wives of distinguished professional men. The pattern triggers memories in the law enforcement community, especially when a black rose and note are found on the bed of each of the disappeared. Long kept secrets are revealed which could reach the highest levels in the country's judicial system. And defense attorney, Betsy Tannenbaum, a rising star, has been hired to defend a prominent developer for the probable murders. He looks guilty as sin. (pardon the cliche).

This is a legal thriller that provides a riveting and entertaining read. I must say I was three-quarters of the way through, glued to the page, and still didn't know whodunit! The author, Phillip Margolin, worked for 25 years as a criminal defense attorney, representing 30 homicide cases, 12 of which involved the death penalty. His knowledge of the subject, as well as his psychological portraits, make for a richer than usual narrative. The two primary female characters are strong and competent and they, along with the male protagonist, are really believable, three dimensional individuals.
JANA

Thriller Lite
Although I enjoyed this book, I think it's appeal lies strictly in good reading for the summer beach holiday or plane ride. I certainly wasn't bored at all and I would buy and read the author's other books, but they aren't on my favourite reading list either.

On the downside, it was fairly lightweight, the characters and plot could have done with a lot more layering or complexity. This was best illustrated in the way that two of the characters were thrown together for the hint of a romance in the last few pages, with no buildup at all to their relationship.

For all that, it was an enjoyable read. It's strength was in its raising of the moral issues and ambiguities involved in defending evil against punishment for the greater good of society as a whole. These aspects of the plot were intriguing enough to keep me reading to the last page.

The author is no Richard North Patterson, but if you're looking for something to while away a few hours in the sun, you could find a lot worse out there.