Synopsis: THE SEEDS OF EVIL. In a secluded farm house in the Pacific Northwest, a family has been slaughtered-and a teenage son has disappeared. Single mother and cop, Emily Kenyon spearheads a dark hunt for a killer. But Emily's teenage daughter Jenna is one step ahead of her. ARE PLANTED IN. Jenna knows the boy suspected of murdering his family and wants to help him-perhaps too much. Then within days of the first murder, another family is butchered, this time in Iowa. And on the heels of this brutal slaying, another follows in Salt Lake City. Eerie similarities link the crime scenes. But an even darker connection threatens to claim even more victims. A COLD DARK PLACE As Emily fits the puzzle pieces together, she realizes the danger surrounding her daughter is worse than she'd imagined. Now in a desperate race to save Jenna, Emily must match wits with the most cunning, diabolical killer she's faced yet in her career-a killer who's just placed her and her daughter at the top of his list. Publishers Weekly: When a powerful twister hits the little town of Cherrystone, Wash., former Seattle homicide detective Emily Kenyon checks in on the Martins: she finds their home demolished by the storm, and three of the four family members murdered by a demented killer. Suspiciously missing from the carnage is older son Nick, but is he a witness or the murderer? And Emily soon finds that her teenage daughter, Jenna, has run off with Nick in order to help him clear his name. What Emily doesn't know is that the Martin family deaths are connected to a series of murders going back two decades, and are linked to a case from her own past whose tragic outcome ultimately drove her out of the Seattle police force. Olsen does a nice job balancing past and present plots and subplots in this intricately layered story, keeping the tension taut and pages turning. (Apr.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information More Reviews and Recommendations Biography: New York Times bestselling author Gregg Olsen is the author of eight books. As a journalist and true crime author, Olsen has received numerous awards and much critical acclaim for his writing. He's also been a guest on Good Morning, America; CBS Early Show; Entertainment Tonight; CNN; Fox News; 48 Hours; and other national and international TV programs. The Seattle native lives in rural Washington State with his wife and twin daughters. He's now at work on his next thriller.
