Customer Reviews

Dead Wrong

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Archer Lowell, Curtis Alan Channing, and Vince Giordano share a jail holding cell waiting for the law to process them when all hell breaks loose as someone escapes custody. To pass time while the complex is totally shut down, the trio discusses why they are here when the conversation turns to who would they like to kill. They agree that to be successful they would have to exchange victims like the Hitchcock and DeVito movies did.

Not long afterward a serial killer appears murdering three females with the same name M. Douglas as listed in order in the phone book. Next on the list is court appointed children?s advocate Mara Douglas. Her sister FBI profiler Dr. Anne McCall calls in a favor owed her by FBI agent Aidan Shields. She wants Aidan to protect her sibling. However, Aidan wants to refuse as he wants to go into guilty seclusion following the death of his brother on his last assignment. Still for Anna he will do what he cam to keep Mara safe. Moving in with her in her Philadelphia area home, Aidan and Mara fall in love, but he fears if something happens to her he will die too.

The first of Mariah Stewart?s ?Dead? books is a stupendous serial killer romance starring two wonderful lead characters. The twist of who performs the killing is provided in plain sight yet the audience will wonder whether Strangers on the Train really occurred. Fans of tense thrillers that never let up until the climax will know that this novel is dead on in exciting action and a breathtaking romance.

Harriet Klausner

SUMMARY: Three criminals are locked together in a room during a riot in the courthouse. To pass the time, they each fantasize about the three people they would most like to kill and then marvel that if one killed the other's victims, it would be almost impossible to trace. It seemed like a harmless game, until those on one of the lists starts dying. Child advocate Mara Douglas, haunted by the abduction of her young daughter, is one of the unwitting targets; her sister Anne Marie McCall, an FBI profiler, recruits fellow agent Aidan Shaw to protect Mara, luring him out of self-imposed exile after the death of his brother, a fellow agent and McCall's lover. As the killer gets closer, Mara's days appear to be numbered.

WHY YOU'LL LIKE IT: Winning characters and able action sequences spur on this otherwise run-of-the-mill tale. The built-in romance is bittersweet and well-written. Mara isn't a milquetoast heroine either; she has some grit.

WHY YOU WON'T: The psychobabble spun around the killer's past and impetus for committing murders is banal and nothing new or exciting.

BOTTOM LINE: No new ground is broken, but the novel is filled with frothy intrigue. What is most intriguing is that each of the criminals and their list of victims is given their own novel to develop their stories. The saga is continued in Stewart's Dead Certain and Dead Even. Worth checking out. I'd give it 3.5 stars if possible.

On a cold morning in February three men waiting their turn to appear before a criminal court judge find themselves locked down in one room while every lawman in the vicinity searches for a fourth convict, who has escaped. As time passes, the men discuss why they are there. Channing claims he's been mistaken for another C.A.Channing and will be released; Lowell was arrested for stalking; and Giordano is appealing his sentence for killing his wife and children because the detective lied in court. To while away the time, these three violent men play a 'pretend' game, naming three people they would like to kill if they knew they wouldn't be caught. Channing is released and Giordano and Lowell return to jail to wait for their time in court.

The suspense in DEAD WRONG is not who-done-it; since readers have a prologue that sets up the story, an advantage our leading characters do not have. The mystery of why women named Mary Douglas are being murdered baffles law enforcement and profilers are called in to help solve the case. When the third woman named Mary Douglas falls victim to another heinous crime, detectives deduce they are being killed in the order they appear in the phone book; M. J. Douglas is next on the list. Her sister Annie McCall, an FBI agent, and colleague Miranda Cahill (fans will remember her from a previous story) warn Mara to take extra precautions as they believe she is the next victim. Annie doesn't stop with the warning; she calls in a favor from another agent who is on medical leave.

Aiden Shields and his brother Dylan were undercover agents setting up a big drug sting that turned bad, leaving Dylan dead and Aiden badly wounded. He hasn't recovered from the shooting or the psychological wounds and feels guilty for not saving his brother. He's on leave from the FBI and doesn't believe he will ever be able to pass a physical exam to return to the force in any capacity. He's at about the lowest a man can be when Annie tells him she needs him to guard and protect her sister. Annie was Dylan's girlfriend and Aiden can't refuse her anything, so reluctantly he packs up his bag and heads for the Douglas home, where he is anything but welcomed by Mara Douglas.

DEAD WRONG is the first in a trilogy and a thriller to hold you entranced - if that is even the right word for what you will be as you read this one. In my lifetime of reading, there is only one other book I've turned from the back page to the front to completely re-read, as I have done with this suspenseful story. Mariah Stewart captures readers immediately, bringing a bizarre mystery to the pages. You'll know who, but not what, when, nor where! Clues will be dropped and twists and turns will develop. As readers, you'll want to chew your fingernails waiting for this killer to be caught.

The family thread is once again evident in Ms. Stewart's writing through her strong characters, as well as old friendships being renewed when her former characters return to help solve this case. Though this novel is listed as suspense, readers will be treated to a rich romance as well. And, the conclusion gives readers a strong hint as to the killer in the second story. I must honestly tell you my favorite reading genre is romance, but I wouldn't miss one of Mariah Stewart's stories for anything. This author has a true talent for writing the best stories I've had the pleasure of reading, and DEAD WRONG is no exception. This one garners a Perfect 10, a rating only given to works Romance Reviews Today reviewers consider to be exceptional reads. Stories like this will have Mariah Stewart soaring on the Best Seller's Lists.

Carol Carter, Reviewer-As posted at Romance Reviews Today

This is the first Mariah Stewart novel I have read. It has a good plot and is intended to be part of a 3 book series. However, each book stands alone.

Three men, one a serial killer, one who murdered his wife and sons, and one young man who is just enraged, meet in a room at a courthouse. They talk about who they would kill if they could do it without being caught.

As they talk they tell each other who they want dead. One says if we did it for each other no one would be able to blame us. They speculate on the deed, but call it a game.

Later the serial killer starts with the young man's list. The suspense is well done. And it truly is hard to find a reason for the deaths when the suspected killer is in jail.

I think it is a well written, engrossing novel. I enjoyed it, and I look forward to the next two; DEAD CERTAIN and DEAD EVEN.

The twist here is that the reader knows while the characters do not.

In a matter of minutes, nine people's fates are determined by three men sitting in a jail cell. Simply playing a "game" to pass the time, each man names three people he'd like to see killed. When the first man is released, three people become a target as he follows through with the game.

The first in a trilogy, Dead Wrong gets it dead right. Mara Douglas is on one of the men's list, and it's up to Aidan Shields to protect her. While the book is decidedly light on the traditional sex part of a romantic suspense, it is implied.

I liked both characters, and Aidan avoids being the atypical surly alpha male with surprising charm and affection.

I can't wait for Dead Certain, which follows the second man as he is released from jail and takes up the gauntlet thrown down by the first man. I got this one from the library, but I certainly will buy the next two.

Three prisoners, awaiting their turn to appear before a criminal court judge, are placed in the same holding cell. They begin a macabre fantasy discussion about revenge and a fool-proof, risk free plan for murder. What if? What if you could "snuff" three people when you get out of jail? Who would you choose to kill? Now one prisoner is free.

Three women have been consecutively, brutally raped and murdered in a suburban Philadelphia college town. All three had their names listed in the telephone directory as M. Douglas. As chilling as it is to contemplate, it appears that the killer is working his way down a phone book page and methodically selecting his victims in order of their listing. If this trend continues, Mara Douglas, a court-appointed children's advocate for the Department of Children and Youth Services, could be the next woman targeted for death.

Mara's sister, Annie, a psychiatrist and profiler for the FBI, convinces her dear friend and almost brother-in-law, Special Agent Aidan Shields, to accept an undercover job to protect her sister. He is on leave recovering from serious wounds inflicted months ago while on duty. It takes a lot of convincing, but finally Shields accepts.

Mara, an extremely independent woman who lives alone with her Jack Russell Terrier, Spike, is most unhappy with the idea of a live-in body guard, even one as handsome as Aidan. And even if he does cook while she is at work and walk her dog too.

"Dead Wrong's" premise has terrific possibilities as a suspense thriller. Three evil men come into contact with each other and hatch an improbable plot that works. As soon as the first man is out of jail, he begins a heinous killing spree, thus living out the fantasy of one his fellow conspirators. Mariah Stewart's plot, however, becomes all too predictable. Her characters are more like cardboard cutouts than three-dimensional people. And the relationship between Mara and Aidan lacks chemistry. It's too shallow, to say the least. Most of the action is focused on the crimes and catching the killer. This is OK, but it certainly takes away from the novel's depth and complexity. And this is Book One in a trilogy. That means the two cohorts of this book's killer, get to escape and do their thing! Each thug gets his own book...with basically the same plot. There was barely enough meat for this storyline, let alone for two more.

I'll give this 3 Stars, because there was enough mystery to keep me interested...at a low level. It's also New Year's Day and I must be in a good mood. Happy New Year!!
JANA

This is a great concept for a three book series, but after this first book, I felt unsatisfied with the character development and predictable plot. Mariah Stewart did a great job of writing, though the book wasn't that suspenseful (maybe I've just been reading too much lately). The relationship between Mara Douglas and Aiden Shields wasn't fully developed. I would have liked a few more scenes where they get to know each other, or something just to show the chemistry between the two. I found that seriously lacking in this book.
If you want an easy read, get a used copy of this book, but definitely don't pay full price. I'm not going to bother with the other two in the series. This one didn't make me care enough to finish the series.

I really liked this story. Right away, I felt compelled to find out what happens after three prisoners are circumstantially left alone in a room and begin having a conversation. I had a feeling where it was going to go, but the story drew me in so that I had to read every scene to the very end. Mariah Stewart is a wonderful writer with very in depth characters. I really enjoyed this book! Thank you, Mariah.

A wonderful series of contemporary mysteries with a bit of passion added to the suspenseful mix.

Albeit the main story is very good it has some flaws:

1 How can a professional killer murder one person instead of the right one... three times? I'm just telling you the first chapter.

2 How can an FBI agent leave his/her weapon in the car when he/her is on duty?

3 How can the police just finish a stakeout because they thought they have the killer?

And I can keep on and on but maybe I'll spoil the book.

The love story:

There really is a love story? Or is just a one night stand straightening to every weekend?