Dead Reckoning (Berkley Sensation) [Mass Market Paperback]

Linda Castillo (Author)

Book Description

Series: Berkley Sensation | Publication Date: January 5, 2010

Assistant D.A. Kate Megason is about to prosecute the case of her career when someone starts sending her terrifying messages. Someone who obviously knows her deep, dark secret. Now, she needs the help of Frank Matrone--an investigator with his own shadowy past--or else Kate may have no chance of surviving a killer's brutal wrath.

Editorial Reviews

Review

". . .riveting and disturbing. Excellent drama . . ." -- RT Bookclub

"This is suspense at its thrilling finest." -- The Best Reviews

From the Publisher

Rita Award finalist Linda Castillo has been hailed as "masterful and heart-stopping . . . an author to watch."—RT Bookclub. Now, this bestselling author returns with a romantic thriller chock full of dark secrets and even darker passions . . .

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (January 5, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 042520720X
• ISBN-13: 978-0425207208
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #446,923 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Linda Castillo lives in Texas with her husband and is currently at work on her next thriller set in Amish Country and featuring Chief of Police Kate Burkholder. Her first novel in the series, Sworn to Silence, was a New York Times bestseller.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Tortured souls unite in grief, June 20, 2006

By 

Tracy Vest (Northern California) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dead Reckoning (Berkley Sensation) (Mass Market Paperback)

ADA Kate Megason survived a brutal rape at 17; her sister Kirsten was not so lucky, and has lingered in a vegetative state since that fateful night. Kate has dedicated herself to ensuring that violent criminals are put away. She is handpicked by the DA for an open and shut capital case in which two convenience store workers are senselessly gunned down (one raped as she lay dying), which miraculously was caught on tape.

Kate is assigned burnt out investigator Frank Matrone, a former police detective and military reservist who was critically injured in a terrorist bombing that claimed his lover. He is now a functioning addict - addicted to prescription pain killers and alcohol - something that doesn't bode well with an anal and organized gal like Kate.

While Frank questions the why of the case - it appears that there is more to it than meets the eye. Meanwhile, someone who knows about Kate's past is taunting her with sadistic calls and notes reminding her of the worst night of her life. She has hired a PI to track down the possible culprits, hoping for justice Texas-style. When attempts are made on her life, Frank is called in to watch her, and soon he finds his way into her bed, which completely freaks him out.

The mystery is a little predictable. As soon as the heavies are introduced, their guilt is obvious. But rather than concentrating on the mystery, author Castillo has chose to focus on the dramatic transformation of two injured souls who soon will find that they are each other's salvation as he deals with his grief over the loss of his lover, and she over the violence that stole her sister's innocence and future. In this respect, the story excels.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars tense legal thriller, December 6, 2005

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dead Reckoning (Berkley Sensation) (Mass Market Paperback)

Assistant District Attorney Kate Megason works the sure thing prosecution on the capital case of Burton Ellis, accused of the brutal murder of two convenience store clerks. However, Kate becomes irritated when her political supervisors assign former cop Frank Matron as her investigator; Frank was injured in a Mideast suicide bombing while serving as a deployed reservist. Kate knows that he has not physically healed and assumes that he is also mentally disturbed.

Frank immediately observes something that makes no sense. The accused took out a hidden camera that he should not have known existed. Even weirder in the robbery gone bad case is the strange fact that not all the loot was taken. Why would he leave anything behind? As Kate begins to heed all that Frank opines, they work together to uncover the truth in spite of someone with connections wanting the real facts to remain buried.

Readers will grip the pages tightly as this tense legal thriller hooks the audience to anticipate a DEAD RECKONING between the ADA and her investigator vs. an unknown brutal individual whose avarice is biblical in proportions. The story line is action-packed starting with Frank proving his worth from the start and never slows down until the final confrontation as the close and shut case becomes open and dangerous. This is suspense at its thrilling finest.

Harriet Klausner

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Dead Reckoning, December 25, 2005

By 

AK "Bro" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dead Reckoning (Berkley Sensation) (Mass Market Paperback)

Kate Megason has just gotten the chance to make her career a success by prosecuting a double homicide. It seems like a homerun for sure, the crime was even caught on video, but someone is out to get Kate. You would think, logically, that the threats are tied to the current case, but Kate hears something else. She fears that what happened eleven years ago is coming back to haunt her again. A brutal attack left her emotionally scarred and her sister brain damaged, but Kate has overcome her past somewhat. As the threats become more terrifying, she turns to Frank Matrone, a P.I. whose physical pain threatens to drive him insane. Perhaps it has already, addicting him to pills that render him senseless at times. Yet, he's Kate's best hope of finding how the past and present are linked and putting an end to her own nightmare.

*** Seeing a hero with such severe problems is shocking, but this is also a compelling character. Frank puts a face on addiction that most of us never suspect exists. Combined with an action packed plot and deep emotional issues, this makes for a powerful novel. ***

Amanda Killgore