Acts of Vengeance

February 1, 2003
In Arthur Ellis-finalist Frank Smith's (Fatal Flaw) gripping Acts of Vengeance, DCI Neil Paget barely survives an assailant who tries to cut his throat. DS John Tregalles and the rest of the Broadminster precinct crew have their work cut out for them searching Paget's past, both professional and personal, for clues to the attacker's motive.

February 15, 2003
In the opening scene of the latest Detective Paget novel, the unthinkable happens--Detective Chief Inspector Paget's throat is slashed in the parking lot immediately behind the police station. Two investigations ensue. The first, as Paget hangs on to life in the hospital, is conducted by members of the Broadminster, Shropshire, police force, centering on the mentally unstable ex-husband of a woman constable. The second investigation starts with Paget's own tortured flashbacks to the accidental death of his wife and his growing sense that her death in an explosion and his own attack are somehow related. More throat slashings follow and the now-recovered Paget seeks the thread that holds all the murders together. What makes this far more than a traditional stalker mystery is the way Smith weaves Paget's tortured memories and his fear of being thought insane into the investigation, making the inspector's battle with his own psyche a source of suspense. Cunningly plotted.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)