"Interesting and suspenseful police thriller."

By: Stephen Booth

Genres: Mystery Private Eye | Mystery Police Procedural

Posted: June 30, 2006

Mansell Quinn is out for retribution. After 13 years in prison for committing the murder of his good friend's wife, no one is safe, especially his two friends who were supposed to be his alibi. The strange murder of Quinn's ex- wife and Quinn's disappearance from his parole officer put Detective Sergeant Diane Fry and Detective Constable Ben Cooper of England's Peak District on his case.

Quinn keeps appearing in public. However, the public never seem to catch a glimpse of him. Strange details of Quinn's previous case makes DC Ben Cooper unsatisfied with the verdict. It's up to Ben and Diane to find the real killer.

I was very surprised to like this book. I'd read Booth before and was unimpressed with Ben and Diane. However, the characters and setting seem much more alive in ONE LAST BREATH. The plot is very interesting and I had a hard time guessing who and what would turn up in the end. I loved how you saw the killer's viewpoint as the detectives try to investigate the two murders.

Book Summary

Around the ancient cave system in Derbyshire are thronging tourists, a medieval castle, and the thriving town of Castleton. With its underground tunnels and caverns, it’s the perfect place for a man to hide – or vanish. Detective Constable Ben Cooper and Detective Sergeant Diane Fry are looking for such a man, one who is on a rampage of revenge.

After 13 years in prison, Mansell Quinn has emerged a man enraged. Hours after violating his parole, Quinn is the chief suspect in a fresh murder. And his original sin – the brutal killing of his lover – still haunts the valley. Because Quinn has always maintained his innocence, the people who lined up against him then are in dire danger now.

Ben may be one of those people, for he is the son of the cop who had arrested Quinn 13 years earlier. But while his department races to find Quinn, Ben wonders if the man was indeed guilty of the first crime. Even when another new victim is found, Ben stubbornly clings to the old case – and makes himself an open target for a killer.

For Ben, the real story of Mansell Quinn is as hidden as the caves beneath them. His search for answers will lead him on a twisting, harrowing journey through that maze of darkness – into the shocking light of truth.

One Last Breath by Stephen Booth

One Last Breath

by: Stephen Booth

Bantam
July 25, 2006
Featuring: Diane Fry; Ben Cooper
416 pages
ISBN: 0385339054
Hardcover

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