The people vs. Alex Cross

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Robert Knightly

"NYPD detective Harry Corbin hasn't been allowed to work on a homicide case for almost a year following his unearthing of corruption amongst his colleagues and superiors. So when a young woman's body is found dumped and mutilated on a sweltering New York morning, Corbin jumps at the chance to redeem his career and solve the case. Identification of the Jane Doe proves to be difficult until Corbin stumbles upon a link to a Queens Catholic church that provides sanctuary to Eastern European immigrants. What then follows is a journey into the dark and secretive world of illegal immigrants, where humans are exploited and life is cheap..."--P. [2] of jacket.

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Jonathan Kellerman

"Even with all his years of experience, LAPD homicide detective Milo Sturgis knows there are crimes his skill and savvy cannot solve alone. That's when he calls on brilliant psychologist Alex Delaware to read between the lines, where the darkest motives lurk. And if ever the good doctor's insight is needed, it's at the scene of a murder as baffling as it is brutal. There's no spilled blood, no evidence of a struggle, and, thanks to the victim's missing face and hands, no immediate means of identification. And no telling why the disfigured corpse of a stranger has appeared in an upscale L.A. family's home. Chet Corvin, his wife, and their two teenage children are certain the John Doe is unknown to them. And yet their cooperation seems oddly guarded. But even the Corvins' thin response is more than Milo and Alex can elicit from their creepy next-door neighbor--a notorious cartoonist with a warped sense of humor and a seriously antisocial attitude. As the investigation ensues, it becomes clear that this well-to-do suburban enclave has its share of curious eyes, suspicious minds, and loose lips. And as Milo tightens the screws on potential persons of interest--and Alex tries to breach the barriers that guard their deepest secrets--a strangling web of corrupted love, cold-blooded greed, and shattered trust is exposed. Though the grass may be greener on these privileged streets, there's enough dirt below the surface to bury a multitude of sins. Including the deadliest. -- "An affluent family returns home from Sunday dinner only to find the murdered and brutalized corpse of a total stranger in their house. This baffling, twisted tale tests Alex and Milo to their intellectual and emotional limits"--

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Elizabeth George

"As Inspector Thomas Lynley investigates the London angle of an ever more darkly disturbing case, his partner, Barbara Havers, is looking behind the peaceful façade of country life to discover a twisted world of desire, deceit, and murder. The suicide of William Goldacre is devastating to those left behind. But what was the cause of his tragedy and how far might the consequences reach? Is there a link between the young man's leap from a Dorset cliff and a horrific poisoning in Cambridge? After various career-threatening issues with her department, Barbara Havers is desperate to redeem herself. So when a past encounter with a bestselling feminist writer and her pushy personal assistant gives her a connection to the Cambridge murder, Barbara begs Thomas Lynley to let her pursue the crime"--

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David Mark

"Detective Sergeant Aector McAvoy returns for another darkly enthralling case in Sorrow Bound, the third installment of David Mark's internationally acclaimed and bestselling series"-- It's a sweltering summer in Hull, and Detective Sergeant Aector McAvoy and the rest of the Serious and Organized Crime Unit are being pushed to the brink by the local drug trade as a sadistic new boss takes over and violent crime escalates. But they're distracted by something deadlier: a serial murderer with a taste for the grisly and macabre. And as the vicious monster lurking in the shadows creep closer and closer to home, McAvoy must figure out a way to protect his family at all costs.