Carol's Reviews > Cornered

I kept wondering about how the ending would turn out for Cornered by Alan Brennan. Finally, I got up at four in the morning to finish reading. Now I think I have been spoiled for other mysteries. This one was just right.

The characters were well developed, the pace was fast and furious, the amount of action was just right. Detective Matt Brady in Temple Texas was trying the figure why beautiful women were disappearing. He knew that they were not kidnapped for ransom and the snatchers were not interested in robbery because they didn’t take the women’s credit cards or other valuables. There are no bodies left dead or mutilated. As I read, I grew to love Matt Brady, warts and all. I kept imaging Kevin Costner as Matt! He is smart, compassionate and has a weakness for discussing his cases with his girlfriend Cassandra. There is so much more but I will leave that for you to find out.

Not only is this book a very well written mystery, but we the readers learn so much about human trafficking. I had read an article in a San Francisco newspaper a few years ago that brought several questions about that horrible underworld activity. This book offers plausible answers to my questions.

I love that the characters are not all one dimensional. The good guy, Matt has a weakness that causes his great shame later in the book. One of the bad guys, Chiles has a very soft spot for his nephew while at the same time cannot control his anger, several of the other characters seem like certified sociopaths.

I think that the reason that this book succeeds so well is that the background of the author is in law and law enforcement. When I was reading this book, everything seemed realistic and believable. I have added his previous book, Price of Justice to my wish list.
I highly recommend this exciting thriller to all mystery readers. You have got to read this one!

I received an Advance Review Copy of Cornered from the publishers after I selected it from a list from Partners In Crime. But that in no way influenced my thoughts or feelings in this review.