Helpful Score: 2
Set in steamy South Florida, a true-crime writer gets all too involved in the aftermath of the murder of a young child. But who, really, is the creepy young man accused of the crime? And can it be that he is a murderer and a victim, both? Nancy Pickard writes a good, well-plotted, mystery, of the easy reading variety.
Helpful Score: 1
Very Good Book. Kept me intrigued the whole time. Excellent author.
Helpful Score: 1
Terrific mystery/thriller! The first in a series featuring the main character Marie Lightfoot, a true-crime writer (seems to be based much on Ann Rule). I thought this book was wonderful and will definitely look for more by this author!
This book lies in limbo with me. On one hand, I really enjoyed it's presence and premise; On the other I didn't find the main character engaging and making it difficult to care what happened to her.
Very enjoyaboe read. Puts a new twist on serial killer stories.
A really thrilly and chilling book. I could not put it down. This is my first read from this author but I plan on reading more of her books. Really exciting plot.
Vicki S. (curledupwithabook) -
A great little page-turner, perfect for a flight home or a long drive. A little deaf girl is murdered by a strange young man. From those simple facts, Pickard manages to spin a mysterious tale with surprising twists and engaging characters. Readers with young children may want to steer clear of this one, however, as it involves more than one child in peril and could be a heartbreaker for them. As a Florida native, I thoroughly enjoyed the author's description of Florida, right down to the difference between the soft grass in Kansas vs the coarse scrubby grass in the south. You can tell she's lived it. : )
This is an absorbing suspense thriller--the first of the Marie Lightfoot series. The storyline is original and very realistic. I will continue to read the series.
Ted Bundy. Hannibal Lecter. Florida killer Raymond Raintree has been compared to the most notorious of monsters, be they real or imagined. But the crime Raintree stands trial for - the brutal murder of Natalie Mae McCullen - is all too real. For gutsy true-crime writer Marie Lightfoot, the case is the stuff of her next surefire bestseller. But some of the evidence has made Marie wonder... and she is lured to retrace the dark night on a lonely waterway where Natalie disappeared. The deeper the writer digs, the more she must face the dark recesses of her own past - and the bottomless darkness inside a killer's heart of pure evil.
True-crime writer Marie Lightfoot investigates the murder of a south Florida woman named Natalie Mae McCullen. In truth the murderer is a serial killer and the case forces Ms. Lightfoot to face the dark recesses of her own past and the bottomless darkness inside a killer's heart of pure evil.
A fast moving thriller that literally starts with a bang. A stunning synthesis of psychological suspense and commentary on our culture of celebrity.
Ted Bundy, Hannibal Lecter, Florida killer Raymond Raintree has been compared to the most notorious of monsters, be they real or imagined. But the crime Raintree stands trial for - the brutal murder of Natalie Mae McCullen - is all too real. For gutsy true-crime writer Marie Lightfoot, a reluctant celebrity in her own right, the case is the stuff of her next surefire bestseller. But some of the evidence has made Marie wonder...and she is lured to retrace the dark night on a lonely waterway where Natalie disappeared. The deeper the steely-nerved writer digs, the more she must face the dark recesses of her own past-and the bottomless darkness inside a killer's heart of puer evil...
For gutsy true crime writer Marie Lightfoot, the case of Florida killer Raymond Raintree is the stuff of her next surefire bestseller. But some of the evidence has made Marie wonder . . . and she is lured to retrace the dark night on a lonely waterway where young Natalie McCullen disappeared. The deeper Marie digs, the more she must face the bottomless darkness inside a killer's heart of pure evil.
This was an excellent book! It also had some surprises.
This was an excellent book! It also had some surprises.
This is my first journey with Nancy Pickard's main character Marie Lightfoot. Really an intriguing way to tell a story both from the character's point of view and also by reading the true crime book she is authoring as the story unfolds. The author does a good job of tying it all together in the end. Really a good read.
A little girl is murdered. The killer is found guilty, but escapes before sentencing - shot by the judge! A real page turner.
A little too gory for me, but not boring by any means.
Pickard blurs the line between fiction and reality in a novel of gripping intensity, and premieres a superb new heroine: true-crime author Marie Lightfoot. For her next surefire bestseller, Marie is covering the trial of a Florida killer -- a case that penetrates her own life, layer by disturbing layer. Whether real, like Ted Bundy, or imagine»d, like Hannibal Lecter, few killers of our time are in the same league as Raymond Raintree. And as he stands flanked by lawyers in a Florida courtroom, waiting to be convicted for the murder of Natalie Mae McCullen, Marie Lightfoot is taking it all in. A small, gutsy blonde renowned for her true-crime bestsellers, Marie knows the graphic and disturbing case will make her best book yet -- because Raintree's shocking crime, vile beyond imagining, is also impossible to turn away from. But there is something about the case -- and Raintree's involvement -- that bothers her.
No one knows where Raintree, a man as slight and immature as a preteen boy, took Natalie after he abducted her. No one knows how Natalie -- bright, independent, and with no fear of the dark -- could be lured into a stranger's boat on a lonely waterway. And only one witness saw a man who may have been Raintree motoring along in a water taxi on the night Natalie disappeared.
Even if the police can't provide answers, Marie intends to leave no loose ends. Starting with a prison meeting with Raintree, the steely-nerved writer follows a twisted path that leads to Natalie's parents, to a coincidence that doesn't quite gel, and to a place she has resisted all her life: the dark recesses of her own soul, where she hides the secrets of her own lost past.
When Raymond escapes, Marie -- a curious contradiction of celebrity author and introspective loner -- becomes a sitting duck for a killer who just might be smart enough to outwit her. And evil enough to take her to hell before she dies.
A masterpiece of psychological suspense, The Whole Truth is a compelling look at our fascination with the horrific crimes of our time. Nancy Pickard's characters are as close to flesh and blood as fiction can get -- and her writing is as close to perfection.
No one knows where Raintree, a man as slight and immature as a preteen boy, took Natalie after he abducted her. No one knows how Natalie -- bright, independent, and with no fear of the dark -- could be lured into a stranger's boat on a lonely waterway. And only one witness saw a man who may have been Raintree motoring along in a water taxi on the night Natalie disappeared.
Even if the police can't provide answers, Marie intends to leave no loose ends. Starting with a prison meeting with Raintree, the steely-nerved writer follows a twisted path that leads to Natalie's parents, to a coincidence that doesn't quite gel, and to a place she has resisted all her life: the dark recesses of her own soul, where she hides the secrets of her own lost past.
When Raymond escapes, Marie -- a curious contradiction of celebrity author and introspective loner -- becomes a sitting duck for a killer who just might be smart enough to outwit her. And evil enough to take her to hell before she dies.
A masterpiece of psychological suspense, The Whole Truth is a compelling look at our fascination with the horrific crimes of our time. Nancy Pickard's characters are as close to flesh and blood as fiction can get -- and her writing is as close to perfection.
