Edgar Award winning author Theresa Schwegel's fourth novel features a female detective chasing a serial rapist across Chicago, from the westside slums to the glitz of the Loop. Detective Sloane Pearson is new to the Sex Crimes Division but no stranger to being treated like an incompetent blonde by her hardened male co-workers. She's also no stranger to hard-to-crack cases, and her latest is as tough as they come: A rapist is on the prowl, dragging women to deserted building sites or vacant apartment buildings peppered all over downtown Chicago, and forcing them to fight---knowing, of course, that he'll win. When a real estate agent Sloane knows is attacked by the violent predator, Sloane finds herself taking a case that threatens her secret plans to leave her long-time lover. Her personal bond with the victim and a would-be relationship with a man she interviews along the way lead Sloane down a dangerous path---one that poisons the investigation as well as her personal life. Sloane's balancing act topples when her father falls ill. Between coping with his weak heart and following the few weak leads she has, her case begins to go the way that many rape cases go: The victims fall away, one by one, suddenly unsure of what they saw or unwilling to relive the horrifying moments again and again. When Sloane helps a hungry young Sun-Times reporter declare the case serial, she loses support: Her bosses demand she get a suspect or move on. Sloane stays on the case, though---no matter how much it strains her personal relationships. Even her partner claims she's in too deep: He doesn't believe there's an arrest on the planet worth a cop's life. Sloane disagrees: Someone's got to take up the fight. From the worst slums of Chicago's west side to the glittering Loop skyscrapers, Sloane finds no shortage of suspects. As she loses everything she'd called home, she can only hope to find the rapist before she also becomes a victim.
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A smart, propulsive, tightrope-walking mystery novel . . . The opening scene signals the insight with which the author draws her characters throughout this busy, ingenious story. . . . Person of Interest quickly escalates into a high-stakes story of risk and suspicion, told with rich, insightful detail. — The New York Times on Person of Interest
A smart, propulsive, tightrope-walking mystery novel . . . The opening scene signals the insight with which the author draws her characters throughout this busy, ingenious story. . . . Person of Interest quickly escalates into a high-stakes story of risk and suspicion, told with rich, insightful detail.
"Deftly narrated by Tavia Gilbert.
Gilbert's tone and pace add to the escalating tensions...Her excellent portrayal of Sloane's defiance when ordered to drop the case sounds authentic.
A hard-boiled police procedural with a twist . . . One of the most compelling young authors in a highly competitive genre.
[Schwegel] creates a portrait of a family in crisis, and her vivid characterizations . . . lift the thriller plot to literary-novel status. A-.
Her most accomplished yet. Aside from the novel's gritty realism and intense, emotional intimacy, the numerous thematic subtleties make this blend of police procedural and suspense thriller eminently readable . . . an indisputable crime-fiction tour de force.
This pitch-perfect portrait of a family in crisis reinforces Schwegel's position as one of today's top authors of hard-boiled police procedurals.
" Not as good as some of Schwegel's other works, but I did enjoy it. The strengths of the book lie in the protagonist, who is a compelling character, and in her struggles against sexism and harrassment from her male peers. "
" First book I've read by Theresa Schwegel. I'll likely read another. I liked the Chicago locations, and I liked how she ended the book. But it was just OK. "
" The other Schwegel books were entertaining. This one just did nothing for me. The plot was confusing and the characters were poorly developed. Hopefully the author will put more effort into her next book. "
" Should have been better than it was. My attention kept wandering - maybe that says more about me than about the book! "
" Didn't like it. Couldn't get involved with the characters and I think this is due to writer's style. Still couldn't tell you which year / years this was based in. "
" A little void of emotion, but i did enjoy "
" Did not finish. Pick a POV, pick an angle, pick a character, stick with it. At least Jodi Picoult has the decency to ask her publisher to switch up fonts so we know who is talking and when. "
" The plot is slow, although unpredictable. The only thing I liked about the book is the writing-style. At times, really enjoyable. But, it did take some time to finish this one. "
Theresa Schwegel’s Officer Down won the Edgar Award for Best First Novel and was shortlisted for the Anthony Award. A graduate of Loyola University and a recipient of an MFA in screenwriting from Chapman University, she was awarded the Twenty-First Century Award from the Chicago Public Library.
Tavia Gilbert is an acclaimed narrator of more than four hundred full-cast and multivoice audiobooks for virtually every publisher in the industry. Named the 2018 Voice of Choice by Booklist magazine, she is also winner of the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. She has earned numerous Earphones Awards, a Voice Arts Award, and a Listen-Up Award. Audible.com has named her a Genre-Defining Narrator: Master of Memoir. In addition to voice acting, she is an accomplished producer, singer, and theater actor. She is also a producer, singer, photographer, and a writer, as well as the cofounder of a feminist publishing company, Animal Mineral.
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