“[Thomas Perry is] a master of nail-biting suspense.” — Los Angeles Times In this explosive new novel from the Edgar Award–winning author of The Butcher’s Boy, Blood Money , and other novels of “dazzling ingenuity” ( The New York Times Book Review ), Thomas Perry gives us a thriller even more startling than his most recent bestseller, Pursuit . In Dead Aim , an unsuspecting man tries to help a young woman on the edge, and finds himself drawn into a lethal struggle with a deadly adversary--and then another, and another, and another. Robert Mallon has lived for ten quiet years in affluent Santa Barbara, California, when an encounter on a beach with a mysterious young woman shatters his peaceful, carefully constructed life. Despite Mallon’s desperate attempts, he loses her, and he becomes obsessed with discovering why. He hires detective Lydia Marks to uncover the secrets of this stranger’s life, and what they learn propels them into a terrifying underworld of sinister secrets and deadly hatreds. Set against Mallon is the master hunter Parish, a man with an expert understanding of evil, who preys on rich people’s desire for dominance and revenge. Thomas Perry’s writing is “as sharp as a sushi knife,” said the Los Angeles Times about Blood Money , and the same can be said about this new novel by the author hailed as “one of America’s finest storytellers” ( San Francisco Examiner ). With Dead Aim , Thomas Perry gives us another brilliant novel of spine-tingling suspense. A retired land developer and millionaire, Robert Mallon has been living peacefully in Santa Barbara, CA, for a decade. Then one day on the beach, he meets a young woman whom he saves from suicide. A few hours later, however, she shoots herself, and Robert feels that he should have done more to help her. Guilt drives him to hire his old partner and now a private investigator, Lydia Marks, to help him uncover what motivated Catherine Broward. They find that her last year included time spent at a California ranch specializing in teaching rigorous self-defense. A visit to the ranch is soon followed by an attempt on Robert's life, and he finds himself pursued over Southern California. Perry, an Edgar Award winner and creator of the Jane Whitefield mystery series, never writes the same book twice, and here he chooses a theme that most Americans would probably find implausible. However, in his capable hands the plot becomes totally engrossing and believable. The reader remains gripped in unending suspense and a shocking denouement. For all fiction collections. Jo Ann Vicarel, Cleveland Heights-University Heights P.L., OH Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. Millionaire Robert Mallon is taking a casual stroll on the beach in Santa Barbara when he comes across a young woman. He's shocked when he sees her disappear into the ocean and impulsively leaps in to rescue her. She's clearly not happy that he did so, but Mallon attempts to get through to her and talk her out of killing herself. When he leaves her by herself for a little while, she vanishes, and a few days later, he learns she did indeed do herself in. Curious about her past and feeling guilty that he couldn't save her, Mallon calls on his old friend Lydia Marks, a part-time private investigator, to help him find out about the girl's past. They discover that her name is Catherine and learn about her murdered boyfriend, Mark, and her enrollment in a mysterious self-defense school. A trip to the school doesn't yield much information, but suddenly it seems Mallon has enemies--mysterious assassins who are determined to take Mallon out of the picture. The cops don't believe him, and Mallon suddenly isn't sure whom he can trust. The dogged skepticism of the police department and the ease with which the killers commit their crimes (and get away with them) are somewhat implausible, but readers might not care once the suspenseful story hits its stride. Kristine Huntley Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Praise for Thomas Perry “Thomas Perry is truly an original.” —Jonathan Kellerman “The best thriller of the year . . . [Thomas Perry is] one of the most thoroughly satisfying writers around.” —Lawrence Block, about Vanishing Act “Dazzles like a house of mirrors.” —Martha Grimes, about Shadow Woman “As beautifully crafted as a good automatic weapon.” —Martin Cruz Smith, about Sleeping Dogs “A wild and terrific book.” —Carl Hiaasen, about Island [Thomas Perry is] a master of nail-biting suspense. Los Angeles Times In this explosive new novel from the Edgar Award winning author of The Butcher s Boy, Blood Money , and other novels of dazzling ingenuity ( The New York Times Book Review ), Thomas Perry gives us a thriller even more startling than his most recent bestseller, Pursuit . In Dead Aim , an unsuspecting man tries to help a young woman on the edge, and finds himself drawn into a lethal struggle with a deadly adversary--and then ano