THE HUNTED
Wayne Barcomb
In The Hunted, a killer draws an intellectual young detective into a tangled pursuit while her victims serve as surrogates for her father who abused her and murdered her mother while she watched as a little girl. As a result of her testimony her father is convicted and sent to prison, but not before he promises her he will kill her someday.
Eighteen years later he is paroled and begins to hunt down his daughter, now a beautiful young woman of twenty–eight living in New York. The normalcy of her life masks a tragic dysfunction that was set in motion so many years ago. She has been badly damaged psychologically. The damage accelerates when she learns that her father has been released.
A chance encounter with a man, who invites her to dinner and later tries to force himself upon her, triggers long pent up hostilities. She kills the man in the image of the manner in which her father murdered her mother.
No longer able to control the homicidal urges that have lain dormant for so many years, she embarks on a series of murders, with each victim a surrogate for her father. Eventually, father and daughter begin a cat and mouse game until their ultimate confrontation.
Homicide detective, Frank Russo steeped in knowledge of serial killers, also lectures at John Jay College of Criminal Justice on the pathological mind of the serial murderer. His investigations bring him dangerously close to a conclusion he dreads. As Frank is about to bring closure to the case and embarrassment to the entire NYPD, a bizarre twist changes everything.
About the Author
Wayne Barcomb was president of a Boston college textbook company before turning to full-time writing. He finds excitement and fulfillment from three different aspects of his writing career. The first is the hands on research he does, consisting of close ties with homicide detectives, FBI agents, visits to prison inmates, working as a bartender in a notorious strip joint to gather material, and participating in crime scene re-enactments at places like the FBI Academy in Quantico, VA.
Praise for The Hunted
“In THE HUNTED, Wayne Barcomb shows a talent that can keep a story going so fast that you wish it were longer. May the next book come soon, very soon.”
--Stuart Kaminsky, Grand Master, Mystery Writers of America
“A cleverly written and superbly plotted exercise in suspense, THE HUNTED explores the darkest corners of the human psyche.”
--John Lutz, author of Chill of Night
"This case is either a detective’s dream-come-true or his worst career-breaking nightmare. Detective Frank Russo is the real deal: relentless, intelligent, hard-hitting. I enjoyed this book."
--TJ Moroney, Lieutenant Detective Squad Commander, 18th Precinct Midtown North, NYPD
"Wayne Barcomb's THE HUNTED is a haunting and harrowing journey into murder, madness and vengeance. Like Harlan Coben and Dennis Lehane, Barcomb stitches a tragically taut connection between a present in which his characters are trapped and a past from which they cannot escape. A major suspense debut."
--Jon Land, author of The Seven Sins
Rights Information
- German translation rights sold to Goldmann/Random House
- Japanese translation rights to Hayakawa
- Audio rights sold to Books-on-Tape
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