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A Novel of Suspense
Twenty years ago Nell Jarreau witnessed the murder of her boyfriend. Her testimony put a man behind bars—and led her to her husband, Clay, the gentle detective who solved the case. They've been happy ever since—and have raised a daughter together—but then one phone call changes everything.
New evidence has exonerated Alvin DuPree, aka Pirate—the man Nell helped to convict—and now he's a free man. Nell is consumed by feelings of guilt, and for the first time in their marriage, Clay is no help. The case is closed for him, this new turn of events a mistake, nothing more, and Nell's attempts to talk to him about the situation are met with anger. And to make matters worse, the whole ordeal is beginning to wear on her relationship with her daughter.
Nell is determined to find the answers to her questions, though. Is DuPree, now a much-changed man, really innocent? Could Nell have been wrong all those years ago? Does her husband—or her daughter—know something about the case Nell doesn't? But secrets buried for twenty years tend to grow roots, to burrow deep; and they are not unearthed easily. Every answer produces more questions, and Nell's search eventually leads her to the one person she hasn't approached: the freed man himself. As the pieces fall into place, Nell realizes that the truth—and very real danger—could be much closer than she ever imagined.
"The apparent exoneration of a wrongfully convicted killer long after the fact plays havoc with the people who did the convicting - and with the convict as well... Abrahams succeeds in making this deeply wronged man dangerous, pitiable and scary." - Kirkus Reviews.
"Guilt or innocence aside, DuPree is a highly unlikable and inarticulate character, while Nell herself is too one-dimensional to carry the dramatic weight of the story. Fans of Abrahams's complex earlier novels will hope for a return to form next time." - Publishers Weekly.
"Starred Review. In addition to crafting a captivating and swiftly moving story replete with intriguing characters, the Edgar-nominated Abrahams provides wonderful locales in both Louisiana and the Caribbean. Highly recommended for mystery/suspense/thriller and general fiction collections." - Library Journal.
This information about Delusion was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Photo credit: Lily Gray
Peter Abrahams is the best-selling author of A Perfect Crime, The Tutor, The Fan, and Lights Out, for which he received an Edgar® Award nomination; and Down The Rabbit Hole, a novel for children. He lives in Falmouth, Massachusetts, with his wife and children. Writing as Spencer Quinn, he is also the author of the Chet and Bernie mystery series that starts with Dog On It (2009) with the latest book Scents and Sensibility that was published in 2015.
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