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Book Summary and Reviews of Dead Scared by S. J. Bolton

Dead Scared by S. J. Bolton

Dead Scared

by S. J. Bolton

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  • Jun 2012, 400 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

When a rash of suicides tears through Cambridge University, DI Mark Joesbury recruits DC Lacey Flint to go undercover as a student to investigate. Although each student's death appears to be a suicide, the psychological histories, social networks, and online activities of the students involved share remarkable similarities, and the London police are not convinced that the victims acted alone. They believe that someone might be preying on lonely and insecure students and either encouraging them to take their own lives or actually luring them to their deaths. As long as Lacey can play the role of a vulnerable young woman, she may be able to stop these deaths, but is it just a role for her? With her fragile past, is she drawing out the killers, or is she herself being drawn into a deadly game where she's a perfect victim?

Dark and compelling, S. J. Bolton's latest thriller - a follow-up to the acclaimed Now You See Me - is another work of brilliant psychological suspense that plumbs the most sinister depths.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Starred Review. [Bolton] never eases up the tension; her tightly coiled plot and heroine on the edge work perfectly in tandem." - Publishers Weekly

"Menacing and then some. But when the goose bumps recede, there are several major plot holes." - Kirkus Reviews

"A number of superlatives could be used to describe Bolton's new work, but a simple 'wow!' will do. After reading the last sentence, I realized I had been holding my breath during the final page or two. Yes, the ending is that gripping. The story's atmosphere is dark and spooky, the main characters are strong yet vulnerable and the plot is refreshingly unpredictable. This stunning psychological thriller is well worth your time. You'll be hooked from page one." - RT Book Reviews

"Credible characters, an evocative setting, and a chilling group of clever sadists make the latest from Bolton a satisfying and suspenseful read." - Booklist

This information about Dead Scared 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.

Reader Reviews

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Diane S.

Dead Scared
Young women students are committing suicide in horrible ways in Cambridge and in this second book of the series, Flint goes under cover as a college student, to observe and try to ferret out information. Bolton is a fantastic writer at setting up a creepy atmosphere with brilliant writing and descriptions and deep psychological underpinnings. Dark, creepy with many twists and turns, this series will definitely appeal to those who are fans of Chelsea Cain, Sophie Hannah and Gillian Flinn. Definitely not for the faint of heart.

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Author Information

S. J. Bolton

S. J. Bolton is a two-time Mary Higgins Clark Award winner and an ITW Thriller Award, CWA Gold Dagger and Barry Award nominee. Visit her online at www.sjbolton.com.

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