Badlands Play Dead: A Novel of Suspense

Description

Philadelphia police detectives Kevin Byrne and Jessica Balzano are working a new beat: the Special Investigations Unit, aka the cold case squad. Ironic, given that it’s the height of a blazing hot August. But even these hardened homicide veterans are chilled to the bone as a dormant murder case stirs to life–leading Byrne and Balzano into the dark heart of their city, their souls, and a psyche of pure evil.Months before, a teenage runaway’s body was found in the desolate, dangerous North Philly district dubbed the Badlands. Dead runaways were no novelty on these mean streets, but the Caitlin O’Riordan case was different. Her corpse was found in the basement of a rancid tenement apartment, the inexplicable cause of death: drowning. In the end, nothing was solved and the case was closed.Now a confession to the bizarre murder on the police tipline sends Byrne and Balzano rushing to make an arrest. But instead of a killer, they discover a ghastly scene: a jar containing human remains–along with a cryptic clue leading to an unlikely witness. Laura Somerville lives far from the squalor of the Badlands, and seemingly light-years from any connection to a murdered runaway. But moments after discussing the case with this elegant lady, Byrne and Balzano make another grisly discovery, and find an enigmatic word spelled out in Scrabble tiles.Across town, another victim’s shallow grave reveals deeper mysteries. Her secret diaries portray a woman haunted by a shocking past, and obsessed with finding a depraved killer.Now, as the body count grows, a terrifying design literally takes shape. Pieces of a gruesome puzzle are being set into place by the cruel hands of a madman using the city as his game board. His playthings are the innocent, and his opponents–and pawns–are Byrne and Balzano, who must, before time runs out, decipher the truth about a shadowy house of horrors and its elusive master.Internationally acclaimed author Richard Montanari works his black magic to spine-tingling perfection in Badlands, conjuring all the relentless suspense, dark twists of intrigue, and full-throttle action that make his brilliant, engrossing novels required reading for thriller fans. COVER......Page 1 ALSO BY RICHARD MONTANAR......Page 4 TITLE PAGE......Page 7 COPYRIGHT......Page 8 DEDICATION......Page 9 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS......Page 11 PROLOGUE......Page 13 PART ONE......Page 19 CHAPTER ONE......Page 21 CHAPTER TWO......Page 29 CHAPTER THREE......Page 35 CHAPTER FOUR......Page 38 CHAPTER FIVE......Page 44 CHAPTER SIX......Page 51 CHAPTER SEVEN......Page 57 CHAPTER EIGHT......Page 64 CHAPTER NINE......Page 74 CHAPTER TEN......Page 78 CHAPTER ELEVEN......Page 81 CHAPTER TWELVE......Page 84 CHAPTER THIRTEEN......Page 90 CHAPTER FOURTEEN......Page 92 CHAPTER FIFTEEN......Page 96 PART TWO......Page 99 CHAPTER SIXTEEN......Page 101 CHAPTER SEVENTEEN......Page 115 CHAPTER EIGHTEEN......Page 119 CHAPTER NINETEEN......Page 122 CHAPTER TWENTY......Page 126 CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE......Page 130 CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO......Page 137 CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE......Page 143 CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR......Page 145 CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE......Page 148 CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX......Page 151 CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN......Page 155 CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT......Page 161 CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE......Page 169 CHAPTER THIRTY......Page 174 CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE......Page 175 CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO......Page 179 CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE......Page 186 CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR......Page 191 CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE......Page 195 CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX......Page 199 CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN......Page 200 CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT......Page 203 CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE......Page 208 CHAPTER FORTY......Page 213 CHAPTER FORTY-ONE......Page 216 CHAPTER FORTY-TWO......Page 222 CHAPTER FORTY-THREE......Page 228 CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR......Page 233 CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE......Page 240 CHAPTER FORTY-SIX......Page 243 CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN......Page 246 CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT......Page 247 CHAPTER FORTY-NINE......Page 250 CHAPTER FIFTY......Page 253 CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE......Page 255 CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO......Page 257 CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE......Page 258 CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR......Page 262 CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE......Page 263 CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX......Page 265 CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN......Page 267 CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT......Page 271 CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE......Page 272 CHAPTER SIXTY......Page 275 CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE......Page 279 CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO......Page 285 CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE......Page 287 CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR......Page 289 CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE......Page 290 CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX......Page 292 CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN......Page 294 PART THREE......Page 297 CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT......Page 299 CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE......Page 304 CHAPTER SEVENTY......Page 306 CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE......Page 310 CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO......Page 312 CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE......Page 314 CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR......Page 317 CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE......Page 322 CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX......Page 325 CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN......Page 327 CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT......Page 328 CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINE......Page 333 CHAPTER EIGHTY......Page 336 CHAPTER EIGHTY-ONE......Page 341 CHAPTER EIGHTY-TWO......Page 345 CHAPTER EIGHTY-THREE......Page 348 CHAPTER EIGHTY-FOUR......Page 349 CHAPTER EIGHTY-FIVE......Page 352 CHAPTER EIGHTY-SIX......Page 353 CHAPTER EIGHTY-SEVEN......Page 355 CHAPTER EIGHTY-EIGHT......Page 356 CHAPTER EIGHTY-NINE......Page 359 CHAPTER NINETY......Page 361 CHAPTER NINETY-ONE......Page 363 CHAPTER NINETY-TWO......Page 365 CHAPTER NINETY-THREE......Page 367 CHAPTER NINETY-FOUR......Page 368 CHAPTER NINETY-FIVE......Page 369 CHAPTER NINETY-SIX......Page 371 CHAPTER NINETY-SEVEN......Page 373 CHAPTER NINETY-EIGHT......Page 374 CHAPTER NINETY-NINE......Page 376 CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED......Page 378 CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED ONE......Page 380 CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED TWO......Page 382 CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED THREE......Page 383 CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED FOUR......Page 385 CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED FIVE......Page 387 CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED SIX......Page 389 CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED SEVEN......Page 391 CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED EIGHT......Page 394 CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED NINE......Page 398 ABOUT THE AUTHOR......Page 401