"NYPD detective Megan McGinn plays fast and loose with the rules in this fascinating debut. Megan has a supporting cast that either helps or hinders her every step, and her emotional upheaval throughout the book make her seem more human than the tough façade she presents. Carpenter deftly constructs threads that dovetail with the startling conclusion."
--Romantic Times (4 stars!)
“A promising debut for fans of the procedural thriller. The complex heroine and startling denouement lift this one above the average and bode well for future installments.”
—Kirkus Reviews
--Romantic Times (4 stars!)
“A promising debut for fans of the procedural thriller. The complex heroine and startling denouement lift this one above the average and bode well for future installments.”
—Kirkus Reviews
PUBLISHED/Midnight Ink thriller
Never Alone
C.J. Carpenter
C.J. Carpenter is a new voice on the women’s thriller scene—and her debut novel entitled Never Alone has her fellow authors abuzz. Check out this great blurb from Ken Bruen, the Shamus Award-winning author of The Guards, who says, “If you were to take the sheer narrative skill of Laura Lippman, the artistry of SJ Rozan, and the intricate plotting of Tess Gerritsen, you’d have the fine debut novel that is Never Alone by C.J. Carpenter. Reads like a seasoned writer at the top of her game.” Wow!
NYPD detective Megan McGinn is not in a happy place. Her father, a cop who inspired her to follow in his footsteps, has just died leaving her to deal with her mother, Rose, who has practically forgotten her as Alzheimer’s has stolen her of her memory. And there’s no man in her life beside the occasional one-night stand…not counting her partner, Detective Sam Nappa. Nappa is a definite hottie…but…he’s her partner. That’s all. Damn!
Awaked by Nappa’s call, McGinn has a wicked hangover from her father's wake that's only going to get worse--there’s been a murder—a woman strangled to death, then meticulously washed, her nail polish removed, her nails clipped…and more. She is posed in death, appearing asleep…the picture of serenity. The victim: Irish Catholic, pious, charitable; a “good” young woman. Who could possibly want to kill her?
But there’s a killer loose—a twisted psychopath with incredible attention to detail. While McGinn struggles with the case while she's getting her mother settled in a nursing home, the pressure ratchets up when the killer makes contact with Megan, and begins unknowingly show up in Megan's life. Megan's boss takes her off the case and puts her on bereavement leave--giving Megan the opportunity she needs to go outside of the lines to track down clues. Especially when a second girl is murdered in the same way. Does the city have a serial killer on its hands?
When the pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place, Megan comes to the awful realization that she knows who's next...her own mother.
NYPD detective Megan McGinn is not in a happy place. Her father, a cop who inspired her to follow in his footsteps, has just died leaving her to deal with her mother, Rose, who has practically forgotten her as Alzheimer’s has stolen her of her memory. And there’s no man in her life beside the occasional one-night stand…not counting her partner, Detective Sam Nappa. Nappa is a definite hottie…but…he’s her partner. That’s all. Damn!
Awaked by Nappa’s call, McGinn has a wicked hangover from her father's wake that's only going to get worse--there’s been a murder—a woman strangled to death, then meticulously washed, her nail polish removed, her nails clipped…and more. She is posed in death, appearing asleep…the picture of serenity. The victim: Irish Catholic, pious, charitable; a “good” young woman. Who could possibly want to kill her?
But there’s a killer loose—a twisted psychopath with incredible attention to detail. While McGinn struggles with the case while she's getting her mother settled in a nursing home, the pressure ratchets up when the killer makes contact with Megan, and begins unknowingly show up in Megan's life. Megan's boss takes her off the case and puts her on bereavement leave--giving Megan the opportunity she needs to go outside of the lines to track down clues. Especially when a second girl is murdered in the same way. Does the city have a serial killer on its hands?
When the pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into place, Megan comes to the awful realization that she knows who's next...her own mother.
C.J. Carpenter worked in the advertising industry for ten years. The milieu of Never Alone comes from C.J.'s Irish Catholic family that continues to fill the ranks of the nursing profession. C.J. Carpenter lives in Philadelphia.
