Suspense/Intrigue
Fade to Black
By Char
Jul 1, 2009 - 6:58:17 AM

Special Agent Dean Taggert has seen a lot of perverted things during his years in the FBI, but the person he is now looking for has reached a new level in madness. Dean’s unit has stumbled upon an internet site, called Satan’s Playground, which caters to people who like to torture and kill. Most of the members appear to satisfy their needs through virtual role-playing, but one member has now crossed the line.

The person Dean is looking for is kidnapping woman, torturing them, killing them and capturing it all on tape to share, for a price, with his fellow playmates. Viewing the tapes in chronological order has lead Dean to the site of the first killing, a small town called Hope Valley. Everything points to Hope Valley as being the actual home of the person they are looking for and Dean hopes that with the help of the local sheriff they can stop the madman before he has a chance to kill again.

Sheriff Stacey Rhodes has stepped into her father’s very large shoes and after leaving the force in the big city, Stacey is happy with the low crime rate in Hope Valley. So when Dean arrives and ask for her help, she at first doesn’t believe that someone she has known all her life could be responsible, but after viewing the tape and seeing the victim, a girl that was reported missing, Stacey knows she has no choice but to start looking at the members of her town in a different light. Who is the killer? Could it be her emotionally scarred brother, the crazy veteran on the hill, the shy and timid salesman or the abusive step-father of the first victim? Who ever it is, Dean and Stacey don’t have much time, the killer is back online and is upping the stakes, he is now auctioning off the chance to choose the person and method of death.

FADE TO BLACK by Leslie Parrish is a fast moving, keep you on the edge of your seat, murder mystery. I loved this book and loved how Ms. Parrish kept me guessing throughout the book as to the identity of the killer. I enjoyed watching Stacey and Dean try to avoid the pitfall of falling in love, but realizing in time that a love as strong as theirs is worth fighting for. This is a wonderful book full of mystery and suspense and of course romance. FADE TO BLACK is a book I recommend you rush out to get.