Praise for Sullivans Evidence
A great page-turner. Rosenberg writes authoritatively about the legal system, and she knows how to make a reader identify with her heroines. Shes strong both at plotting and pacing, suckng the reader into a whirlwind, page-turning finish.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Chilling. A determined and fearless sleuth, plenty of insider detail about forensics and the criminal justice system (the author had a 14-year career in law enforcement), and a dramatic and satisfying conclusion make this another winner.
Publishers Weekly
Rosenberg gives readers a detailed insiders look behind the badge.
New York Daily News
A terrific protagonist, fabulous forensic support, and an incredible climaxa superb thriller that will make all the short lists for top books of the year.
Midwest Book Review
Plenty of plot twists and canny reality. With an obviously keen knowledge of evidence collection, forensics, and the strange and dastardly things human beings are capable of doing, Rosenberg has woven a web of obfuscation and evil that not even the most practiced and discerning readers can solve until the last few pages.
Daily Southerner (Tarboro, North Carolina)
Praise for the Electriying Thrillers of Nancy Taylor Rosenberg
Sullivans Justice
Welcome back, Carolyn Sullivan! Rosenbergs talent is amply displayed here as she gives us a sweaty-palm story of evil and betrayaland a sharp-eyed look at the gritty world of southern Californian law enforcement. You wont need coffee or No-Doz with this thriller; its guaranteed to keep you turning pages all night long.
Jeffery Deaver
Authentic. The authors ability to generate narrative drive holds readers. A dark, perilous, and compelling ride.
Booklist
A heart-thumping, pulse-pounding thriller filled with vivid, original players and a plot that grabs hold and sweeps the reader along until the last, breathless twist.
Judith Kelman
Superbplenty of action, the storyline is fast-paced, and readers have a good time wondering who the killer might be. The heroine is a valiant warrior in the fight against crime.
Midwest Book Review
Confidently plotted. Thriller enthusiasts will relish the intricate plot, accelerating action and novel climax of this gripping ride.
Publishers Weekly
Rosenbergs personal experience in law enforcement brings a chilling reality to this page-turner. Begins with an eerie, leave-the-lights on murder and ends with a high-speed chase. In between are breathtaking action and nonstop suspense.
Sandra Brown
Sullivans Law
A gutsy heroine, a fast-moving plot, an insiders look at the justice system Sullivans Law is everything a legal thriller fan could hope for. As always, Nancy Taylor Rosenberg delivers the goods. This will be another bestseller.
Nelson DeMille
Rosenberg uses her firsthand knowledge of law enforcement to create convincing sketches of criminal predators, mental patients, and hardworking civil servants in this fast-paced thriller. Carolyn Sullivan is so human and determined that its almost impossible not to race to the ends to see what happens to her next.
Publishers Weekly
Rosenbergs experience as a cop and a probation officer gives her work an additional layer of investigatory authenticity. Rosenberg puts it all together here with another thoroughly believable heroine dealing with corruption, greed, deceit, and danger.
Booklist
Full or menace, romance, and violence.
Kirkus Reviews
Engaging, with enough excitement to keep thrill-seekers happy.
New York Daily News
Conflict of Interest
Rosenbergs legal thrillers make the most of breakneck pacing and high-energy plotting.
Booklist
Frighteningly real.
Los Angeles Times
Buried Evidence
Nancy Taylor Rosenberg is back with a vengeance, and Buried Evidence is the best evidence that shes at the top of her game!
Lisa Scottoline
Watch your pulse and dont forget to breathe. Nancy Taylor Rosenbergs legal thrillers are a guaranteed adrenaline rush!
Tess Gerritsen
Trial by Fire
Incredibly fast-paced and exciting from page one until the end.
James Patterson
A legal thriller with the works.
Nelson DeMille
California Angel
Theres no doubt that Rosenberg knows how to spin a yarn.
Booklist
Tantalizing
People
Abuse of Power
Nancy Taylor Rosenberg writes legal thrillers with strong female heroes who triumph. Keeps the tension high.
People
Convincingly demonstrates why a bad cop is even more dangerous than a bad perp.
Booklist
First Offense
Compelling tensiongutsy and full-blooded.
Chicago Tribune
Rosenberg can construct a roller coaster plot with the best of them.
Cleveland Plain Dealer
Interest of Justice
Intricate, vivid, thrillingone of the years ten best.
Los Angeles Times
A taut thriller, written with authority.
New York Times Book Review
Mitigating Circumstances
Adrenaline-pumped.
New York Times Book Review
Intricate and satisfying. Rosenberg develops a startling premise skillfully.
Los Angeles Times
Also by Nancy Taylor Rosenberg
Mitigating Circumstances
Interest of Justice
First Offense
Trial by Fire
California Angel
Abuse of Power
Buried Evidence
Conflict of Interest
Sullivans Law
Sullivans Justice
NANCY TAYLOR ROSENBERG
Sullivans Evidence
PINNACLE BOOKS
Kensington Publishing Corp.
www.kensingtonbooks.com
To Forrest Blake and Christian Gabriel Nesci
Contents
CHAPTER 1
St. Louis, Missouri
A s the sun disappeared and darkness fell, death lurked in the shadows. Outside the winds were howling, causing the shutters in the cramped living room to rattle. Eleanor Beckworth headed to the bedroom to change into her nightclothes. Even when she wore her slippers, the cold hardwood floors chafed her feet. She was a petite woman. Her weight had never risen over one twenty. When she was younger, she stood almost five four, but now she was barely five feet. Age had not only shriveled her skin, it had compressed her spine.
Eleanor stopped walking, sensing something. The atmosphere in the room felt different. Was it a change in the barometric pressure? Maybe the storm they were predicting for tomorrow was moving in early. She hoped not, as her roof was badly in need of repair and the boiler was acting up again. Reluctantly, she had called her handyman, Mitch, today. She had space heaters, but she knew they werent always safe, and she was terrified of fire. Maybe Mitch could patch the roof as hed done the year before.
Eleanor tried to live on the money she received from social security, which was barely enough to pay the mortgage and buy groceries. She had twenty thousand in her savings account and a modest amount of equity in her house. She had pulled out most of the money over the years, but she wanted to leave something for her granddaughter when she died.
Glancing at Elizabeths pictures lined up on the walls in the hall, she touched her finger to her lip, and then pressed it against her granddaughters face. Shed raised the girl from the age of three after her daughter, Anna, had died of leukemia. Since Anna hadnt married the childs father, the young man had left town, never to be heard from again. Eleanor gladly served as Elizabeths mother.
Elizabeth was such a darling girl, Eleanor thought, but terribly unlucky when it came to men. Her granddaughter had dated one young man for five years, letting him live with her in her apartment. The man had never contributed a dime, worked only a day or two a week, and refused to commit to a permanent relationship. Elizabeth had finally had no choice but to toss the freeloader out. Her little heart had been shattered.