The Killing Season

Cross’s engrossing debut, the first in a new crime series, introduces Carter Blake, a man without a home and with no personal ties, but with a knack for finding people who don’t want to be found. Blake agrees to help the FBI locate serial killer Caleb Wardell (dubbed the Chicago Sniper by the media), who escaped from a prisoner-transport van en route from Chicago to the federal correction complex at Terre Haute, Ind., where he was due to be executed in two weeks. Elaine Banner, an FBI special agent, starts feeling conflicted when Blake’s instincts prove to be more reliable than those of FBI man Steve Castle, who’s calling the shots on the investigation. The body count grows as Wardell goes on a rampage in several states. The suspense builds all the way to the breathtaking ending. Readers will look forward to seeing more of Blake. Agent: Luigi Bonomi, LBA (U.K.). (Feb.)