In Hayder’s thriller, an apparent carjacking quickly reveals itself to involve the kidnapping of a child and possibly murder. Initially, the plot concentrates on homicide detective Jack Caffery’s puzzling inability to make headway in his search for the man nicknamed the Jacker. But, without weakening its solid construction, the novel soon begins alternating its focus from Caffery to the reckless head of the department’s underwater search unit, Sgt. Phoebe “Flea” Marley, who in her zeal to locate the Jacker’s lair, winds up trapped, helpless, and wounded in an abandoned tunnel. Hayder pushes both characters to their limits, and narrator Steven Crossley seems to relish the opportunity to add his own special twist to their emotions. His Caffery speaks with a precise British accent, displaying a range of moods, from depressed and distracted indifference, to frustration, confusion, and desperation. Marley, with her slangy cockney, gives Crossley even more of a workout. He provides her with a vocal swagger as she sets out to regain professional prestige by singlehandedly finding the kidnapped child. The narrator also gives life to the novel’s other highly emotional participants—the weary and resentful cops, the frantic parents, and the wily, demented Jacker. A Grove paperback. (June)
