Tom O’Brien has escaped from prison, having spent twenty years on death row for the murder of his wife and her lover. He now wants to prove his innocence to the one person who matters to him, his daughter Claire. He returns to Sacremento, the city of his crime and contacts Claire who believes him to be guilty and feels some remorse for the part she played in the tragedy.
Whilst Tom is trying to persuade Claire of his innocence and follow up the leads that might prove it, the FBI are trying to catch him for his appointment with the executioner. FBI agent Mitch Bianchi is closing in, despite having been taken off the case. His tactics are to get close to Claire, but finds himself getting closer than he or she expects. As he tightens the net around Tom, he and Claire gradually find themselves convinced that Tom is innocent and they need to help him prove it. The only problem is that the real killer is still at large and neither he, nor his paymasters, wants to be found.
Claire, an insurance fraud investigator competently chases the clues to the real killer’s identity, keeping the FBI (including Mitch) at a distance as she does so. The killer meanwhile tracks her, whilst keeping a wary eye on her father and the FBI, as he eliminates anyone who threatens his freedom.
This is the third in the Prison Break series and manages to keep the tension throughout, weaving a high tension crime thriller with a romantic slant. This book keeps you guessing right up to the end, despite some of the tale being told from the killer’s perspective. The dénouement where the identity of killer is revealed is, unlike many, a surprise for the reader. I am new to Alison Brennan and this is the second of her books which I have read with pleasure; her plot is pacy, her characters have flaws and her technical/legal elements are tight but not overplayed. I will definitely be looking out for others by this author.
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Amanda Brown