Rage Against the Dying

Yes, this debut thriller has a fast-paced, action-filled plot littered with serial killers and their victims. Yes, its portrayal of FBI procedures resonates with authenticity, and the romantic subplot is engaging. But, most of all, it is the savvy heroine/narrator, Brigid Quinn, who will capture the reader's attention. Brigid is a 59-year-old retired FBI agent with a bad back, a history of alcohol abuse, and a questionable officer-involved shooting in her past. Yet she's made a new life for herself in the outskirts of Tucson by marrying widowed philosophy professor and former priest Carlo DiForenza. She's taken up cooking and gardening and has come to love twilight strolls with her new husband and their two rambunctious pugs. However, when the loose ends of an old unsolved case begin to intrude on her idyllic life, Brigid quickly finds herself caught up in the intrigue despite her desperate desire to shield Carlo from the reality of her past.