Red, Red Robin

When Ruth Lasseter hires an escort to cover for a workplace affair, she lets a deeply disturbed young man into her life. Though she survives the consequence, she's left with the lingering suspicion that he hasn't simply disappeared. He's still out there, taking out his problems on other woman just like her.There was a moment when Ruth had her chance to stop him for good. But she didn't take it.Now she sees that closure-for both of them-lies on the other side of that line.

From Publishers Weekly

British writer Gallagher (Nightmare, with Angel) has written a smashing serial-killer thriller that embraces all the conventions of the genre while adding several page-turning twists and subtexts of its own. When, in order to protect her married lover, Ruth Lasseter uses an escort service to employ a companion, Tim Hagan, for a company event, it comes as no surprise to the reader that the hired help turns out to be serious trouble. But Ruth isn't your standard damsel in distress. She's a resident British alien working for a Philadelphia publisher, emotionally stressed enough to discuss her plans with her imaginary child but strong enough to flaunt her too-young escort in a corporate setting. Even after the Hagan reveals his true nature and she and security guard Aidan Kincannon foil his plans for her in a struggle that leads to the madman's presumed death, Ruth continues to be haunted by the young man, and delves into his past. As she discovers, Hagan may not be dead, and may not be the man everyone assumes him to be. And, as she uncovers the macabre and unsettling story of his childhood, Ruth finds herself pushing away Aidan and anyone else who might help her regain her emotional equilibrium. The final, inevitable showdown between a killer driven by inescapable demons and a woman who seeks understanding as much as revenge proves as powerful as the promise that Gallagher has built up, page upon gripping page of this compelling, unusually sensitive chiller. Mystery Guild and Doubleday Book Club selections; Literary Guild alternate. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Powerful prose, wrenching psychological intensity, and icy suspense characterize Gallagher's (Nightmare with Angel, Ballantine, 1993) newest thriller. The Briton convincingly places a female protagonist at the crux of his plot, which begins when Ruth Lasseter employs an escort service to conceal her love affair with a co-worker. Ruth and the young escort get along famously; however, when Ruth rejects Tim after one night of fantasy, he first woos her, then stalks her, and finally kidnaps her. Ruth escapes but becomes a slave to Tim's violence and can only hope to free herself by examining Tim's past. Recommended for all collections.?Rex Klett, Mitchell Community Coll., LRC, Statesville, N.C.Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The venue and vernacular of Gallagher's latest story are markedly different from his superb and disturbing Nightmare with Angel (1993), but the impact of his new book is just as powerful. Brit Ruth Lasseter, resettled in Philadelphia and a successful but--sadly--single yuppie, makes the biggest mistake of her life when she consults a dating agency to find an escort for a swank soiree her office is throwing. She chooses Tim Hagan, who seems the ideal date--young and handsome enough to set office tongues wagging, but experienced and debonair. Unfortunately, Tim is not at all what he seems. After their first date, he won't leave Ruth alone, and when she calls the cops, he retaliates with a frightening vengeance. Finally, Ruth frees herself from the menacing Tim, but in an odd turnabout, she becomes obsessed with finding out details about the mysterious stranger who has threatened her health, her happiness, and even her life. What she discovers proves nearly fatal. Gallagher once again shows that he ranks as one of today's best writers of psychological thrillers. This is a stunningly powerful, terrifyingly violent, emotionally wrenching story that will lodge deep in the reader's psyche. Emily Melton

From the Inside Flap

iller-reading were a sin, Stephen Gallagher would be responsible for my ultimate damnation. His work is fast-paced, well-written, infused with a sense of dark wonder, and altogether fresh."--Dean R. KoontzThough Tim Hagan appears wistful and sweet, beneath his polite veneer and boyishly handsome face lies a rage as deep as the ocean, and a conflict as sharp as a dagger. He needs a woman to save him from his gruesome past--and those who fail will simply become part of it.Usually decisive and in command, thirty-something Ruth Lasseter finds herself on shaky ground. In order to mask an office affair, she must bring an escort to the company dance--someone who can play the part of paramour with convincing precision. Finally she makes her choice: Tim Hagan seems a suitable young man. The darkness torn from that single night will consume Ruth with a need for vengeance and strip her life to the bone.For Ruth escapes the hellish fate Hagan planned for her, only to become

About the Author

Stephen Gallagher is the award-winning author of fifteen novels including Valley of Lights, Down River, Rain, and Nightmare, With Angel. He's the creator of Sebastian Becker, Special Investigator to the Lord Chancellor's Visitor in Lunacy, in a series of novels that includes The Kingdom of Bones, The Bedlam Detective, and The Authentic William James.

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