E.L. Pender

Critically acclaimed author Jonathan Nasaw plumbs the depths of evil with this scorching, darkly suspenseful thriller. When a man pulled over for a routine traffic stop commits two gruesome acts of violence, the FBI suspects he may be the psychopath who has kidnapped at least a dozen strawberry blond women across the country. Court-appointed psychiatrist Irene Cogan is fascinated by the multiple identities struggling for control of his mind, but it's only when he stages a stunning jailbreak and takes Irene hostage that she begins to understand the minefield of his mental state. Held prisoner beyond the hope of rescue, Irene finds herself at the mercy of a man who can't decide whether she's just another victim--or his one chance for salvation. Full of harrowing psychological surprises and violent, unpredictable twists, The Girls He Adored showcases Jonathan Nasaw as a major voice in contemporary suspense fiction. Narrator Tom Stechschulte infuses all the action with a stunning, unrelenting intensity.

For ten years, the charmingly disheveled veteran FBI Special Agent E.L. Pender has been investigating the apparently random disappearances of a dozen women across the country. The only detail the cases have in common is the strawberry blond color of the victims' hair, and the presence of a mystery man with whom they were last seen. Then, in Monterey, California, a routine traffic stop erupts into a scene of horrific violence. The local police are stunned by a disemboweled strawberry blond victim and an ingenious killer with multiple alternating personalities. Pender is convinced he has found his man, but before he can prove it, the suspect stages a cunning jailbreak and abducts his court-appointed psychiatrist, Irene Cogan. In a house on a secluded ridge in Oregon, Irene must navigate through the minefield of her captor's various egos -- male and female, brilliant and na ve, murderous and passive -- all of whom are dominated by Max, a seductive killer who views her as both his prisoner and his salvation. Irene knows that to survive she must play along with Max's game of sexual perversion. Only then will she be able to strip back the layers to discover a chilling story of a shattered young boy -- and all the girls he adored. A sexually charged thriller of extraordinary originality and page-turning suspense, "The Girls He Adored" moves furiously from the inner recesses of the psyche to its final, startling climax. Jonathan Nasaw brilliantly portrays two equally intense characters -- a deviant killer and the expert who can unlock his darkest secrets -- and introduces one of the most likable sleuths in recent fiction.