Synopses & Reviews
When a pregnant federal judge is abducted, Max Freeman pursues an eccentric gang deep into a hidden world he knows better than most: the shadowy waterways of the Florida Everglades
US district judge Diane Manchester has looked across the courtroom into the eyes of evil before. But today, as she presides over the extradition hearing of a notorious Colombian drug lord, she is also eight months pregnant. Her chair is uncomfortable, her robe is constrictive, and her due date is fast approaching. If she shows a single sign of weakness, Diane risks jeopardizing the biggest trial of her career and setting a vicious murderer free.
In seconds, her situation takes a harrowing turn for the worse. Walking to her favorite lunch spot, Diane is grabbed off the street, thrown into the back of a white van, blindfolded, and threatened with death. She has no idea who her kidnappers are or what they want. Maintaining a strict code of silence, they refuse to give her even the smallest glimmer of hope.
But Diane’s captors have overlooked a crucial detail: Her husband, Billy, is the employer and best friend of Max Freeman, Philadelphia cop turned South Florida private investigator. Tossing off the rule of law, Freeman sets out to determine which of a rogues’ gallery of suspects took Diane—and to save her and her unborn child before it’s too late.
Review
“Jonathon King captures the intrigue, lyrical beauty, and darkness of the Florida Everglades better than any other writer I know of.” —James Lee Burke
“King adds new dimensions of depth and substance to the modern crime novel.” —Michael Connelly
Review
“Edgar-winning King’s seventh Max Freeman mystery has the kind of clock-driven suspense seen in the best of Harlan Coben. . . . This is a strong series, and [Don’t Lose Her] will appeal directly to fans of adrenaline-driven suspense fiction.” —Booklist “King has long been on my must-read list, and the latest Max Freeman mystery, Don’t Lose Her, is absolutely first-rate. Its opening is utterly gripping, and the story only picks up narrative steam and emotional richness as the pages fly by. Add to that a colorful cast of characters, settings rendered with delicacy and lyricism, and a conclusion that’s as potent as it is satisfying. It’s been a long time since I read a novel that stayed with me with such hypnotic power.” —James W. Hall “Jonathon King captures the intrigue, lyrical beauty, and darkness of the Florida Everglades better than any other writer I know of.” —James Lee Burke
“King adds new dimensions of depth and substance to the modern crime novel.” —Michael Connelly
“King’s writing is gritty, vivid, and suspenseful.” —Harlan Coben
“King’s descriptions of Florida’s backwaters put him right up there with James W. Hall and Randy Wayne White—excellent company indeed.” —
Chicago Tribune Synopsis
When a pregnant judge is abducted, a PI follows her trail into the Florida Everglades in this novel by "the master of the high-stakes thriller" (Michael Connelly).
US district judge Diane Manchester has looked across the courtroom into the eyes of evil before. But today, as she presides over the extradition hearing of a notorious Colombian drug lord, she is also eight months pregnant. Her chair is uncomfortable, her robe is constrictive, and her due date is fast approaching. If she shows a single sign of weakness, Diane risks jeopardizing the biggest trial of her career and setting a vicious murderer free.
In seconds, her situation takes a harrowing turn for the worse. Walking to her favorite lunch spot, Diane is grabbed off the street, thrown into the back of a white van, blindfolded, and threatened with death. She has no idea who her kidnappers are or what they want. Maintaining a strict code of silence, they refuse to give her even the smallest glimmer of hope.
But Diane's captors have overlooked a crucial detail: Her husband, Billy, is the employer and best friend of Max Freeman, Philadelphia cop turned South Florida private investigator. Tossing off the rule of law, Freeman sets out to determine which of a rogues' gallery of suspects took Diane--and to save her and her unborn child before it's too late.
From the author of the Edgar Award winner The Blue Edge of Midnight, whose "descriptions of Florida's backwaters put him right up there with James W. Hall and Randy Wayne White" (Chicago Tribune), this is a mystery with "the kind of clock-driven suspense seen in the best of Harlan Coben" (Booklist).
About the Author
Jonathon King is an Edgar Award–winning mystery novelist and the creator of the bestselling Max Freeman crime series. Born in Lansing, Michigan, in the 1950s, King worked as a crime reporter in Philadelphia and Fort Lauderdale for twenty-four years before becoming a full-time novelist. Along with the seven books of the Max Freeman series, King has authored the thriller Eye of Vengeance (2007) and the historical novel The Styx (2009).