margaret coel
about margaret

novels

        Winter's Child
        Man Who Fell from Sky
        Night of the White Buffalo
        Killing Custer
        Buffalo Bill's Dead Now
        The Perfect Suspect
        The Spider's Web
        Silent Spirit
        Blood Memory
        Girl w/ Braided Hair
        Drowning Man
        Eye of the Wolf
        Wife of Moon
        Killing Raven
        Shadow Dancer
        Thunder Keeper
        Spirit Woman
        Lost Bird
        Story Teller
        Dream Stalker
        Ghost Walker
        Eagle Catcher
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wind river

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Winter's Child

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The Perfect Suspect The Perfect Suspect

Catherine McLeod is back! When David Mathews, candidate for Colorado governor, is found murdered in his mansion, all signs point to his wife, Sydney, the perfect suspect. But Catherine has been covering the candidate's campaign and she has stumbled across rumors that suggest David Mathews is not the charismatic man he seems to be and that he has been living a double life. Then an anonymous caller tells Catherine that she saw the killer leave the mansion after she had heard three shots fired. The killer is none other than Detective Ryan Beckman, on the fast-track with the Denver police department and above suspicion. Detective Beckman is in charge of the investigation into the murder.

Catherine realizes it was probably a crank call, something about the desperation and terror in the voice convinces her the woman is telling the truth. The plot moves from Denver's wealthy, privileged enclaves to the the city's gritty, crime-ridden ghettos as Catherine races a hardened and sophisticated murderer to find the only witness who can bring the killer to justice, certain that if Detective Beckman, with the resources of the police department, wins the race, the caller will be dead. As the hunt goes on, Catherine realizes that the killer is hunting her, and before she can save the witness, she must first save herself.

Read an excerpt



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Penguin Group (USA), September 2011, ISBN-13: 9780425243480



Praise

"Although Coel reveals the killer's identity in the first chapter, the dangerous dance between Catherine and her quarry provides all the tension you could ask for."
Kirkus (read the full review)

"The tension and pacing of the story keep the pages turning."
Denver Post (read the full review)

"The Perfect Suspect starts out as a simple, black-and-white/right-and-wrong tale, like a Picasso image wherein the pieces are all there, just in different places. Within only a few pages, though, it morphs to something more resembling a Gauguin, a story with lines, yes, but slightly blurry ones, and a depth that makes the story a pleasure."
Erin Mitchell, In Real Life (read the full review)

"I guarantee your heart will still be pounding, you'll be tearing through the pages to learn what happens."
Jenn Lawrence, Jenn's Bookshelves (read the full review)

"The Perfect Suspect is a novel of deception... It's not a mystery. It's an intriguing novel of suspense."
Lesa Holstine, Lesa's Book Critiques (read the full review)

"The Perfect Suspect is a clean, quick-moving thriller."
Mark Stevens, Don't Need a Diagram (read the full review)

"...well-written and tightly constructed... a good read, and is recommended."
Theodore Feit