Abandoned (A Thriller) Abandoned is the fourth book in the Smokey Barrett series by Cody McFadyen and in my opinion it may be his best! Smokey is an FBI agent and leader of the LA branch of the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC). They hunt down the worst men and women who murder men, women and children and serial rapists too. Smokey is also a survivor. She lives with the scars on her face, left after a killer broke into her house and killed her husband Matt and daughter Alexa. The previous books, Shadow Man, The Face of Death, and The Dark Side have all been outstanding. I thoroughly enjoy McFadyen’s writing and the characters that live in these books. These characters include members of Smoky’s team, Callie Thorne, Alan Washington, James Giron, and Leo Carnes, who plays a big role in this book. Smokey’s adopted daughter Bonnie, who is also a survivor, having been tied to her dead mother for three days, and Tommy, Smoky’s new husband, all combine to make the novels extend far beyond the chase of a killer. MaFadyen’s first book, Shadow Man was a particular favorite and one of the best debut novels I have ever read.
In Abandoned, Smoky faces possibly the most difficult adversary she has ever faced. The novel opens on the wedding day of one of the members of Smoky’s team, Callie Thorne. Smoky receives a text message saying “I’m sending something to you, Special Agent Barrett.” As Father Yates is presenting Mr. and Mrs……a black Mustang pulls into the parking lot the door opens and a woman is tossed out. She’s shaved bald and is wearing a white nightgown and as she approaches the wedding party “she puts her hands to her face, turns her head to the sky, and begins to scream. A fingerprint check reveals that she has been missing for eight years – that she once was a wife, a mother and a cop! So begins Smoky’s hunt for a psychopath who keeps his victims in absolute darkness and doesn’t derive pleasure from the killing. From an interview at Amazon, Cody McFadyen says this about the killer:
I saw him, he terrified me, and then I wrote him. He lies within the pages of Abandoned. It’s my hope he’ll terrify you as well.–Cody McFadyen
Well, he did terrify me at times and I know he terrified Smoky….so if you are a fan of great writing definitely pick up this one!! 5 out of 5