The Official Ridley Pearson Website

       Body of David Hayes
       The Art of Deception
       Middle of Nowhere
       The First Victim
       Pied Piper
       Beyond Recognition
       No Witnesses
       The Angel Maker
       Undercurrents

"Impeccably paced,
beautifully observed
amd moving with a
crescendo of suspense..." *

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THE FIRST VICTIM

(paperback)

From the bestselling author of The Pied Piper and Beyond Recognition – a writer who consistently receives rave reviews – comes a new Lou Boldt thriller. The New York Times has said about Ridley Pearson, "[his] grasp of investigative knowledge is truly impressive," and Publishers Weekly commented, "A rare humanism and attention to procedural detail have marked Pearson's thrillers featuring Seattle cop Lou Boldt."

In this gripping new novel, Lou Boldt is back and entering dark new territory. A shipping container washed ashore leads Seattle television news anchor Stevie McNeal and her reporter friend, Melissa, on the trail of a scam involving the importation of illegal aliens. A career stepping-stone for McNeal, the investigation puts her at cross-purposes with the Seattle Police Department's Lou Boldt and Sergeant John LaMoia. When Melissa disappears, perhaps at the hands of the Chinese Triad, McNeal turns from foe to ally and teams up with the detectives on an investigation that takes them from Seattle's docklands to the offices of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

With a storyline that mirrors today's headlines, meticulous research, and fascinating forensic details, this latest crime novel confirms Pearson's place at the top of the genre.

* Publishers Weekly

Buy the book from an independent bookstore or Amazon.

This book is also available as an e-book; download from Amazon.

And it's available in audio from Amazon. It was voted one of the best mysteries on audio for 1999.