Roadside Crosses | 誠品線上

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內容簡介 本書是作者的系列創作 「凱瑟琳‧丹斯（Kathryn Dance） 」最新作品（前作為《The Sleeping Doll 沉睡的娃娃》）。故事描述 Monterey Peninsula 出現了一名連續殺人犯，在犯案之前，他會在路邊留下十字記號，宣告他即將殺死某人。而他盯上被害者的方法十分有效率、也十分可怕：他從部落格和社交網站上收集目標的詳細個人資料，再付諸行動；他用自己在線上角色扮演遊戲中學到的各種技巧躲開了警察的追捕，也緊緊鎖定他的每一個目標…。這種因為網路興趣而衍生出來的新型罪犯非常難以對付， Kathryn 有辦法應付這個棘手的案子、抓住躲在網路背後的連續殺人犯嗎？本書被 Publishers Weekly 和 Booklist 譽為「極度聰明」、「充滿意想不到的轉折」、「即使是最有經驗的讀者也會不知不覺被誤導」，作者以高度觀察力寫下這個和當今最熱門的網路現象為背景的精彩小說。作者被譽為當代偵探小說巨匠，他已經出版了將近三十本的作品，其中最廣為國內讀者所熟知的作品當屬《人骨拼圖》為首的林肯萊姆（Lincoln Rhyme）系列。作者不僅是全美各大暢銷書榜的常客，亦曾獲「安東尼小說獎」提名、兩度獲選「艾勒里．昆恩讀書會」年度最佳短篇小說獎，以及五度獲美國偵探作家協會提名「艾德嘉獎」、六度獲美國偵探作家協會提名「艾倫坡獎」、「英國犯罪小說作家協會」最佳驚悚小說「鐵匕首獎」、年度最佳短篇小說「短匕首獎」等多項榮譽，也曾榮獲「W.H.史密斯好讀獎」，被推崇為當代犯罪推理小說的大師級人物。

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內文 :

OUT OF PLACE.

The California Highway Patrol trooper, young with bristly yellow hair beneath his crisp hat, squinted through the windshield of his Crown Victoria Police Interceptor as he cruised south along Highway 1 in Monterey. Dunes to the right, modest commercial sprawl to the left.

Something was out of place. What?

Heading home at 5:00 p.m. after his tour had ended, he surveyed the road. The trooper didn'twrite a lot of tickets here, leaving that to the county deputies -- professional courtesy -- but he occasionally lit up somebody in a German or Italian car if he was in a mood, and this was the route he often took home at this time of day, so he knew the highway pretty well.

There...that was it. Something colorful, a quarter mile ahead, sat by the side of the road at the base of one of the hills of sand that cut off the view of Monterey Bay.

What could it be?

He hit his light bar -- protocol -- and pulled over onto the right shoulder. He parked with the hood of the Ford pointed leftward toward traffic, so a rear-ender would shove the car away from, not over, him, and climbed out. Stuck in the sand just beyond the shoulder was a cross -- a roadside memorial. It was about eighteen inches high and homemade, cobbled together out of dark, broken-off branches, bound with wire like florists use. Dark red roses lay in a splashy bouquet at the base. A cardboard disk was in the center, the date of the accident written on it in blue ink. There were no names on the front or back.

Officially these memorials to traffic accident victims were discouraged, since people were occasionallyinjured, even killed, planting a cross or leaving flowers or stuffed animals.

Usually the memorials were tasteful and poignant. This one was spooky.

What was odd, though, was that he couldn't remember any accidents along here. In fact this was one of the safest stretches of Highway 1 in California. The roadway becomes an obstacle course south of Carmel, like that spot of a really sad accident several weeks ago: two girls killed coming back from a graduation party. But here, the highway was three lanes and mostly straight, with occasional lazy bends through the old Fort Ord grounds, now a college, and the shopping districts.

The trooper thought about removing the cross, but the mourners might return to leave another one and endanger themselves again. Best just to leave it. Out of curiosity he'd check with his sergeant in the morning and find out what had happened. He walked back to his car, tossed his hat on the seat and rubbed his crew cut. He pulled back into traffic, his mind no longer on roadside accidents. He was thinking about what his wife would be making for supper, about taking the kids to the pool afterward.

And when was his brother coming to town? He looked at the date window on his watch. He frowned. Was that right? A glance at his cell phone confirmed that, yes, today was June 25.

That was curious. Whoever had left the roadside cross had made a mistake. He remembered that the date crudely written on the cardboard disk was June 26, Tuesday, tomorrow.

Maybe the poor mourners who'd left the memorial had been so upset they'd jotted the date down wrong.

Then the images of the eerie cross faded, though they didn'tvanish completely and, as the officer headed down the highway home, he drove a bit more carefully.

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