15 Seconds

Gross, Andrew

ISBN 10: 0007460856 ISBN 13: 9780007460854

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2012

Synopsis

‘A total white knuckle stay-up-all-night thrill ride’ (Harlan Coben) from the bestselling author of Reckless and Killing Hour. Fifteen seconds can tear a life apart..

OUT OF TOWN

Dr Henry Steadman has it all: a booming business, a daughter he loves, and plenty of time to enjoy life. But while visiting upstate Florida, a police-stop ends in the shooting of a local cop – with Henry as the prime suspect.

OUT OF LUCK

Framed for a second murder, this time of a close friend, Henry goes on the run. His only lifeline is state-trooper Carrie Holmes, no stranger to tragedy herself, who can help prove his innocence. But they are in a dead-end – the police are closing in, the killer is getting away.

OUT OF TIME

This is not just a set-up, it’s far more personal. Henry’s nightmare is complete when his daughter is kidnapped. Suddenly, survival is not enough: he must save his daughter. Everything has been taken away from him – but now, Henry has nothing left to lose...

About this title

Review:

Praise for Andrew Gross:

‘I think this book is fantastic – it has all the obvious virtues plus that elusive X-factor that really made me resent the times I had to put it down. It's Andrew Gross's best yet – including the titles he wrote with James Paterson – and therefore an automatic must read for lovers of fast, topical, can't-put-it-down thrillers’ Lee Child

‘Reckless is a sexy-as-hell thriller and Andrew Gross's best’ James Patterson

‘Real fear, real thrills, real suspense...real good' Lee Child

'A spine-chilling mystery with a thrilling twist' Cosmopolitan

'[Gross] knows how to deliver a thrill' Daily Mail

'All the hallmarks of the master – quick-fire action, believable characters, and a none-too-taxing storyline. Perfect holiday fare' News of the World

From the Back Cover:

15 seconds can tear your life apart . . .

Henry Steadman didn't know what was about to hit him when he pulled up to a red light. A successful Florida plastic surgeon, he is in town to deliver a keynote address at a conference when suddenly his life becomes an unrelenting chase to stay alive.

Stopped by the police for a minor traffic violation, the situation escalates and he is pulled from his vehicle, handcuffed and told he is under arrest. Several other police cars arrive and the questioning turns scary, but just as Henry is released and about to move on, a blue sedan pulls up and the officer is suddenly killed. As the car speeds away, there is only one suspect left behind–Henry. In that moment, his idyllic life becomes a free fall into hell as he becomes the target of a police manhunt, as well as being pursued by a cunning, unnamed perpetrator bent on some kind of vengeance.

When Henry turns to a close friend for help, and he, too, ends up dead, Henry realizes he's being elaborately framed. But in a chilling twist, the stakes grow even darker, and he is unable to go to the police to clear his name, without bringing on dire and deadly consequences.

With breakneck pacing and nonstop action, 15 Seconds shows what can happen when even the best life is turned upside down in an instant. It is also the story of an innocent man, framed for murder, who has to save the person he loves the most, all while being drawn closer and closer to an inevitable face-to-face standoff with a man determined to destroy his life.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0007460856
• ISBN 13: 9780007460854
• Binding: Audio CD