Product Description
Albert Jay Smalls is the prime suspect in the investigation into Cathy Lake's murder. The cops have no evidence or witnesses, but they're convinced he's hiding the truth and they've got just twelve hours to find out. Each cop has his own motive for wanting to nail Albert Jay Smalls. Jack Pierce is consumed by the murder of his daughter and his own promise to Cathy's mother. Norman Cohen is haunted by the terrible things he saw at the liberation of a concentration camp, Thomas Burke, Chief of police, has a dying son who he lost a long time ago. Cook deftly weaves the tragedies of all their lives into the last twelve hours of their interrogation of the suspect, after which, unless they have a confession, they must let him go. Cook's skill at delving into the psychological depths of his characters turns an otherwise ordinary police procedural into a tense, haunting, and resonant novel.

Synopsis
Albert Jay Smalls is the prime suspect in the investigation into Cathy Lake's murder. The cops have no evidence or witnesses, but they're convinced he's hiding the truth and they've got just twelve hours to find out. Each cop has his own motive for wanting to nail Albert Jay Smalls. Jack Pierce is consumed by the murder of his daughter and his own promise to Cathy's mother. Norman Cohen is haunted by the terrible things he saw at the liberation of a concentration camp, Thomas Burke, Chief of police, has a dying son who he lost a long time ago. Cook deftly weaves the tragedies of all their lives into the last twelve hours of their interrogation of the suspect, after which, unless they have a confession, they must let him go. Cook's skill at delving into the psychological depths of his characters turns an otherwise ordinary police procedural into a tense, haunting, and resonant novel.

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews   3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: High tension, 6 Mar 2003 By  Anna Klein - See all my reviews September 12, 1952. Albert Jay Smalls, an unassuming homeless man, has been arrested for strangling 8-year-old Cathy Lake to death in a park near the tunnel where he lives. But the police don't have enough evidence to hold him. If he won't confess in the next eleven hours, they'll have to let him go. All through the night detectives Norm Cohen and Jack Pierce interrogate him, seeking to crack his denials or at least come up with enough evidence to keep him locked up where he can't do any more harm. While they are at this -- and returning to his home town in search of clues and digging up the park for the girl's missing necklace -- people are busy elsewhere around the city. Eddie Lambrusco is collecting the night's garbage, worrying over his sick daughter and wishing his old pal Charlie was still with him. Police Chief Thomas Burke is by his son's hospital bed, waiting for him to die. A small-time thief is having his own personal money crisis. As the night wears on and the pressure increases, all of these threads are woven together into a resolution as horrific as it is unavoidable. THE INTERROGATION is truly hard to put down. At the beginning of each chapter is an old fashioned clock face reminding the reader of how many hours are left in the interrogation and stepping up the pressure as the characters (and reader) are driven ever closer to desperation. Cook has done a tremendous job of portraying his characters' motivations and playing on their strengths and weaknesses. I especially grew to identify with Jack Pierce, whose own young daughter was murdered and who thus has an even greater reason for promising Cathy's heartbroken mother he will bring her killer to justice. In this expertly plotted novel, which remains fast paced while laced with flashbacks, both the perpetrator and the ending are unguessable but expertly foreshadowed. If you enjoy high tension, well developed mysteries that read almost like a movie, THE INTERROGATION is an excellent choice.  Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers:  ›