Panic Attack - (Daniel Rinaldi Thrillers) by Dennis Palumbo (Paperback)

About the Book

"When a sports mascot is murdered by an unseen sniper at a college football game, the event erupts into mass chaos. Worse, the dead man in the costume is not the person who was supposed to be wearing it. At first, psychologist Daniel Rinaldi is called in to treat the traumatized almost-victim who is still reeling from a near miss with the serial killer. But as As Pittsburgh is besieged by more deadly sniper attacks, and more random citizens are targeted with spine-tingling accuracy, Rinaldi finds himself at the center of the investigation. And the further he digs, the more he begins to realize that this might be a conspiracy that reaches all the way to the state capitol"--

Book Synopsis

A shooter takes deadly aim, and throws a city into panic

Psychologist Daniel Rinaldi is no stranger to trauma. A survivor of not one, but two attempts on his life by a deranged killer, the therapist also counsels trauma patients in his private practice, and contracts with the Pittsburgh Police to help victims of violent crime cope with their experience. When a sports mascot is gunned down mid-field by a sniper at a college football game he attends, Rinaldi becomes an accidental yet integral part of the investigation. To begin with, the victim in the costume is not the person who was supposed to be wearing it.

When the actual "Teasdale Tiger" hears the news, he suffers a crippling panic attack and calls on Rinaldi to talk him through it. From there, Rinaldi seems to be in all the wrong places at all the wrong times, as the sniper continues his killing spree. Meeting with resistance from members of the Pittsburgh Police force and taking dangerous risks in pursuit of the killer, Rinaldi puts his career and his life in harm's way as he races to find a connection between the victims before the shooter strikes again.

Review Quotes

"A high-casualty quest to identify a killer." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Gin-clear, low-key writing does its job, and the revelations, when they come, are distressing, especially those about the extracurricular activities of Secret Service guys." -- Booklist

"Smart detective work." -- Publishers Weekly