Beyond Reach (2007)

Sassy detective Lena Adams has been arrested after a fatal car explosion in provincial Elawah County, Ga., and her police-chief boss, Jeffrey Tolliver, and his wife, Dr. Sara Linton, rush to her aid. When Lena mysteriously escapes custody, Jeffrey and Sara investigate who's really behind the explosion, only to learn it's just one piece in a complicated puzzle. The couple's sleuthing — which reads somewhat like a PSA for meth addicts and white-supremacy groups — can be choppy and hard to follow given all the shifting points of view. But sharp forensic detail and a series-altering surprise on the final page make Karin Slaughter's Beyond Reach a serviceable thriller. B