Outstanding praise for Daniel Palmer and Delirious
“This is a solid, well-constructed thriller, nicely convoluted and definitely suspenseful.”
—Booklist
“Smart, sophisticated, and unsettling…not just a great thriller debut, but a great thriller, period.”
—Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“A debut that is satisfying as a psychological thriller and as an ultra-modern techno thriller.”
—The Sun-Sentinel
“Delirious is one awesome kick-off for an exciting and multi-dimensional talent. It’s an electrifying ride, whetting the reader’s appetite for more. Daniel Palmer is a writer to watch. This guy is going to be around a long time.”
—Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author
“Techno-savvy thriller fans will enjoy this psychological mind-bender.”
—Library Journal
“Daniel Palmer hits all the right notes in his terrific debut novel, Delirious. Great characterizations, nonstop suspense, and a fiendishly clever plot. On top of that, this may be the most techno-savvy thriller yet. Delirious looks to be the first novel of a long and distinguished career. Terrific stuff.”
—John T. Lescroart, New York Times bestselling author
“Will keep readers’ adrenaline pumping.”
—The Jewish Journal
“Daniel Palmer delivers a high-speed thrill ride, filled with shocks and mind-bending twists. Delirious is a terrific debut!”
—Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author
Books by Daniel Palmer
DELIRIOUS
HELPLESS
Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation
Delirious
DANIEL PALMER
To my wife, Jessica,
thank you for making our life the perfect place to be.
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Epilogue
Prologue
Eddie rode the 28-19th Avenue bus to the bridge. He carried with him enough change for a one-way fare. He had no identification. It wouldn’t matter if his death was properly recorded. Nobody would care about it, anyway. Through the wispy morning fog he strolled upon the walkway that linked San Francisco with Marin County. The bridge had opened to foot traffic two hours prior, and few pedestrians were out. The thruway, however, was a logjam of cars. He spent a few minutes watching the commuters as they went about their morning rituals—sipping coffee, talking on their cell phones, or fiddling with their radios. He burned their images into his mind and savored the voyeurism with the passion a dying man gives his last meal.
He walked to his spot. He knew it well. It was at the 109th light pole. He would face east, toward the city. Few jumped west, as most everyone wanted their final view to be something beautiful, like the elegant curves and hilly rise of the San Francisco skyline.
The fall, he knew, would last no more than four seconds. It was 265 feet down from where he would jump, gravity pulling him down at over seventy-five miles per hour. The water below would be as forgiving as cement. Perhaps a nanosecond of pain, then nothing. He always found it calming to know details. He was all about facts and logic. It was what made him a world-class software engineer. In preparation for the jump he had studied the stories of many of those who had gone before him. He had hundreds of sad tales to choose from. The stories were now his own. He would soon be part of the legacy of death that had been the Golden Gate Bridge since 1937, when WWI vet Harold Wobber said to a stranger, “This is as far as I go”—and then jumped.
At his mark, Eddie hoisted himself over the four-foot security barrier