What do you think?
Rate this book
McCabe & Savage Thriller #5
The Girl on the Bridge
From New York Times bestselling author of the acclaimed McCabe and Savage series comes an electrifying new thriller of taut and twisted suspense.
On a freezing December night, Hannah Reindel leaps to her death from an old railway bridge into the rushing waters of the river below. Yet the real cause of death was trauma suffered twelve years earlier when Hannah was plucked from a crowd of freshman girls at a college fraternity party, drugged, and then viciously assaulted by six members of the college football team.
Those responsible have never faced or feared justice. Until now. A month after Hannah’s death, Joshua Thorne—former Holden College quarterback and now a Wall Street millionaire—is found murdered, his body bound to a bed and brutally mutilated.
When a second attacker dies in mysterious circumstances, detectives Mike McCabe and Maggie Savage know they must find the killer before more of Hannah’s attackers are executed. But they soon realize, these murders may not be simple acts of revenge, but something far more sinister.
The Girl on the Bridge is a compelling and harrowing tale of suspense that once read will not easily be forgotten.
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 9, 2017
1718 people are currently reading
2885 people want to read
About the author
James Hayman
13 books372 followersLike one of the heroes of my thrillers, Detective Sergeant Mike McCabe, I’m a native New Yorker. McCabe was born in the Bronx. I was born in Brooklyn. And we both grew up and spent much of our working lives in the New York City before eventually moving to Portland, Maine. However that’s where the similarities end.
McCabe, after spending a couple of years at NYU Film School, dropped out and decided to join the family business and become a cop first for the NYPD and then for the Portland PD.
For my part, I graduated from Brown University without having any idea whatsoever of what I wanted to do. All I knew was that the one salable skill I thought I possessed was the ability of dreaming things up and writing them down. After looking around I realized the only companies I could think of that would pay me to do both were on Madison Avenue. I joined a major New York advertising agency as a cub copywriter. Over the next few years I drifted to a couple of other agencies and finally settled in as a senior creative director at the agency I considered the best of the lot.
I thoroughly enjoyed the ad business and was good at it. I was well paid and spent my days dreaming up sometimes weird, sometimes funny, sometimes dopey ideas for mostly TV ad campaigns.
But before I knew it, more than 30 years had passed, my hair had turned from dark brown to silvery gray and I began to realize that Madison Avenue, like the Texas/Mexico border in Cormac McCarthy’s great thriller, was No Country for Old Men. My wife and I decided to pull up stakes and move full-time to a house we’d built right on the ocean on an island a mile and a half from the city of Portland.
Up in Maine I spent a couple of years writing freelance marketing pieces. But in 2005 I decided that if I didn’t start writing the suspense thriller I’d been itching to write for years, I probably never would. My first effort which I called The Cutting told the tale of an villainous surgeon who killed people to steal their hearts for use in illegal transplants. It took me nearly two years to write. But I stuck with it and when I’d finally finished with writing, polishing, editing and reediting I started looking for an agent. Wanting to shoot for the stars, I sent the manuscript and a cover letter to one of the top agents in the business, Meg Ruley of the Jane Rotrosen Agency in New York. Meg represented such top best selling thriller writers as Tess Gerritsen, Lisa Gardner and Michael Palmer among others. Sending the book to Meg first was kind of a Hail Mary play on my part.
Hail Mary’s rarely work so a little more than a week later I was stunned when Meg called me in the UK where my wife and I were vacationing and after telling me she how much she liked the book, she asked “Have you sent this to any other agents?”
“Nope. None,” I replied. “You were the first.”
“Well don’t send it anyone else,” she said. “I’d like to represent you. That is if you’re interested.”
I’m not sure how I kept my cool but after no more than a few stutters and stammers, I did manage to let her know that yes, indeed, I was very interested in having her represent me.
Meg quickly sold The Cutting to major publishers in the both the US and seven other countries and I was off and running. Over the next seven years, I followed up on the success of that first book by writing five more McCabe/Savage thrillers: The Chill of Night, Darkness First, The Girl in the Glass, and The Girl on the Bridge, which collectively sold over half a million copies and made a bunch of best seller lists including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and my home town paper, the Portland Press Herald. My latest McCabe/Savage thriller, A Fatal Obsession, is the first of the series set outside of Maine, partly in New York City, partly in rural Connecticut. My publisher, Harper Collins, is bringing it out on August 21st both in paperback and e-book form.
McCabe, after spending a couple of years at NYU Film School, dropped out and decided to join the family business and become a cop first for the NYPD and then for the Portland PD.
For my part, I graduated from Brown University without having any idea whatsoever of what I wanted to do. All I knew was that the one salable skill I thought I possessed was the ability of dreaming things up and writing them down. After looking around I realized the only companies I could think of that would pay me to do both were on Madison Avenue. I joined a major New York advertising agency as a cub copywriter. Over the next few years I drifted to a couple of other agencies and finally settled in as a senior creative director at the agency I considered the best of the lot.
I thoroughly enjoyed the ad business and was good at it. I was well paid and spent my days dreaming up sometimes weird, sometimes funny, sometimes dopey ideas for mostly TV ad campaigns.
But before I knew it, more than 30 years had passed, my hair had turned from dark brown to silvery gray and I began to realize that Madison Avenue, like the Texas/Mexico border in Cormac McCarthy’s great thriller, was No Country for Old Men. My wife and I decided to pull up stakes and move full-time to a house we’d built right on the ocean on an island a mile and a half from the city of Portland.
Up in Maine I spent a couple of years writing freelance marketing pieces. But in 2005 I decided that if I didn’t start writing the suspense thriller I’d been itching to write for years, I probably never would. My first effort which I called The Cutting told the tale of an villainous surgeon who killed people to steal their hearts for use in illegal transplants. It took me nearly two years to write. But I stuck with it and when I’d finally finished with writing, polishing, editing and reediting I started looking for an agent. Wanting to shoot for the stars, I sent the manuscript and a cover letter to one of the top agents in the business, Meg Ruley of the Jane Rotrosen Agency in New York. Meg represented such top best selling thriller writers as Tess Gerritsen, Lisa Gardner and Michael Palmer among others. Sending the book to Meg first was kind of a Hail Mary play on my part.
Hail Mary’s rarely work so a little more than a week later I was stunned when Meg called me in the UK where my wife and I were vacationing and after telling me she how much she liked the book, she asked “Have you sent this to any other agents?”
“Nope. None,” I replied. “You were the first.”
“Well don’t send it anyone else,” she said. “I’d like to represent you. That is if you’re interested.”
I’m not sure how I kept my cool but after no more than a few stutters and stammers, I did manage to let her know that yes, indeed, I was very interested in having her represent me.
Meg quickly sold The Cutting to major publishers in the both the US and seven other countries and I was off and running. Over the next seven years, I followed up on the success of that first book by writing five more McCabe/Savage thrillers: The Chill of Night, Darkness First, The Girl in the Glass, and The Girl on the Bridge, which collectively sold over half a million copies and made a bunch of best seller lists including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today and my home town paper, the Portland Press Herald. My latest McCabe/Savage thriller, A Fatal Obsession, is the first of the series set outside of Maine, partly in New York City, partly in rural Connecticut. My publisher, Harper Collins, is bringing it out on August 21st both in paperback and e-book form.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 282 reviews
May 2, 2017
First off, I'd like to state that this is my favorite cover in the series so far; when holding it in person you can really make out the tiny details such as the rain droplets and surrounding atmosphere. I've been a long time fan of James Hayman's McCabe & Savage series; there is a minor continuing plot between the main characters but the books can easily be read as stand alone novels for the cases presented separately. While this wasn't my favorite entry in the series, it certainly had all the attention grabbing qualities to make this the type of story you fly through in just a couple of sittings.
These books are not light, nor are they easy going murder mysteries, but up until this point the stories, while serious, dark, and heavy, managed to keep from feeling depressing and overly disturbing. This book was completely different in that it features many graphic subjects, such as brutal rapes and suicide, that the others didn't include (at least to this degree). This is neither a critique or praise, just simply a statement of observation. I'm aware of many followers of this blog (and/or Goodreads depending on where you follow) that like to know when there may be trigger related material; if you are sensitive to either of the above mentioned subjects this may not be the right book for you. This will appeal to the reader looking for a darker, highly disturbing read; Hayman is a master of creating plots that are exciting and logical while keeping up a lovable sense of characterization between his lead characters professionally and romantically. While this book seemed to put that part of the story a bit on the back burner, it felt good to experience their interactions again after finishing the previous book.
Whether you decide to pick up The Girl on the Bridge as a standalone read or start at the beginning with The Cutting, assuming you are a fan of top notch police procedurals featuring memorable characters, you'll enjoy Hayman's work. This was another solid entry in the series and I'm looking forward to seeing more from McCabe and Savage in the future.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my copy; it was a pleasure to share my honest thoughts here on the blog.
These books are not light, nor are they easy going murder mysteries, but up until this point the stories, while serious, dark, and heavy, managed to keep from feeling depressing and overly disturbing. This book was completely different in that it features many graphic subjects, such as brutal rapes and suicide, that the others didn't include (at least to this degree). This is neither a critique or praise, just simply a statement of observation. I'm aware of many followers of this blog (and/or Goodreads depending on where you follow) that like to know when there may be trigger related material; if you are sensitive to either of the above mentioned subjects this may not be the right book for you. This will appeal to the reader looking for a darker, highly disturbing read; Hayman is a master of creating plots that are exciting and logical while keeping up a lovable sense of characterization between his lead characters professionally and romantically. While this book seemed to put that part of the story a bit on the back burner, it felt good to experience their interactions again after finishing the previous book.
Whether you decide to pick up The Girl on the Bridge as a standalone read or start at the beginning with The Cutting, assuming you are a fan of top notch police procedurals featuring memorable characters, you'll enjoy Hayman's work. This was another solid entry in the series and I'm looking forward to seeing more from McCabe and Savage in the future.
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my copy; it was a pleasure to share my honest thoughts here on the blog.
November 16, 2024
The Girl on the Bridge is book five in the McCabe and Savage Thriller series by James Hayman. One cold day in Portland Detective Sergeant Michael McCabe's and Detective Margaret Savage caught a missing person case. At first, both Detective Sergeant Michael McCabe's and Detective Margaret Savage thought it would be an easy case to solve. However, this was not the case. The readers of The Girl on the Bridge will follow Detective Sergeant Michael McCabe's and Detective Margaret Savage investigation into Jordan Thorne disappearance. Also, will start to start to wonder if something was going on with Detective Sergeant Michael McCabe's and Detective Margaret Savage.
The Girl on the Bridge is a delightful book to read. I enjoy the way James Hayman I like the way James Hayman portrays and intertwine the characters with each other. I like the writing style of James Hayman and the way he adds the twist and turns in his plots. The Readers of The Girl on the Bridge will laugh and love the ending of this book.
Readers of The Girl on the Bridge will learn about the consequences of gang rape on college girls. The Girl on the Bridge highlights that law enforcement officers do care for their communities.
I recommend this book.
The Girl on the Bridge is a delightful book to read. I enjoy the way James Hayman I like the way James Hayman portrays and intertwine the characters with each other. I like the writing style of James Hayman and the way he adds the twist and turns in his plots. The Readers of The Girl on the Bridge will laugh and love the ending of this book.
Readers of The Girl on the Bridge will learn about the consequences of gang rape on college girls. The Girl on the Bridge highlights that law enforcement officers do care for their communities.
I recommend this book.
April 8, 2017
The Girl on the Bridge is the 5th book in the McCabe and Savage series, but you don't need to read the other books in order to enjoy this one. I had never read anything from Hayman before, so I was pleasantly surprised at the fast pace, developed characters, and constant action.
The novel follows two detectives as they attempt to solve a murder case of two men and a woman. Both McCabe and Savage are excellent detectives and somehow always manage to be at the right place at the right time. McCabe has an impressive photographic memory and Savage is as tough as nails, making this duo the best Portland PD has to offer.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Girl on the Bridge and highly recommend it to readers who love a good crime novel. The characters were complex and the fast paced story kept me on my toes from start to finish. It was a fun read and I will definitely be picking up more of Hayman's books in the future.
The novel follows two detectives as they attempt to solve a murder case of two men and a woman. Both McCabe and Savage are excellent detectives and somehow always manage to be at the right place at the right time. McCabe has an impressive photographic memory and Savage is as tough as nails, making this duo the best Portland PD has to offer.
I thoroughly enjoyed The Girl on the Bridge and highly recommend it to readers who love a good crime novel. The characters were complex and the fast paced story kept me on my toes from start to finish. It was a fun read and I will definitely be picking up more of Hayman's books in the future.
June 12, 2017
Yes!! I loved this book! It was so hard to put down! I'm not a fan of books with rape or gamg rape. I get real bad panic attacks if I read or watch a movie that has a violent rape scene. But this book just told enough to where you knew it happen but not in grave detail. I really liked McCabe's character. I kinda figured out early on through process of elimination lol who the killer was. I knew this wasn't going to be a resurrection type book where the ghost is going to come back and haunt and kill her killers. Even after figuring out who the killer was and pretty much why the book still intrigued me enough to keep reading! The writing is flawless and so detailed. My only complaint was almost halfway in he mentioned Joshua Thorne being born and raised in Greensville, SC. I live in SC, there is no Greensville but there is a Greenville, SC..
I have no other complaints with this book! I loved every page and every page was a thriller! My first book by John Hayman! Hayman and I am currently seeking his other books🙂😊😊🤓🤓
I have no other complaints with this book! I loved every page and every page was a thriller! My first book by John Hayman! Hayman and I am currently seeking his other books🙂😊😊🤓🤓
May 30, 2017
This was more of a 3.5 star read. Nothing incredibly significant that stands out above any other crime novel that I've read. It was well written, fast-paced and the characters were likable. The story was real and dealt with a very serious subject that unfortunately is happening at more institutions across the country than we want to imagine, namely that of fraternity initiation rituals and date rape. I definitely would not be opposed to continuing Hayman's series!
April 8, 2019
Parts of this were really good and parts felt cliche and predictable. It was easy early on to guess the killer. The frat guys raping a college freshman and her suicide years later felt real, but somehow the murder plot felt more exploitive versus sympathetic to these situations. I would definitely say this plot contains potential triggers.
Also, it's sad to say, but some frats still have the request for pledges to bring pretty girls to rush parties.
Also, it's sad to say, but some frats still have the request for pledges to bring pretty girls to rush parties.
July 3, 2017
Not to bad for my first time reading James Hayman. Just seemed like there was a lot of unnecessary writing in the book to make it appear longer.
May 31, 2018
Fun read
If you are looking for a good, light suspense/ police procedural story, this is a good one. The characters are likeable and the story is engaging. I will definitely read more about McCabe and Maggie.
If you are looking for a good, light suspense/ police procedural story, this is a good one. The characters are likeable and the story is engaging. I will definitely read more about McCabe and Maggie.
February 14, 2017
I have never read James Hayman before but I will certainly go back and read the first 4 books in the series. Even though this was book #5 there was no feeling that I had missed something by not reading the others first. I didn’t even realize it was a series until after I had finished reading. The story itself was told from two timelines – 12 years earlier when Hannah had been brutally raped by members of Holden College’s football team and the present – several months after Hannah’s suicide when one of the rapists is reported missing. McCabe and Savage do a great job of uncovering clues and one by one dismissing the red herrings thrown in the way. The Girl on the Bridge is a thoroughly enjoyable mystery and a sad look at the lasting effects of campus rape.
July 12, 2019
This was an OK novel, but what is UP with The Girl this and The Girl that as titles for books? A few decades from now, anybody who sees a book with The Girl in the title is going to say, "Yep. Early 2000s."
Especially here - the "girl" is 29 years old in this book. Really, there is no excuse for that.
Especially here - the "girl" is 29 years old in this book. Really, there is no excuse for that.
May 23, 2017
3.5 stars! Definitely have to look up more books by this author.
August 30, 2019
3.5 stars. Another solid instalment in a good series.
April 12, 2017
A true suspense mystery with a couple of plot twists along the way. The clues are there if you catch them. A sad but fairly accurate commentary on one of today's social issues....date rape especially on campus and how both the victim and perpetrators are treated after the crime. Clever detectives keep the story moving and along with empathy for the victim, we feel justice is served.
April 28, 2017
I was fortunate to receive this book in a Good Reads giveaway. James Hayman is a new author to me, and I was delighted to find a new detective series featuring likable characters a likable pair of detectives and a compelling plot. I highly recommend it and I'm going back to read the other books in the series.
November 18, 2018
My first time reading a McCabe/Savage mystery, and I found it a good police procedural. A few parts went on too long, and over all, I think the book could have been shorter. I also felt part of the killer’s motive came out of the blue at the ending and would have liked to see foreshadowing to that effect. Part of the motive was obvious, but the other half felt dropped in as an afterthought.
The characters of McCabe and Maggie were well developed. Having not read any of the previous books, I didn’t feel lost in this one. The author did an excellent job unfolding the story while dropping small references to past cases. Both Maggie and McCabe and likable characters. A solid read. I will likely try this author again.
The characters of McCabe and Maggie were well developed. Having not read any of the previous books, I didn’t feel lost in this one. The author did an excellent job unfolding the story while dropping small references to past cases. Both Maggie and McCabe and likable characters. A solid read. I will likely try this author again.
June 9, 2017
a dorky boy talks his beautiful your friend into going to a frat party, where each new pledge was required to bring a pretty girl to be consider for acceptance. While the pledge was upstairs with other new pledges, the president of the frat house, and several of his "brothers" gang rape the girl. It destroys her life, and 12 years later, she commits suicide by jumping off the bridge. The men who raped her start to die. Who is killing them?
June 21, 2018
I EXPECTED MORE!
This was my first James Hayman read and I was a bit disappointed with this storyline. The synopsis had me believing it was more about the rapists being tracked down and killed for what they did to Hannah, but it focused more on finding asshole Joshua's killer. This was book #5 in Detectives McCabe and Savage series and they may be worth another try. I loved the book cover though.
This was my first James Hayman read and I was a bit disappointed with this storyline. The synopsis had me believing it was more about the rapists being tracked down and killed for what they did to Hannah, but it focused more on finding asshole Joshua's killer. This was book #5 in Detectives McCabe and Savage series and they may be worth another try. I loved the book cover though.
April 30, 2017
I was very fortunate to receive this book in a "Goodreads" giveaway. This was the first time that I read a James Hayman book; and I am now a big fan! This book is a very compelling thriller with a few unexpected twists and turns. It is a journey with detectives McCabe and Savage, as they work to solve several murders connected to a brutal rape at a college frat party 12 years ago. It is fast moving with a surprise ending. I now want to read the rest of this author's books :-)
May 9, 2023
Plot. Police procedural series based in Providence, Rhode Island. The cases are who-done-it murder mysteries with twists, some obvious, some surprising.
Liked. Clever plots, no explicit sex, no offensive language. These are murder mysteries, and some scenes are a bit grizzly but nothing gratuitous. There are five novels as of this writing, giving a nice long listen of nearly 50 hours. But, each book has a beginning-middle-end. Start with The Cutting for character continuity.
Not so hot. Narration is a bit stilted and unnatural, but listenable. No trouble discerning who is speaking to whom. Bumped the speed to 1.5.
Written by James Hayman and narrated by Stephen Mendel. All novels in the area of 10 hours of listening in unabridged audiobook format, released from 2015 through 2017 by HarperAudio.
Liked. Clever plots, no explicit sex, no offensive language. These are murder mysteries, and some scenes are a bit grizzly but nothing gratuitous. There are five novels as of this writing, giving a nice long listen of nearly 50 hours. But, each book has a beginning-middle-end. Start with The Cutting for character continuity.
Not so hot. Narration is a bit stilted and unnatural, but listenable. No trouble discerning who is speaking to whom. Bumped the speed to 1.5.
Written by James Hayman and narrated by Stephen Mendel. All novels in the area of 10 hours of listening in unabridged audiobook format, released from 2015 through 2017 by HarperAudio.
October 1, 2017
3.5. Another good one. Although the lack of personal interaction was disappointing in this one, it all made sense and was forgiven by the ending :)
January 27, 2022
Lots of twists. Great story
July 5, 2022
I read this book in a day. I couldn't put it down! The characters were believable and I could relate to the main character's pain and motivation. The ending with many twists and turns was terrific.
December 12, 2019
Loved it! Easy to read with lots of dialogue. For me it was hard to put down. Would love to read the rest in this series. Easy to guess how it ended but a good read.
November 13, 2020
I really liked the relationship between the two detectives. They seemed like real, flawed, but smart and hardworking individuals. However, I've read several books that begin with a tragic rape scene and I need a break!
December 9, 2019
3.5. This series seems to be weakening. Interesting mystery story but McCabe and Maggie just are not so interesting anymore.
February 1, 2021
Complicated plot, twists & turns, and a surprise ending.... all the good things needed for a suspenseful mystery.
April 11, 2017
The Girl on the Bridge by James Hayman is the first book I read by this author.
I really enjoyed this read. It is very timely subject and emotional issues are explored.
I highly recommend and I will be reading more books from Hayman.
5 out of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this read. It is very timely subject and emotional issues are explored.
I highly recommend and I will be reading more books from Hayman.
5 out of 5 stars
March 25, 2017
The Girl on the Bridge is told from the viewpoint of McCabe and Savage, two detectives in Maine. The detectives are brought in when Rachel Thorne has not heard from her husband Joshua and he hasn’t shown up for a very important business meeting. What starts out as a missing person turns into a murder investigation. It is then connected to another death from a former college fraternity brother. Both deaths appear to tie back to Hannah Reindel who jumped to her death on Christmas Eve.
I started reading the book on a plane ride home. When I arrived home, I couldn’t put it down. I was immediately drawn into the story and the characters. I enjoyed that McCabe and Savage had different opinions on the murder and that the discussions would happen in real life. As the book drew to conclusion, I was truly surprised by the actual murderer.
I started reading the book on a plane ride home. When I arrived home, I couldn’t put it down. I was immediately drawn into the story and the characters. I enjoyed that McCabe and Savage had different opinions on the murder and that the discussions would happen in real life. As the book drew to conclusion, I was truly surprised by the actual murderer.
March 29, 2017
This was a Goodreads win..the first of the series I had read. Now I will read the rest because I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
May 5, 2017
I was given the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy of James Hayman's fifth book in his McCabe and Savage series, "The Girl On The Bridge". Although this book can be read alone, I would encourage and highly recommend reading the entire series, simply because James Hayman is a master of words. His ability to write similarly in genre, texture, fluidity, development of characters and plot, provocative thought, fast-paced and creative suspense/mystery puts him amongst authors like James Patterson, Sandra Brown and Lisa Gardner, to name a few. The storyline of "The Girl On The Bridge" tackles an instance of college rape and the fragility and impact it has on the lives of many, especially that of the victim. Hayman has written this responsibly, effectively, in the pen of fiction yet with a voice of absolute truth. Detectives McCabe and Savage are challenged to learn, understand and find those responsible for one of the most riveting and controversial topics threaded in today's social tapestry -- rape on and around college campuses. This book, as well as the others in the McCabe and Savage series, are absolutely worth the read. James Hayman is now one of my top 5 favorite authors. You cannot go wrong! Expertly crafted, carefully thought, and amazingly satisfying.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 282 reviews