The Chill — Ross MacDonald

Archer knew he shouldn't have taken the case, but Alex Kincaid seemed so desperate. Kincaid's loving new bride Dolly had just inexplicably walked out on him, leaving Kincaid more than a little fearful for her sanity -- and her safety. So Archer reluctantly agreed to help Kincaid find his wife. But what he found instead was enough to send a chill down anyone's spine -- a fresh new corpse and evidence linking Dolly not only to this murder, but to a series of others dating back to before she was even born