Twisted Thrillers

Seven psychological stories. Seven gut-punch endings. If you think you can predict the twist, think again. From a desperate college student on the brink, to a grandmother whose faith turns to fanaticism, these short stories expose the darkest corners of the human mind. With obsession, betrayal, revenge, and raw vulnerability at the heart of each tale, no one escapes unscathed.

When Detective Morgan Brookes is urgently called to her Aunt Ettie’s cottage, hidden in Covel Woods, she rushes to the scene. Panicked Ettie is shaken having discovered the chilling remains of a woman in the river, one skeletal hand reaching out from the deep water. The unknown woman was dressed to walk the rugged trails of the Lake District, so Morgan’s team assume she fell in the water and was taken by the current. But thin diagonal bruises on her neck suggest something far more sinister.

“A stunning work of suspense that’s impossible to put down. Christina Kovac masterfully combines a twisty missing person mystery, a heartbreaking love story, and an insightful exploration of the nature of obsession and trauma. I loved this novel.” —Angie Kim, New York Times bestselling...

In the elite world of luxury real estate, it is often kill or be killed, something agent Andi Hart knows all too well—and after recent events, she’s ready to set her own rules. So when her boss challenges the team to find a buyer for a glitzy Malibu beach house, with a prize commission of a cool $1 million, she knows it’s her ticket to a new life. But she’s not the only one who not only wants but needs the money. Each of her four colleagues has secrets they’re eager to hide—secrets $1 million would go a long way in concealing.

The night they took my son was the worst night of my entire life. I'm his mother, after all. I was the one who needed to protect him, and I failed miserably. Three long years later, he came back. It was a miracle. It should've been the best day of my life, but he came back a different child—violent and troubled. The monster who abducted him must've done unimaginable things to him, and the worst part is—he won't say a word. I can't blame him one bit. It was my fault; I should've saved him.

In this action-packed thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Midwife Murders, a mother-to-be sees the women in her social circle start to disappear—and she could be next . . . Emily Atkinson leads a complicated life in New York City. She’s a successful marketing executive...

A young lawyer's outwardly perfect life spirals out of control as she takes on her first murder case in this "dark, original and utterly compelling" domestic noir for readers of Paula Hawkins, A.J. Finn, or Shari Lapena. (Lisa Jewell, New York Times bestselling author of Then She Was Gone)...

Bex has always been her daddy's little girl. After her mother left, it was just the two of them. Sure, he spoiled her with clothes and jewelry, but what father doesn't dote on his daughter? Except Bex's dad is alleged to be a notorious serial killer. Dubbed the Wife Collector by the press, her father disappeared before he could stand trial, and Bex was left to deal with the taunts and rumors. Foster care is her one chance at starting over, starting fresh. But Bex's old life isn't ready to let her go.

Lucy Sadler Caldwell is a successful true-crime writer. But the one story she's never been able to come to terms with is the murder of her own mother - until now. She's returned to Dobbs Hollow, Texas, the hometown she fled 17 years ago, to finally expose the real killer. When she starts digging into the past, she unearths a psychotic killer who will stop at nothing to silence her forever.

In the dead of winter, she makes the unusual decision to visit her sister, Carrie, and her family for the weekend. An ill-fated event prolongs her stay, during which time she discovers the flaws and cracks within this "perfect" family-opening the door to getting the unwarranted revenge she's been seeking for decades.

Detective Ryan Boone just can't let this case go. While the mystery behind the robbery and murders in Twisted was uncovered a few months back, there is still a very large loose thread that Boone desperately wishes to tie up. He convinces his superiors to allow him to travel to Ottawa, where he's uncovered a lead into a conspiracy that hints what happened in Toronto has nationwide, and horrific, implications. Former detective Cora Porter has moved to forensics, but when a strange case hits close to home, she squeezes her way into the investigation.

The Douglas family just wants to live their lives and maybe find a bit of happiness. But when the ghost in their home breaks out of a centuries-long sleep, all hope for happiness will die.

Stevie Colvin's rules are simple: Don't bother to learn anyone's names. (Why bother if they won't be around tomorrow?) Keep things light and fun. Be an equal opportunist to all sexes. And no one becomes long term. No relationships and none of those pesky things like feelings can enter. Especially with a sexy supercross rider who is as much a player as she is. From the moment she met Christopher Singer, he seemed to get under her skin like no one else could and made her feel things she hadn't in a long time. Something she will not allow.

When charity worker Cate and website designer Rory, a married couple in their thirties, return from their European holiday, they make a nightmare discovery. Their credit cards have been cancelled, their bank account has been emptied, and their phones and internet have been cut off. Their home in the New South Wales coastal town of Kiama has been rented out as a holiday let, and their dog and pet-sitter have disappeared. Meanwhile, Cate's work colleagues have received copies of her handwritten resignation letter, posted from Paris, filled with insults and lurid allegations.

Four hikers enter the mountains. Only two return. But is it tragedy? Or treachery?

While best known for his twenty-four novels, Jeffery Deaver is also a short story master—he is a three-time recipient of the Ellery Queen Reader’s Award for Best Short Story, and he won the Short Story Dagger from the Crime Writers Association for a piece that appeared in his first short...

Isaiah Black is a newly minted detective for the small college town of Norman, Oklahoma. Seldom is there ever any violent crime. But something has changed. When a young woman is found brutally murdered in an alley, Isaiah's partner wants to write it off as a random act of violence. Isaiah isn't buying it. But catching the killer will be no small task. How do you catch a serial killer who leaves no forensic evidence behind? On his secret quest for justice, he encounters two unlikely allies. One causes him to question everything he believes. The other inspires him to be something more.

Lauren Stillwell is not your average damsel in distress. When the NYPD cop discovers her husband leaving a hotel with another woman, she decides to beat him at his own game. But her revenge goes dangerously awry, and she finds her world spiraling into a hell that becomes more terrifying by the...

Lauded for his daring rescue of a medical team captured by Islamic State terrorists, Navy SEAL Enrico “Rico” Cortez feels like anything but a hero. His friend and fellow teammate lost his life during that rescue. Plagued by PTSD, Rico leaves the Navy. Reluctantly, he accepts his only job offer, joining the Brotherhood Protectors in Colorado. War veteran Laurel Layne came home to Fool’s Gold Colorado, the only place she’d ever felt safe. Having survived terrorist torture and captivity, she only wants to feel sunshine on her cheeks and be surrounded by beautiful flowers and the people she loves.

From the Canadian border to the barrios of Mexico City, psychologist Elisabeth Reinhardt and her team narrowly escape disaster as they navigate the dark worlds of cults and cartels to rescue loved ones, free kidnapped children, and aid law enforcement. In this heart-pounding race against time, no one is safe. Not even Elisabeth.