A Paperback OriginalFrom the award-winning author of The Absence of Mercy comes an emotionally powerful and gripping psychological thriller about the dark secrets dividing a family and community and the dangers of digging into the past. When Erin Reece left Wolf Point, she planned to never set foot in her childhood hometown again. But an urgent phone call from her father's doctor leaves Erin with no choice but to return to a place filled with painful memories and wounds that never closed. Decades ago, people in Wolf Point started disappearing without a trace—including Erin's mother—and no explanation was ever found. It's been nineteen years since the last disappearance, but the town is still steeped in suspicion and haunted by the ghosts of the missing. No one is thrilled to see Erin back, including her former best friend Robbie, who has changed from a spirited, fearless boy to a reclusive shut-in. Then a...

From the award-winning author of The Absence of Mercy, comes a gripping and darkly psychological novel about family, suspicion, and the price we are willing to pay to protect those we love the most.It's the summer of 1954, and the residents of Cottonwood, California, are dying. At the center of it all is six-year-old Danny McCray, a strange and silent child the townspeople regard with fear and superstition, and who appears to bring illness and ruin to those around him. Even his own mother is plagued by a disease that is slowly consuming her.Sheriff Jim Kent, increasingly aware of the whispers and rumors surrounding the boy, has watched the people of his town suffer—and he worries someone might take drastic action to protect their loved ones. Then a stranger arrives, and Danny and his ten-year-old brother, Sean, go missing. In the search that follows, everyone is a suspect, and the consequences of finding the two brothers may be worse than...

Menaker State Hospital is a curse, a refuge, a prison, a necessity, a nightmare, a salvation When Dr. Lise Shields arrived at the correctional psychiatric facility five years ago, she was warned that many of its patients—committed by Maryland's judicial system for perpetrating heinous crimes—would never leave.But what happens when a place like Menaker is corrupted, when it becomes a tool to silence the innocent, conceal injustice, contain secrets? Why is it that the newest patient does not seem to belong there, that the hospital administrator has fallen silent, and that Lise is being watched by two men with seemingly lethal intent? The answers are closer than she realizes and could cost her everything she holds dear. In this chilling follow-up to The Absence of Mercy, author John Burley—a master of medical and psychological detail—showcases the many ways in which the dangers of the outside world pale in comparison to the horrors of...

She can't reach him ... but he can get to her ... A chilling twisty tale of cat and mouse – perfect for fans of Linwood Barclay and Harlan Coben. Dr Lise Shields works alongside some of the most dangerous criminals in America. As a psychiatrist she goes further than many, trying to work out what motivates these depraved and deadly individuals. When she gets close to one patient, Jason, she realises that his story isn't black and white, and perhaps they've got the wrong man. But in letting Jason in, and believing his story, Lise soon realises she has put herself in terrible danger as she uncovers secrets, lies and unanswered questions. Is Lise living on borrowed time? And when she reaches the point of no return – where will she hide?

A doctor and father in small town Ohio weighs the need to catch a killer against his fears for his family’s safety in this debut psychological suspense novel Just west of the Ohio River, lies the peaceful town of Wintersville. Safe from the crime and congestion of city life, it is the perfect place to raise a family… or so they thought. Life as the town medical examiner is relatively unhurried for Dr. Ben Stevenson. With only a smattering of cases here and there-car accident victims, death by natural causes-he has plenty of time to spend with his loving wife and two sons. That is until a teenager’s body is discovered in the woods and Ben, as the only coroner in the area, is assigned to the case. But as the increasingly animalistic attacks continue, the case challenges Ben in ways he never suspects. With its eerie portrait of suburban life and nerve-fraying plot twists, this is psychological suspense at its best-an extraordinary debut that challenges as much as it thrills.

No Mercy is a harrowing tale of suspense, brutal murder and the dark secrets that lie beneath the surface of a placid, tight-knit town. Perfect for fans of Harlan Coben and Linwood Barclay this is a page-turning thriller. The peaceful town of Wintersville is a place safe from the crime and congestion of city life, where neighbours feel like family. It's the perfect place to live. But when a teenager is discovered brutally murdered in the woods, it becomes clear that a psychopath is roaming the streets. Dr Ben Stevenson, the town's medical examiner, and father of two young boys, becomes entangled in the hunt for the murderer, determined to keep his family safe. But as Ben uncovers the dark secrets of his seemingly quiet community, he confronts a truth that will haunt him forever and puts those he loves in serious danger.