Now a New York Times bestseller
An unfathomable loss or an unthinkable crime? #1 New York
Times bestselling author Tami Hoag keeps you guessing in her most harrowing
thriller yet.
A panic-stricken woman runs in the dead of night, battered
and bloodied, desperate to find help . . .
When Detective Nick Fourcade enters the home of Genevieve
Gauthier outside the sleepy town of Bayou Breaux, Louisiana, the bloody crime
scene that awaits him is both the most brutal and the most confusing he's ever
seen. Genevieve's seven-year-old son, KJ, has been murdered by an alleged
intruder, yet Genevieve is alive and well, a witness inexplicably left behind
to tell the tale. There is no evidence of forced entry, not a clue that points
to a motive. Meanwhile, Nick's wife, Detective Annie Broussard, sits in the
emergency room with the grieving Genevieve. A mother herself, Annie understands
the emotional devastation this woman is going through, but as a detective she's
troubled by a story that makes little sense. Who would murder a child and leave
the only witness behind?
When the very next day KJ's sometimes babysitter,
twelve-year-old Nora Florette, is reported missing, the town is up in arms,
fearing a maniac is preying on their children. With pressure mounting from a
tough, no-nonsense new sheriff, the media, and the parents of Bayou Breaux, Nick
and Annie dig deep into the dual mysteries. But sifting through Genevieve
Gauthier's tangled web of lovers and sorting through a cast of local lowlifes
brings more questions than answers. Is someone from Genevieve's past or present
responsible for the death of her son? Is the missing teenager, Nora, a victim,
or something worse? Then everything changes when Genevieve's past as a
convicted criminal comes to light.
The spotlight falls heavily on the grieving mother who is
both victim and accused. Could she have killed her own child to free herself
from the burden of motherhood, or is the loss of her beloved boy pushing her to
the edge of insanity? Could she have something to do with the disappearance of
Nora Florette, or is the troubled teenager the key to the murder? How far will
Nick and Annie have to go to uncover the dark truth of the boy?
