Suspense Mystery Twist

Diverse, provocative, eerie, and twisted, this collection of Jeffery Deaver's best crime stories exhibits amazing range and the signature plot twists that have made him a perennial best seller. With nods to O. Henry and Edgar Allen Poe, these beautifully crafted pieces are suspenseful spoonfuls of Deaver at his best. Listeners will be surprised by the subtlety of some of these stories and, as always, by the plot surprises.

They say every marriage has its secrets. But no one sees what happens behind closed doors. And sometimes those doors should never be opened.... Sal and Charlie are married. They love each other. But they aren't happy. Sal cannot leave, no matter what Charlie does - no matter how much it hurts.

One hot summer night, 15-year-old Olivia comes home late from a party she was strictly forbidden from going to, and she and her mother, Hannah, start arguing. Soon Olivia speaks the words that every parent has heard from their teenage child.

DCI Warren Jones has a bad feeling when the body of a young woman turns up in Beaconsfield Woods. She’s been raped and strangled but the murderer has been careful to leave no DNA evidence. There are, of course, suspects - boyfriend, father - to check out but, worryingly, it looks more and more like a stranger murder. Warren’s worst fears are confirmed when another young woman is killed in the same way. The MO fits that of Richard Cameron who served 12 years for rape. But Cameron never killed his victims and he has a cast-iron alibi.

After a betrayal that sent their marriage into freefall, Hannah and Sam are desperate for a fresh start with their eight-year-old daughter Lily—and where better than picture-perfect Owl Cottage in beautiful Cornwall. But something about the holiday home stirs dark memories for Hannah… When she finds dead creatures on the doorstep and hears mysterious knocks at the door, Hannah can’t help wondering whether someone is messing with her—or whether the past she’s been running from has finally claimed her sanity.

After ten years of blissful marriage, learning of her husband’s infidelity, Erin’s world is ripped apart leaving her devastated. When a misdirected birthday gift forces her to confront her husband’s affair, her life, marriage and career unravel. Spiralling on a whirlwind of hurt, under intense pressure from her agent to rewrite her rejected latest novel, and with only her faithful dog for companionship, Erin seeks sanctuary and solace on an idyllic tidal island on the West Coast of Scotland.

Meet M: She works in publishing and enjoys watching people. She suffers from memory lapses and has established an unhealthy relationship with Caleb across the street. Caleb doesn’t know M exists. But when M starts to practice memory-recall exercises - to learn the truth about past behaviors - it sheds light on this fascination with the man across the street. Is M dangerous or just disturbed? And is Caleb about to find out?

Julia Ottley has a secret. She’s burst onto the literary scene with the highest ever advance paid to a British debut author. Her novel - featuring a fabulous tower of translucent icy crystal - is garnering rave reviews. But as she embarks upon her new life, she discovers that nothing can be hidden forever, especially when living within walls of glass. She fights to keep her secret, but as the stakes steadily rise, she faces a stark choice. How far is she really prepared to go to stop her life from coming shattering down?

A paranoid single mom is forced to confront the unthinkable act she committed as a desperate teenager in this addictive thriller with a social media twist. Maria Weston wants to be friends. But Maria Weston is dead. Isn't she? 1989. When Louise first notices the new girl who has mysteriously transferred late into their senior year, Maria seems to be everything the girls Louise hangs out with aren't. Authentic. Funny. Brash. Within just a few days, Maria and Louise are on their way to becoming fast friends.

DI Louise Blackwell is still reeling from her brother Paul's murder when she is brought back from enforced leave and tasked with solving a strange new case - the slaughter of wild sheep at Cheddar Gorge, a place shrouded in mystery and folklore. When a man is brutally attacked with a machete on the clifftop and a young girl disappears, Louise realises that the horror is just beginning. Rumours of a mythical presence near the gorge are spreading fast, and why is a local environmental cult resisting all attempts to solve the case?

I wrap my arms around the tree trunk, pressing my cheek against it until the bark digs in and the missing poster is finally secured. I try not to look at the photograph on it. At the features so similar to mine. Perhaps this will be the year someone comes forward. Were crucial mistakes made by detectives from the very beginning? Could the pressure of living two lives have led my sister to run away - or even end it? Or did someone in her tight circle of friends and family have reason to want her gone? Someone out there must know something.

I am cooking spaghetti, his favourite, while he plays in the garden. But when I look up, he’s gone. I call the police, my hands shaking so much that I hit the wrong digits twice. "My son is missing." When the police turn up, I’m trapped in the web of my lies. I have hidden the truth from eight-year-old Riley, my little boy who loves climbing trees and always has scraped knees. I have hidden my secret from everyone.

Melissa Slade had it all: beauty, money, a successful husband and beautiful twin babies. But, in the blink of an eye, her perfect life became a nightmare - when she found herself on trial for the murder of her little girls. Jonathan Hunt covered the original Slade Babies case for the local newspaper. Now that new evidence has come to light, Jon's boss wants him back on the story to uncover the truth. With Melissa's appeal date looming, time is running out. And, as Jon gets drawn deeper into a case he’d wanted to forget, he starts to question Melissa's guilt.

When Kate, single mother and law firm partner, gets an urgent phone call summoning her to her daughter's exclusive private school, she's shocked. Amelia has been suspended for cheating, something that would be completely out of character for her over-achieving, well-behaved daughter. Kate rushes to Grace Hall, but what she finds when she finally arrives is beyond comprehension. Her daughter is dead.

Misfit NYPD Officer Max Royster's hunt for a sadistic serial killer takes a startling turn when he realizes that not all predators are born alike.

When the body of single mother Melissa Rollins is found, trapped inside a bedroom closet in her immaculate suburban home, Detective Jo Fournier races to the scene. The small town of Greenfern is sweltering in a heat wave, and Jo is horrified to find that Melissa’s heating was turned up to the max while she died of thirst. Who would kill a devoted mother in such a cruel way? Searching the house for clues, Jo’s team discovers that the front door was locked from the inside. And with no sign of a break-in, they realize the killer must have been someone Melissa knew.

Book editor Agnes Nielsen never anticipated the viral celebrity that would come after solving the attempted murder of her best friend. Suddenly swept up in a world of luxury, she finds herself mingling with New York’s movers, shakers, and moneymakers—among them the enigmatic heiress Charlotte Bond, who takes Agnes under her wing. But those wings, it turns out, aren’t enough to save Charlotte from a fatal fall.

Meg Walton hopes her days of sleuthing are behind her. So, when another murder occurs, the secret witch-turned-sleuth finds her life turned upside down. This time, the case is personal when Meg finds out one of her dearest friends is the victim. Even more, Meg's friend has made enemies of the most influential family in town. Somehow, Meg has to find a way to navigate her grief while cracking her hardest case yet. Is Meg finally in over her head?

Cold case expert Evangeline Reed and forensics legend Harry Steinbeck are on their way from Minneapolis to Costa Rica. They’ve been ordered to keep close watch on a protective mother and her daughter, both of whom have troubling connections to a Minnesota serial killer. Are they on holiday? In hiding? Or on the run? It’s time for Van and Harry to close in on the truth. And there’s more at risk than anyone can imagine.

As I hear the words every mother dreads, my pulse races, and I go cold. But even as my world turns upside down, I know the things I’m being told just don’t add up. I have to find out what really happened the night my beautiful boy died. The police tell me it was a tragedy no one could have prevented. But then they reveal the terrible things Tom was keeping from me. The person they describe is nothing like the decent, honest man I raised.