Phoebe Morgan

Dominic Nolan

James Delargy

Victoria Selman

Alex North

Kate Simants

Elle Croft

S. R. Masters

Jo Furniss

Adam Southward

N.J. Mackay

Rachael Blok

Heather Critchlow

Clare Empson

Some people are scared of the dark. But it’s the light that exposes the secrets. A young boy with nightmares faces up to his demons. A deathbed confession turns the world on its axis. A five-year-old watches his parents bury a body in the garden. A soldier returns from the war to find the horror isn’t yet over. Afraid Of The Light brings the imagination of fourteen bestselling crime writers together in a collection that will keep you up all night. From a deadly campfire game to a holiday gone wrong, to an AI assistant with a motive and a love affair that can only end in murder, this is a gripping, twisty set of stories to send a shiver down your spine.

An Anthology of Crime Fiction

Afraid of the Light

"A tense, original thriller that perfectly blends the nail-biting suspense and shocks of Silence of the Lambs and Shutter Island." --John Marrs, bestselling author of When You Disappeared His victims are powerless. He is in control. This is his revenge--and he's only just begun. Three university scientists are found dead in a gruesome murder-suicide, and the only suspect in the case, Victor Lazar, is quickly captured. When the spate of violent suicides follows him to prison he is moved to solitary confinement, reserved for the highest-risk inmates. And then his assigned psychologist inexplicably takes his own life. Alex Madison, a former forensic psychologist turned private therapist, is brought in to interview Victor. He suspects that Victor is controlling his victims, somehow coaxing them into a suggestive trance. It seems like science fiction, but as Alex digs deeper he uncovers a frightening reality of secret research and cruel experimentation--and the perpetrators are closer to home than he could ever have imagined. Too late, Alex learns the true extent of what Victor is capable of--and who he's after. With everything he holds dear at risk, can Alex take control of a dangerous mind--before it takes control of him?

Trance

A killer intoxicated by pain. Should Alex Madison stop her--or save her? Across London, hospital patients are dying--in shockingly unnatural circumstances. A sadistic young woman is targeting them as they lie helpless in their beds, eking out every last sensation of pain as their lives ebb to an excruciating close. The killer is a sadist, but careful too, so the police bring in forensic psychologist Dr Alex Madison to track down what is clearly an extraordinary and damaged mind. For Alex, the case has a personal resonance he can't reveal: he knows pain and addiction all too well, and must fight to control his own downward spiral long enough to stop the killer's campaign of cruelty. As Alex closes in on the killer, it becomes clear that there are darker forces at work, and a connection to his previous case ignites his worst fears. When he uncovers the shocking truth behind the killer's motivations, Alex must decide: should he pursue the police's version of justice--or hunt down the sinister organisation that has warped another soul?

Pain

'The Stranger Next Door has all the very best ingredients for a perfect thriller! I thoroughly recommend it' SAMANTHA HAYES, author of The Happy Couple, Date Night and Single Mother 'I read it over two nights. . . it had a good twist at the end that I wasn't expecting' PATRICIA GIBNEY, author of the Detective Lottie Parker series 'A fascinating and unputdownable thriller with a devious twist' JOHN MARRS, bestselling author of What Lies Between Us When Matt and Imogen move out of the city, they're hoping for a much-needed fresh start. Matt throws himself into his new job, but Imogen struggles to adjust to life in quiet Surrey. She's grateful for the kind welcome from new neighbour Nancy, and they soon become close friends. So when Nancy makes a shocking accusation, Imogen doesn't know who to trust. This isn't the first time Matt has found himself on the wrong end of a false accusation. . . but is Nancy hiding secrets of her own? As simmering tensions threaten to boil over, Imogen is in more danger than she realises. Can she uncover the truth before she loses everything? An utterly gripping thriller with a jaw-dropping twist, perfect for anyone who loved The Family Upstairs, Here to Stay or An Unwanted Guest. Praise for THE STRANGER NEXT DOOR 'Twisty, compelling and incredibly pacy, The Stranger Next Door will keep you on the edge of your seat from the first page to the last' PHOEBE MORGAN, author of The Doll House and The Girl Next Door 'I tore through this perfectly plotted tale of secrets and lies' VICTORIA SELMAN, author of Blood for Blood and Snakes and Ladders 'Loved it . . . [a] superb domestic drama that smolders the whole way through, stoked by a set of central characters who are so well imagined they really could be living next door' JAMES DELARGY, author of 55 and Vanished 'It was completely addictive! I was hooked from the unsettling prologue, and the relentless tension afterwards meant that I hardly put it down until I'd finished. . . the twist at the end was genuinely (and I don't get to say this all that often) unexpected' ELLE CROFT, author of The Guilty Wife

a completely gripping thriller with a shocking twist

The Stranger Next Door

She has a dangerous gift. And they'll stop at nothing to take it. A young psychiatric patient disappears from her ward in the dead of night. Eva Jansen's medical records have been wiped, her history buried. Somebody wanted all trace of her extinguished forever--and fast. When forensic psychologist Alex Madison is tipped off that Eva possesses an extraordinary ability, he knows he has to find her before she falls into the wrong hands. Her dangerous gift has eerie echoes of his previous cases, and he's convinced there could be a connection to the criminal network he's been hunting for years. But Alex is being watched; his family is being followed. And as the search for Eva consumes his mind, it becomes clear that dark forces are determined to keep her for themselves--and keep him off the scent at all costs. With his life in dangerous freefall, can Alex expose the truth before he is silenced for good?

Mirror

Adam Southward

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