Lucinda Berry

A page-turning debut of suspense about a young couple desperate to have a child of their own--and the unsettling consequences of getting what they always wanted. Christopher and Hannah are a happily married surgeon and nurse with picture-perfect lives. All that's missing is a child. When Janie, an abandoned six-year-old, turns up at their hospital, Christopher forms an instant connection with her, and he convinces Hannah they should take her home as their own. But Janie is no ordinary child, and her damaged psyche proves to be more than her new parents were expecting. Janie is fiercely devoted to Christopher, but she acts out in increasingly disturbing ways, directing all her rage at Hannah. Unable to bond with Janie, Hannah is drowning under the pressure, and Christopher refuses to see Janie's true nature. Hannah knows that Janie is manipulating Christopher and isolating him from her, despite Hannah's attempts to bring them all together. But as Janie's behavior threatens to tear Christopher and Hannah apart, the truth behind Janie's past may be enough to push them all over the edge.

The Perfect Child

An unthinkable tragedy forever changes a group of teens and turns family against family in this edge-of-your-seat thriller that begs to be read in one sitting. Best friends Lindsey, Kendra, and Dani endure every parent's nightmare when a tragic accident befalls their teenage boys, leaving one dead, another in a coma, and a third too traumatized to speak. Reeling from the worst night of their lives, the three mothers plunge into a desperate investigation of the bizarre incident. How could something so horrible happen in their wealthy Southern California suburb? They soon discover that the accident was just the beginning, and troubling discoveries lead to chilling questions: Do they really know their children? Do they even know each other? As more secrets surface, a fog of doubt and suspicion threatens to poison their families, their friendships, and the whole community. With the illusion of happiness and safety long gone, these women must now confront the hazards of heartbreak, the consequences of jealousy, and the dangers of living double lives.

The Best of Friends

One woman's reappearance throws her family into turmoil, exposing dark secrets and the hidden, often devastating truth of family relationships. Kate Bennett vanished from a parking lot eleven years ago, leaving behind her husband and young daughter. When she shows up at a Montana gas station, clutching an infant and screaming for help, investigators believe she may have been abducted by a cult. Kate's return flips her family's world upside down--her husband is remarried, and her daughter barely remembers her. Kate herself doesn't look or act like she did before. While the family tries to help Kate reintegrate into society, they discover truths they've been hiding from each other about their own relationships. But they aren't the only ones with secrets. As the family unravels what happened to Kate, a series of shocking revelations shows that Kate's return is more sinister than any of them could have imagined.

When She Returned

Dangerously addictive, The Secrets of Us is a pulse-pounding exploration of a disturbed psyche and the bond between two sisters desperate to escape a troubled past. Foster sisters Krystal and Nichole have always been there for each other, so when Nichole is committed to a psychiatric hospital after trying to kill her husband, Krystal drops everything to defend her. Scarred by a hard upbringing, Nichole and Krystal managed to construct comfortable lives for themselves. Krystal became a respected lawyer, and Nichole was happily married to an architect--until Nichole starts raving that her husband isn't her husband, believing that he's an imposter. Driven by fierce loyalty, Krystal starts asking questions, but she's not sure she can bear the answers. Her investigation leads to the sisters' dark shared past...to a horrible tragedy and a well-guarded lie that cemented their sisterly bond. But that lie can't kill the truth--the battered, gasping, clawing truth that's coming for them both. Now Krystal and Nichole must both fight for the lives they've built before they're consumed by the one they left behind.

The Secrets of Us

"Meet Noah--an A-honor roll student, award-winning swimmer, and small-town star destined for greatness. There weren't any signs that something was wrong until the day he confesses to molesting little girls during swim team practice. He's sentenced to eighteen months in a juvenile sexual rehabilitation center. His mother, Adrianne, refuses to turn her back on him despite his horrific crimes, but her husband won't allow Noah back into their home. In a series of shocking and shattering revelations, Adrianne is forced to make the hardest decision of her life. Just how far will she go to protect her son?"--Page [4] of cover.

Saving Noah

From the bestselling author of The Best of Friends comes a heart-stopping psychological thriller about the shades of truth and the power of lies in the wake of one mother's unspeakable loss. Therapist turned stay-at-home mom Jules Hart's idyllic suburban life shatters when she crashes her car into an icy lake. Her son and another teenage boy plunge into the water with her, but Jules can only manage to save one--the wrong one. Reeling from the death of her son, Jules spirals into a violent and unstable mental state. Ten months after the accident, she's still trying to reckon with the fact that she rescued Isaac Greer, another woman's child, when Isaac suddenly vanishes. Jules finds herself at the center of a massive police investigation. While she harbors her own dangerous secrets, Jules is adamant that she didn't take Isaac. But then who did? Is Isaac the victim of a dangerous killer who's been targeting boys in the Midwest? Or is someone else pulling the strings in this deadly game?

A Thriller

Off the Deep End

Emily and Elizabeth spend their childhood locked in a bedroom and terrorized by a mother who drinks too much and disappears for days. The identical twins are rescued by a family determined to be their saviors. But there's some horrors love can't erase... Elizabeth wakes in a hospital, strapped to her bed and unable to move or speak. The last thing she remembers is finding Emily's body in their bathroom. Days before, she was falling in love and starting college. Now, she's surrounded by men who talk to themselves and women who pull out their eyebrows. As she delves deeper into the mystery surrounding Emily's death, she discovers shocking secrets and holes in her memory that force her to remember what she's worked so hard to forget-the beatings, the blood, the special friends. Her life spins out of control at a terrifying speed as she desperately tries to unravel the psychological puzzle of her past before it's too late. Phantom Limb is a character-driven mystery that begs to be read in a single setting. The shocking and shattering conclusion will make you go back and read it again. Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, Behind Closed Doors, and The Girl With No Past. "Dark suspense at its finest"...Thriller Beats

A Gripping Psychological Thriller

Phantom Limb

From the bestselling author of The Perfect Child comes a shocking thriller about the disturbing complexities of a mother's love and the deadly consequences of unravelling family secrets. On a humid summer day in Alabama, a mayor's wife turns up brutally murdered under a railroad bridge. Standing next to her body is fourteen-year-old Mason Hill, the autistic son of former Miss USA Genevieve Hill. The locals are quick to level their verdict on young Mason: he did it. The town detective calls in local autism expert Casey Walker to consult on the case. At first, Casey tries to keep an open mind. But the more time she spends with Genevieve, the more her unease grows, and she suspects that Genevieve is doing more than just protecting her son. Casey's misgivings surrounding Genevieve's story only intensify when she meets Savannah, Genevieve's nineteen-year-old daughter. Savannah, as it turns out, has some disturbing secrets of her own. But as Casey dives ever deeper into the Hill family dynamic, her search for the truth leads to another shocking murder--one that shatters her understanding of the human condition in ways she never imagined.

Under Her Care

Be careful what you post online. Your next check-in might lead him right to you... A serial rapist is kidnapping teenage girls. But he's not interested in just any teenage girls-only virgins. He hunts them by following their status updates and check-ins on social media. Once he's captured them, they're locked away in his sound-proof basement until they're groomed and ready. He throws them away like pieces of trash after he's stolen their innocence. Nobody escapes alive. Until Ella. Ella risks it all to escape, setting herself and the other girls free. But only Sarah-the girl whose been captive the longest-gets out with her. The girls are hospitalized and surrounded by FBI agents who will stop at nothing to find the man responsible. Ella and Sarah are the key to their investigation, but Sarah's hiding something and it isn't long before Ella discovers her nightmare is far from over.

Appetite for Innocence

"Best friends Lindsey, Kendra, and Dani endure every parent's nightmare when a tragic accident befalls their teenage boys, leaving one dead, another in a coma, and a third too traumatized to speak. Reeling from the worst night of their lives, the three mothers plunge into a desperate investigation of the bizarre incident. How could something so horrible happen in their wealthy Southern California suburb? They soon discover that the accident was just the beginning, and troubling discoveries lead to chilling questions: Do they really know their children? Do they even know each other? As more secrets surface, a fog of doubt and suspicion threatens to poison their families, their friendships, and the whole community. With the illusion of happiness and safety long gone, these women must now confront the hazards of heartbreak, the consequences of jealousy, and the dangers of living double lives."--

"A natural fit for fans of Gone Girl-style narrators and fast moving plots- Closer Weekly Growing up abandoned by her father and raised by a single mother, Celeste was determined to create the perfect family but even perfect families have secrets. Celeste's days are filled with a rewarding career, a devoted husband, and her four-year-old daughter. Only Celeste knows the precarious house of cards her family is built upon until the day her daughter falls critically ill. Celeste's world quickly spirals out of control as her secret threatens to destroy her marriage, family, reputation, and sanity. She'll go to any lengths to protect her family-take any risk, break any law-anything except tell the truth.

Missing Parts

A Welcome Reunion

From the bestselling author of The Best of Friends comes a fast-paced thriller about how one woman's murder unravels the tangled web of lies and deceit connecting a group of Hollywood elite. When Kiersten McCann, president of the West Hollywood Moms' Club, turns up dead in her own pool, it quickly becomes clear this wasn't an accident. And the party guests--all members of the exclusive club--are now key suspects in her murder. Accusations fly, and three mothers find themselves at the center of the investigation. Whitney, Brooke, and Jade all have heavy secrets to bear...and possible motives for their friend's murder. But as the police look closer, more secrets, betrayals, and sinister plots are revealed than the women could ever imagine. With everything at stake, deceit threatens to shatter their illusions of the perfect life. West Hollywood will never be the same.

Keep Your Friends Close

One of Our Own

The Perfect Child / When She Returned

Bestselling author Lucinda Berry serves up a haunting thriller about four friends sworn to secrecy over the events of one fateful summer--and the dark truths that threaten to erupt years later. They never considered how his wife might react, or that by the end of the summer a man would be dead. But Blakely always got her way, and the others followed her lead--even when they knew it was dead wrong. The girls had been friends from day one at Camp Pendleton, a haven for gifted children. But their senior summer was different. When Mr. Crosby, the handsome tennis coach, wound up murdered after a reckless lie, Blakely, Grace, Meg, and Thera swore themselves to secrecy. And never spoke to each other again. Until now. Twenty years later a sinister note claiming to know what they did brings them back together. And once again Blakely is pulling the strings. Unfolding in a dual timeline, If You Tell a Lie is a disturbing journey into the dangerous, sometimes deadly consequences of peer pressure--with a bone-chilling twist you'll never see coming.

If You Tell a Lie

Mladí manželé Hannah a Christopher si adoptují zanedbanou a týranou malou holčičku. Chtějí jí poskytnout láskyplný domov. Dívka se ale upne pouze na otce a snaží se manžele rozeštvat. Hannah namísto mateřských radostí zažívá skutečné peklo. Christopher a Hannah vedou spokojený život, jemuž k dokonalosti schází jediná věc - dítě. Když se v nemocnici, kde oba pracují, objeví šestiletá týraná a zanedbaná holčička, Christopher si ji okamžitě zamiluje a přesvědčí svou ženu, aby malou Janie adoptovali a poskytli jí domov. Jenže Janie není obyčejné dítě. Ukazuje se, že její těžce poznamenaná psychika je nad síly novopečených rodičů. Christopherovi je naprosto oddaná, avšak chová se znepokojivě, a veškerý svůj vztek cílí na Hannah. Ta není schopná navázat s holčičkou láskyplný vztah a dostává se pod stále větší tlak. Christopher odmítá vidět pravou Janiinu povahu. Hannah si uvědomuje, že Janie Christopherem manipuluje a snaží se mezi ně vrazit klín. Manželství se ocitá v krizi a Hannah je na pokraji sil. Hrozí, že dítě, jež mělo být poutem, rodinu nenapravitelně rozvrátí. Nakladatelská anotace. Kráceno.

Andílek

Savršeno dijete

"Grips the reader from page one and doesn't let go."- Closer WeeklyGrowing up abandoned by her father and raised by a single mother, Celeste was determined to create the perfect family, but even perfect families have secrets. Celeste's days are filled with a rewarding career, a devoted husband, and her four-year-old daughter. Only Celeste knows the precarious house of cards her family is built upon until the day her daughter falls critically ill. Celeste's world quickly spirals out of control as her secret threatens to destroy her marriage, family, reputation, and sanity. She'll go to any lengths to protect her family-take any risk, break any law-anything except tell the truth."A riveting psychological thriller." Book One of the When It All Falls Apart serial.

Lucinda Berry

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