Pamela Crane

From USA Today bestselling author Pamela Crane comes an addictively readable domestic suspense novel... Mackenzie, Robin, and Lily have been inseparable forever, sharing life's ups and downs and growing even closer as the years have gone by. They know everything about each other. Or so they believe. Nothing could come between these three best friends . . . Except for a betrayal. Nothing could turn them against each other . . . Except for a terrible past mistake. Nothing could tear them apart . . . Except for murder.

Little Deadly Secrets

From the USA Today bestselling author of Little Deadly Secrets comes a gripping story about the frailty of family and a battle of wills between a wife and a sister-in-law, bent on revenge. She stole my husband. So I'd steal her life. The Wife Lane won Candace's heart over chocolate martinis and karaoke. But weeks into their whirlwind marriage, Candace realized Lane came with burdensome baggage in the form of his possessive live-in sister and her eerily watchful six-year-old son. Lane had a secret that seemed to hold him hostage, and Candace would do anything to uncover it. The Sister-in-Law Harper was the kind of woman who cooked homemade meals and dusted under the furniture. It was the least she could do for her brother after her husband's mysterious death, and Lane took her and her kids in. Then Candace showed up like a tornado passing through, threatening and destructive. But Harper had other plans for her new "sister," plans Lane could never find out about. The Husband All Lane had ever wanted was a white-picket-fence life. The wife. The two-point-five kids. The happy little family. Everything seemed to be falling into place with Candace ... until Harper's jealous streak got in the way, again. But choosing between his sister and wife would be costly ... and knowing Harper, the price would be blood.

The Sister-In-Law

How much do you trust the people you love? No one knows pain better than Haley Montgomery, a woman haunted by death. Years ago, a tragedy swept over her idyllic town after the shocking death of her childhood friend. Years later, Haley still carries the guilt, because only Haley knows what really happened that fatal day. Until now. Someone else knows, and they're holding the secret over her. But it's become more than just a game when a woman’s body is found buried in the yard of the man Haley loves. Whoever is behind the threats clearly wants Haley's attention ... and will do anything to get it. An Amazon top 100 bestselling psychological thriller about the demons we hide...and the demons we hide from.

A gripping psychological thriller

The Admirer's Secret

Little Does She Know

From USA Today Bestselling Author Pamela Crane comes an unmissable new psychological thriller. What causes a woman to murder her whole family? Jo's idyllic life would make most people jealous. Until one day her daughter is abducted and the only way to find her is to unravel her dark past. Ellie is a devoted wife... until she discovers the pain of betrayal. Now vengeance is all she can think about. Party-girl Shayla knows how to hide her demons. But when she's confronted with a life-shattering choice, it will cost her everything. June knows suffering intimately, though the smile she wears keeps it hidden. Soon the lives of these four women intersect and one of them is about to snap…What everyone is saying about Pretty Ugly Lies: "a thought-provoking and powerful book" Mandy White - Reviewer "a twisted tale of love, secrets, lies, obsession, parenting, depression and forgiveness that may be fictional but also has a very heavy dose of gruesome reality." Nicki Richards - Reviewer "one of the best books I've read in a while." Courtney Vial - Reviewer "What a treat this book was" Angela Callicott - Reviewer "A moving, incredible book for every woman who has ever felt a moment of unappreciation, exhaustion or of just never being enough" Alicia Schaefer - NetGalley Reviewer "This book was GREAT! I knew from the first chapter, I was hooked" Stephanie Richmond - Reviewer "thought-provoking (and) heart-wrenching" Peggy Beaver - Reviewer "Desperate Housewives meets American Psycho" - Steven de Bruin - Reviewer "This book knows how to grab you, throw your emotions around and then some" - Nicki Murphy - Nicki's Book Blog "What a gut punch! Pamela Crane perfectly captures the anguish that all moms feel at various times in their lives" Jeanne McAvoy - NetGalley Reviewer From USA TODAY best-selling author Pamela Crane comes "a thought-provoking domestic noir novel perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, Shalini Boland, Lucy Dawson and B.A. Paris ... A chilling look at the secrets mothers will hide for the sake of their families, and the gruesome reality of what can break an everyday woman.

a gripping and chilling domestic noir

Pretty Ugly Lies

A fearless detective. A stolen child. And a killer just getting started. From USA TODAY bestselling author Pamela Crane comes a terrifying tale of small-town secrets and murder. Ari Wilburn’s life ended long ago—the day she watched her little sister die in a tragic accident and did nothing to stop it. Crippled with self-blame and resented by her parents, she stumbles through life ... and onto an unexpected clue that casts doubt on whether the death was accidental. Now a psychological wreck, Ari joins a suicide support group where she meets Tina, a sex-enslaved escapee whose daughter is missing and her long-lost father dead. Suicide, police ruled it. But Tina suspects foul play. As a bond develops between the women in their shared loss, they’re dragged into playing a dangerous game with a killer. A serial killer with a deadly message. Faced with a murderous wake-up call and two possibly linked deaths, Ari’s investigation puts her next on the killer’s list. But she’s never been one to back down from a fight. Needing closure, Ari must face her demons and the killer behind them ... or lose everything she loves. “If Dexter and Gone Girl had a love child, this would be it.” – reader review "Perfect for fans of Robert Bryndza and Melinda Leigh, Pamela Crane introduces a mind-twist that takes everything you love about thrillers, pushes it outside the box, and electrifies you with clever prose and a plot that will terrify you. A must-read thriller...” – Southern Editor Reviews

The Art of Fear

"A terrifying tale of small-town secrets and murder. Ari Wilburn's life ended long ago--the day she watched her little sister die in a tragic accident and did nothing to stop it. Crippled with self-blame and resented by her parents, she stumbles through life ... and onto an unexpected clue that casts doubt on whether the death was accidental. Now a psychological wreck, Ari joins a suicide support group where she meets Tina, a sex-enslaved escapee who finds her long-lost father dead. Suicide, police ruled it. But Tina suspects foul play. As a bond develops between the women in their shared loss, they're dragged into playing a dangerous game with a killer. Faced with a murderous wake-up call and two possibly linked deaths, Ari's investigation puts her next on the killer's list. But she's never been one to back down from a fight. Needing closure, Ari must face her demons and the killer behind them ... or lose everything she loves"--Back cover.

A string of murdered girls. An innocent man behind bars. A serial killer still on the hunt.

A Secondhand Life

From the USA Today bestselling author of Little Deadly Secrets comes a gripping story about the frailty of family and a battle of wills between a wife and a sister-in-law, bent on revenge. She stole my husband. So I’d steal her life. The Wife Lane won Candace’s heart over chocolate martinis and karaoke. But weeks into their whirlwind marriage, Candace realized Lane came with burdensome baggage in the form of his possessive live-in sister and her eerily watchful six-year-old son. Lane had a secret that seemed to hold him hostage, and Candace would do anything to uncover it. The Sister-in-Law Harper was the kind of woman who cooked homemade meals and dusted under the furniture. It was the least she could do for her brother after her husband’s mysterious death, and Lane took her and her kids in. Then Candace showed up like a tornado passing through, threatening and destructive. But Harper had other plans for her new “sister,” plans Lane could never find out about. The Husband All Lane had ever wanted was a white-picket-fence life. The wife. The two-point-five kids. The happy little family. Everything seemed to be falling into place with Candace … until Harper’s jealous streak got in the way, again. But choosing between his sister and wife would be costly … and knowing Harper, the price would be blood.

A Novel

The Sister-in-Law

‘Wow, wow, WOW!! It’s 3.15am and I have just finished this amazing book after not being able to put it down!’ NetGalley Reviewer ‘I was blown away. If you loved Big Little Lies, you'll love this!’ NetGalley Reviewer

One Perfect Morning

If Only She Knew

She Knows Too Much

A murder that stole 1982 national headlines: “Renowned Family Slayed in Home” A case that remained cold for forty long years. The Eyler family was anything but average. The father a top literary agent and the mother a duchess, they thrived in their prestigious mansion surrounded by luxury...and secrets. Secrets that would eventually cost them their lives. On a cold autumn night, their legacy ended with a grisly massacre in one of the most horrific scenes ever investigated. Soon details splashed across every newspaper of how the family of five lay slaughtered in their library, cursing the mansion as it became branded the Execution Estate. With no witnesses and no motives, the killer remained free. The case grew colder. Speculations grew darker. Answers grew dimmer. Until now. Former estate manager, Derl Newman, steps forward four decades later with a suspicion and a wild clue that could lead investigators to finally solve the puzzle of why a killer would murder a family yet leave the many priceless heirlooms behind. The gardener with a grudge? The bitter butler? The maid hiding her mischief? With insider knowledge of what happened that fateful night, Derl meets with renowned documentarian Keisha Fenty to expose everyone’s darkest secrets that brought this house...and everyone who entered it...to ruin. A humorous whodunnit short story perfect for fans of Clue-like locked-room mysteries. "If Agatha Christie and Sherlock Holmes had a baby, they'd birth it in A House of Ruin!" – reader review

A Clue-like Whodunit Mystery for Fans of Agatha Christie

A House of Ruin

A kidnapped baby. A mother’s will to find her. A killer targeting them both. Three years ago, Tina Alvarez was trapped in a sex-trafficking ring. Three years ago, she bore a daughter who was sold on the black market. But three years didn’t erase her tenacity to get her little girl back ... and get even with the ones who took her. When rookie private investigator Ari Wilburn accepts her first case to find Tina’s long-lost daughter, Ari unravels a mystery bigger than a missing child lead. A serial killer is targeting people close to her, and the key to who—and why—is buried deep in her past. As the investigation puts her in the killer’s crosshairs, Ari must decide between saving herself...or guarding her family’s grisly secrets. But for Ari it’s not easy being a savior. Bringing Tina’s daughter back means taking the child from the only family she knows. Is reuniting Tina with her little girl worth destroying this child’s life, and possibly her own? A killer is watching. Plotting. Can Ari stop the death toll before she’s next? A private investigator crime fiction story for fans of J.D. Robb, Brad Meltzer, and Melinda Leigh. By USA TODAY bestselling author Pamela Crane comes a psychological thriller critics are calling "a literary ride that you'll sink your teeth into and savor until the last chilling page." Perfect for fans of Tess Gerritsen and C.J. Box. “An intensifying thriller and investigative mystery. Should a mother be reunited with her kidnapped child if the child is better off without her? The story raises interesting questions that will get you thinking. And the twist ending...just wow. You won’t see it coming!” – reader review

The Death of Life

Foreword Reviews Book of the Year and LA Book Festival nominated thriller The Admirer's Secret "unleashes a mind-bending conclusion even the most keen reader will not anticipate." It started with a glance. And ended with a nightmare. Westfield, New York--both home and prison to Haley Montgomery, a woman crippled by the death that hovers over her. After the loss of her father and best friend, Haley grapples with the loneliness of her small-town existence. But when her solitary life is upended by the man of her fantasies--the rugged, charming Marc Vincetti--her dreams quickly twist into a nightmare. A secret admirer's eerie love letters threaten to uncover Haley's dark past, unraveling a haunting childhood secret that decades later consumes her. Soon the quest for the letters' source sends her on a dangerous personal journey that could cost her life. As the layers of her troubled existence peel away, everything Haley thought she knew about love, and herself, testifies to the brokenness that lurks within the human psyche. A "masterfully written, raw psychological suspense novel."

From the USA TODAY bestselling author of Little Deadly Secrets comes a highly anticipated novel that weaves an ancient family mystery and tense drama into a page-turning psychological thriller. Perfect for fans of Celeste Ng's Little Fires Everywhere, Laura Dave's The Last Thing He Told Me, Lisa Jewell, and Ruth Ware. April 1910. Women’s rights activist Alvera Fields mysteriously vanishes from her home one night, leaving her newborn baby and husband behind, the case never solved. April 2021. On the anniversary of her great-great-grandmother’s disappearance, Alvera’s namesake Vera Portman vanishes in an eerily similar manner. Six months later, the police recover a girl’s body. While the family waits in the horror of finding out if it’s Vera, Felicity Portman clings to hope that her missing teenage daughter is still alive. Despite all odds, Felicity senses a link between the decades-apart cases—a mother feels such things in her bones. But all suspicion points to the last person who saw Vera alive: Felicity’s sister-in-law, Marin. Marin, with her troubled past. Marin, the poor woman who married into the rich family. Marin, the only one who knows Felicity’s darkest secret. As Felicity makes a shocking discovery in Vera’s journal, she questions who her daughter really is. The deeper she digs, the more she’s ensnared in the same mysteries that claimed their ancestor in a terribly slow ruin. “An emotionally charged mystery of how a mother must lose her daughter to find herself. Chilling from the first page, gripping until the last.” – reader review Praise for Pamela Crane: “It kept me on my toes the whole time I was reading it and trying to guess the twisty ending of what really happened. Fans of thrillers, suspense, and mystery novels will not be disappointed with this book.” - San Francisco Book Review “You are not prepared for the twists...Pamela Crane has in store for you. Sure to have you at the edge of your seat.” – POPSUGAR “Crane succeeds at painting families and friendships in vivid detail; women will see their tussles and triumphs in these pages, and will relish the twists and moments of brave camaraderie and bold revenge... A satisfying read that has echoes of Liane Moriarty and of Emily Giffin's All We Ever Wanted.” – Booklist

A Slow Ruin

The Mental Madness Suspense Series Boxed Set

Sometimes you know things you’re not supposed to know. Things that you can never un-know. Things that will change the course of your life...and the fate of the ones you love. I found her in our living room, bleeding and close to death, but alive. Barely. Until morning stole her last breath. The media called her killer the “Triangle Terror” ... and then forgot about her. But I never forgot—my murdered sister, and an investigation that led to my own resurrection from the dead. Twenty-two years ago, on a cold February night, Landon Worthington lost his father for the last time. After an armed robbery gone wrong, evidence and witness testimony pointed a shaky finger at Dan Worthington—deadbeat dad and alcoholic husband. But before the dust could settle over the conviction, Landon’s preteen sister, Alexis, is murdered in their home, plunging Landon’s life into further despair. Two decades and a cold case later, Landon is dogged by guilt over their estranged relationship and decides to confront his incarcerated father-of-the-year about what really happened the night of the robbery. But the years of lies are hard to unravel. And the biggest question of all haunts him: How does everything tie into his sister’s murder? And so begins Landon’s journey to piece together the puzzle of secrets, lies, and truths that can free his father, avenge his sister, and perhaps save himself. A companion short story to A Secondhand Life, the perfect mystery for fans of Robert Dugoni's Third Watch and Dean Koontz's The Neighbor.

A Secondhand Lie

The short story companion book to the bestselling psychological thriller, The Admirer's Secret. A husband in love with his wife. A wife willing to do anything to escape him. An affair turned deadly. From USA TODAY bestselling author Pamela Crane comes a domestic noir short story about a deadly obsession. The pregnancy test he found in the garbage confirmed it: Fatherhood at last. But when his wife announces her desire for divorce—and a majority of their assets—Hollywood icon Allen Michaels loses not only his wife, but his sanity. As Allen reveals the gory secrets of his mysterious past, with love leaving him battered and broke, how far is too far to avenge the promise of “til death do us part”? Unleash Allen’s hidden demons in this darkly riveting novella as he takes justice into his own demented hands... “Mesmeric ... chilling ... Pamela Crane is a new thriller author to watch.” – reader review Perfect for fans of Robert Dugoni's Third Watch and Dean Koontz's The Neighbor. “Crane delivers a taut literary thriller short story that fans of Jeffery Deaver will devour. If you love dark, brooding characters and domestic drama turned murder, you’ll love A Fatal Affair.” – reader review

A Fatal Affair

A chilling page-turning psychological thriller with an unpredictable last-chapter twist, perfect for fans of Freida McFadden, Alice Feeney, and Lisa Jewell. The next body on the embalming table may be hers. Preparing bodies for burial wasn’t on Ashley’s career list until a horrifying accident left her to inherit Fallon’s Funeral Home. She spends her days applying final touches and ensuring the departed look more peaceful than they ever did in life. When a crash echoes from the embalming room late one night, she expects to find a fallen tray or her clumsy assistant. Instead, she unveils a body laid out on the stainless-steel table, posed with unsettling care. The woman has Ashley’s face. Ashley’s hair. Ashley’s scar just beneath her chin. She’s even dressed in Ashley’s clothes. Clutched in the corpse’s pale fingers is a single note: Murderer Someone knows what Ashley covered up. As strange threats arrive and familiar faces turn watchful, she realizes the funerals she controls so expertly have become her own fate. She must uncover who is exhuming her past before she becomes the final viewing. As the town undertaker, she buries secrets with the dead. But someone is digging up hers, and they plan to Take Her Under.

Pamela Crane

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