We Were Killers Once

A secret from the past brings danger to the doorstep of an ex-FBI agent turned PI in this thriller by the author of A Twist of the Knife.

"Former FBI agent Brigid Quinn, with her trademark toughness, raw humor, and human frailty, is back and better than ever. . . . A gripping premise, brilliantly executed—you won't be able to put this one down!" —Shari Lapena, New York Times–bestselling author of The Couple Next Door

In 1959, a family of four were brutally murdered in Holcomb, Kansas. Perry Smith and Dick Hickok were convicted and executed for the crime, and the murders and their investigation and solution became the subject of Truman Capote's masterpiece, In Cold Blood. But what if there was a third killer, who remained unknown? What if there was another family, also murdered, who crossed paths with this band of killers, though their murder remains unsolved? And what if Dick Hickok left a written confession, explaining everything?

Retired FBI agent Brigid Quinn and her husband Carlo, a former priest and university professor, are trying to enjoy each other in this new stage in their lives. But a memento from Carlo's days as a prison chaplain—a handwritten document hidden away undetected in a box of Carlo's old things—has become a target for a man on the run from his past. Jerry Beaufort has just been released from prison after decades behind bars, and though he'd like to get on with living the rest of his life, he knows that somewhere there is a written record of the time he spent with two killers in 1959. Following the path of this letter will bring Jerry into contact with the last person he'll see as a threat: Brigid Quinn.

Becky Masterman's unputdownable thrillers featuring unique heroine Brigid Quinn continue with this fascinating alternative look at one of America's most famous crimes.

"The best thing about this alternative take on the Clutter family murders made famous in Truman Capote's 1965 true-crime classic In Cold Blood is Masterman's meticulous look inside the head of a heartless psychopath."―The Washington Post, 9 Thriller Picks for Your Beach Bag

"Masterman keeps the tension high throughout this page-turner." ―Publishers Weekly

"What makes this latest Quinn mystery especially nerve-racking is the fact that Quinn's husband, a former prison chaplain, may have the evidence that Beaufort seeks. . . . The plot never loses its drive, and the characters are truly intriguing." —Booklist