Afraid
Three Riveting Stories of Suspense
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4.1 • 57 Ratings
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
A thrilling new book featuring the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Third Grave, that fans of Allison Brennan and Lisa Gardner won’t want to miss! Dark secrets and revenge converge as former students from an elite boarding school, which is also a haven for the daughters of the rich and famous, come face to face with the crimes of the past…
LUCY
Lucy Champagne was sent to St. Cecilia’s after her movie-star mother was brutally attacked by her sleazy boyfriend, Ray Watkins. Lucy’s damning testimony landed Ray a twenty-five-year sentence. But now, Ray is free. And he’s going to find Lucy and make her pay, no matter how far and how fast she runs . . .
RAYNE
Rayne Taylor found unexpected happiness at St. Cecilia’s, until her roommate, Natalie, committed suicide. Only when Rayne finds a box of mementoes from that time does she realize how wrong she may have been about Natalie’s death—and how far someone will go to keep the truth hidden . . .
ERIN
Erin MacDonald remembers little about the long-ago night she and her sister, Anna Beth, were kidnapped. While Erin was found safe, Anna Beth vanished forever. Now Erin has reluctantly come back to the family estate, where Detective Rafe Montego hopes to finally crack the case. But as flashes of Erin’s memory reemerge, she learns how deep the danger goes . . .
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
These three flawed romantic suspense novellas are linked by a fun but underutilized central conceit: that all three heroines are alumnae of the same exclusive Austrian boarding school. In Jackson's "Retribution," young Lucy Champagne witnesses an attack on her movie star mother and sends the perpetrator to prison with her testimony. When he's released 25 years later, Lucy hides out in an isolated cabin with her daughter, spending most of the dull plot waiting for him to find her and fretting. The final twist is surprising but nonsensical and delivered with a shrug, and there's only the barest hint of romance. Ivy's "Ghosts" is more satisfying, as Rayne Taylor discovers that her high school roommate, Nat, who supposedly died by suicide, was in fact murdered and teams up with Nat's brother to find the killer. Unfortunately, the murderer's identity is telegraphed too early, defanging the climax. "Alone" by Childs sees Erin MacDonald return to the family estate where she and her sister, Anna Beth, were kidnapped as children. Erin was returned with no memory of what happened, but Anna Beth never came home. As Erin's memories resurface, Childs creates an effective mystery and a sweet romance with the detective on the case, but the writing itself is clumsy and repetitive. This is an easy one to skip.
