Part of Alan Gregory, book 7
First published 2000
Dr. Alan Gregory thought his past with Dr. Sawyer Sackett was buried. The woman he once loved has reentered his world at the worst possible moment. A killer stalks them both, someone who understands the devastating potential of psychological warfare. This murderer doesn't rely on brute force alone. Instead, they deploy mind games as weapons, turning thoughts and memories into instruments of terror. Gregory and Sackett find themselves trapped in a nightmare that feels disturbingly personal. The killer knows things about them that no stranger should know. Every move they make seems anticipated. Every attempt to escape only draws them deeper into the trap. As the psychological pressure mounts, Gregory must confront not only an external threat but also the unresolved feelings between him and Sackett. Their shared history becomes both a vulnerability the killer can exploit and possibly their only path to survival. The investigation forces them to revisit painful memories while racing against time to stop someone who treats murder as a form of twisted therapy.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, psychological-thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, forced-proximity, unreliable-narrator
416 pages · Paperback · Signet Books
Content warnings: anxiety, depression, mental-illness