The Killing Woods

Book excerpt: “[A] tense and nimbly crafted psychological thriller,” about a father accused of murder, the daughter defending him, and the victim’s alluring boyfriend (Publishers Weekly). Ashlee Parker is dead, and Emily Shepherd’s dad is accused of the crime. A former soldier suffering from PTSD, he emerges from the woods carrying the girl’s broken body. “Gone,” he says, then retreats into silence. What really happened that wild night? Emily knows in her bones that her father is innocent—isn’t he? Before he’s convicted, she’s got to find out the truth. Does Damon Hilary, Ashlee’s charismatic boyfriend, have the answers? Or is he only playing games with her—the kinds of games that can kill? “A gripping, heartbreaking, emotionally substantial look at war wounds and the allure of danger.” —Kirkus Reviews