Book cover of Death in the Family

Book description

A storm-struck island. A blood-soaked bed. A missing man. In this captivating mystery that's perfect for fans of Knives Out, Senior Investigator Shana Merchant discovers that murder is a family affair.

Thirteen months ago, former NYPD detective Shana Merchant barely survived being abducted by a serial killer. Now hoping to…

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Why read it?

3 authors picked Death in the Family as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Secrets always intrigue me. Shana Merchant has secrets, and she’s spent years running from them. Shana’s past writhes around her like a poisonous vine. She can’t break free from it, and if she’s not careful, it will suffocate everything around her.

The first book in this series establishes Shana as a smart, once-successful big-city cop, but this isn’t a simple redemption story. I found Shana’s path over the course of this series insightful as she tries to overcome PTSD after being held by a serial killer—not just any serial killer. The connection between the two blew me away and it…

Death in the Family (book one of the Shana Merchant series) hooked me from the start.

Living and working in New York, Detective Shana Merchant barely survived being abducted by a serial killer. Hoping to leave grisly murder cases behind, she's taken a job in her fiancé's sleepy hometown in the Thousand Islands region of Upstate New York.

Faced with a murder on an isolated island owned by a wealthy family, Shana knows nothing about life on the water and the wealthy locals are not about to let her in on their secrets. As a brutal nor’easter storms into the…

Death in the Family is the first book in the Shana Merchant series and my personal recommendation due to the island setting, which I clearly love. This novel takes place in The Thousand Islands region of Upstate New York on an island owned by a wealthy family, not so different from the setting of my own novel. Senior Investigator Shana Merchant is called out to the island when someone turns up dead at a family gathering. A big storm prevents anyone from leaving and it quickly becomes clear that there is a killer in the midst with no possible escape.…

From Jessica's list on with creepy settings.

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A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

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