New Releases by Meg Gardiner

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER USA TODAY BESTSELLER LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER THE WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLER Eine Anthologie mit 34 brandneuen Kurzgeschichten basierend auf Stephen Kings Meisterwerk, dem Nr. 1 New-York-Times-Bestseller THE STAND! Seit seiner Erstveröffentlichung im Jahr 1978 gilt THE STAND als Stephen Kings bahnbrechendes Meisterwerk der apokalyptischen Fiktion. Mit Millionen verkaufter Exemplare und zwei TV-Adaptionen hat dieser Kultroman Generationen von Schriftstellern beeinflusst. Obwohl es andere bemerkenswerte Werke gibt, die den Zerfall der menschlichen Gesellschaft erforschen, war keines so einflussreich wie dieses – mit seiner beeindruckenden Charaktervielfalt und der düsteren, aber letztlich hoffnungsvollen Vision vom Ende und dem Neubeginn unserer Zivilisation. Nun hat Stephen King zum ersten Mal offiziell eine Rückkehr in die erschütternde Welt von DAS LETZTE GEFECHT autorisiert - in Form dieser Anthologie, präsentiert von den preisgekrönten Autoren und Herausgebern Christopher Golden und Brian Keene. DAS ENDE DER WELT WIE WIR SIE KENNEN vereint einige der größten und visionärsten Schriftsteller unserer Zeit und bietet unvergessliche, brandneue Erzählungen, die während und nach (und manche vielleicht lange nach) den Ereignissen von DAS LETZTE GEFECHT spielen – vierunddreißig brillante, furchterregende und zutiefst menschliche Geschichten, die bei Lesern weltweit zum unverzichtbaren Begleiter des klassischen Bestseller-Romans avancieren werden. Mit einer Einleitung von Stephen King, einem Vorwort von Christopher Golden und einem Nachwort von Brian Keene. Zu den Autoren gehören: Wayne Brady und Maurice Broaddus, Poppy Z. Brite, Somer Canon, C. Robert Cargill, Nat Cassidy, V. Castro, Richard Chizmar, S. A. Cosby, Tananarive Due und Steven Barnes, Meg Gardiner, Gabino Iglesias, Jonathan Janz, Alma Katsu, Caroline Kepnes, Michael Koryta, Sarah Langan, Joe R. Lansdale, Tim Lebbon, Josh Malerman, Ronald Malfi, Usman T. Malik, Premee Mohamed, Cynthia Pelayo, Hailey Piper, David J. Schow, Alex Segura, Bryan Smith, Paul Tremblay, Catherynne M. Valente, Bev Vincent, Catriona Ward, Chuck Wendig, Wrath James White, und Rio Youers. Library Journal, Starred Review: »Dies ist eine spektakuläre Hommage an den ultimativen epischen Horrorroman des 20. Jahrhunderts.« Vulture: »Eines der besten Bücher des Jahres ... dies ist mehr als eine Hommage an einen Klassiker, dies ist eine unverzichtbare Anthologie und eine unschätzbare Zeitkapsel des Horrors in dieser goldenen Ära.« Variety: »Ein Muss für Stephen-King-Fans. Constant Reader werden viel Spaß dabei haben, über ihre Lieblingsstücke zu diskutieren.«

What happens when two serial killers begin to compete with each other? From #1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Gardiner comes a new high-octane thriller in the acclaimed UNSUB series. FBI Special Agent Caitlin Hendrix faces a case from nightmares. In a Tennessee prison, Efrem Judah Goode draws haunting portraits of women he claims he has killed. Around the country, desperate families of the missing seek answers in his eerie drawings. And on darkened back roads and New York City streets, a new killer poses duct-taped bodies at the sites of Goode’s murders. Two serial killers are locked in a twisted rivalry. To stop the brutal slayings, FBI profiler Caitlin Hendrix must unravel the connection between Goode and the Broken Heart Killer. Their warped competition destroys anyone in their path. Caught between a manipulative psychopath and a ruthless UNSUB, Caitlin has to dive into not one, but two dark and twisted minds. She will risk everything, plunging into the depths of their depraved clash to hunt down an unstoppable killer.

“Don’t miss it. This is a great one!” — Stephen King Soon to be an Amazon TV series I am the legion of the night ... He appears in the darkness like a ghost, made of shadows and fear—the Midnight Man. He comes for the parents but leaves the children alive, tiny witnesses to unspeakable horror. The bedroom communities of Los Angeles are gripped with dread, and the attacks are escalating. Still reeling from her best friend’s close call in a bombing six months ago, FBI behavioral analyst Caitlin Hendrix has come to Los Angeles to assist in the Midnight Man investigation and do what she does best—hunt a serial killer. Her work is what keeps her going, but something about this UNSUB—unknown subject—doesn’t sit right. She soon realizes that this case will test not only her skills but also her dedication, for within the heart of a killer lives a secret that mirrors Caitlin’s own past. Hesitancy is not an option, but will she be able to do what must be done if the time comes? Tense and impactful, Edgar Award winner Meg Gardiner’s latest UNSUB thriller will leave you on the edge of your seat until its riveting conclusion.

From award-winning author Meg Gardiner, co-author of Michael Mann’s Heat 2--In this exhilarating thriller inspired by real-life serial killer Ted Bundy, FBI profiler Caitlin Hendrix faces off against a charming, merciless serial killer. In southern Texas, on Saturday nights, women are disappearing. One vanishes from a movie theater. Another, from her car at a stoplight. A mother is ripped from her home while checking on her baby. Rookie FBI agent Caitlin Hendrix, newly assigned to the FBI's elite Behavioral Analysis Unit, fears that a serial killer is roaming the dark roads outside Austin. Caitlin's unit discovers the first victim's body in the woods, laid out in a bloodstained white baby-doll nightgown. A second victim in a white nightie lies deeper in the forest's darkness. Around the bodies, Polaroid photos are stuck in the earth like headstones, picturing other women with their wrists slashed. The women in the woods are not the killer's first victims, nor are they likely to be his last. To track the UNSUB, Caitlin must get inside his mind; he is a confident, meticulous killer, capable of charming his victims until their guard is down, snatching them in plain sight. He then plays out a twisted fantasy—turning them into dolls for him to possess, control, and ultimately destroy. Caitlin's profile leads the FBI to focus on one man: a charismatic, successful professional who easily gains people's trust. But can they apprehend him before it's too late? As Saturday night approaches, Caitlin and the FBI enter a desperate game of cat and mouse, racing to capture the cunning predator before he claims his next victim.

From award-winning author Meg Gardiner, co-author of Michael Mann’s Heat 2 One year ago, a shootout in a trendy L.A. club left bartender Harper Flynn’s boyfriend dead, Sheriff Deputy Aiden Garrison shattered, and two gunmen engulfed in flames. But if the case is closed, why is Harper still afraid? Certain that a third gunman escaped and is targeting survivors, Harper pins her last hope on the only person willing to listen. But a traumatic brain injury has left Aiden with a rare and terrifying disorder: a delusion that random people are actually the same person in disguise. As Harper and Aiden delve deeper into the case, Harper fears that the attack might have been more personal than anyone believed. And now her only ally is unstable, paranoid, and mistrustful—because he’s seeing the same enemy everywhere he looks.

From award-winning author Meg Gardiner, co-author of Michael Mann’s Heat 2 Sarah Keller is a skip tracer, tracking criminals who have gone on the lam. She’s also a single mother to five-year-old Zoe, living quietly in small-town Oklahoma—until an accident sends Zoe to the ER, and their life changes in a heartbeat. Medical tests reveal a desperate secret Sarah has been hiding for years: Zoe is not her daughter, but rather a girl once rescued from a nightmare of murder, vengeance, and harrowing family ties she can’t possibly remember. Sarah does. And someone wants to make sure she never forgets. Now Sarah must abandon her carefully constructed life and take Zoe on the run. Using her knowledge as a skip tracer to stay off the grid, she must remain one step ahead of her pursuers if she is to stay alive, save Zoe, and bury the past once and for all.

From award-winning author Meg Gardiner, co-author of Michael Mann’s Heat 2 JUDGE, JURY—AND EXECUTION. Rory Mackenzie vowed to never return to her hometown of Ransom River, California. But she comes back and does her civic duty. Now she’s juror number seven on a high-profile murder case. While most of the town is focused on the tense and shocking circumstances of the trial, Rory’s return to Ransom River dredges up troubling memories from her childhood that she can no longer ignore. And in the wake of a desperate attack on the courthouse, Rory realizes exposing these dark skeletons has connected her to an old case that was never solved, and that bringing the truth to light just might destroy her. You can’t go home again—and survive—in this mesmerizing crime novel by Meg Gardiner, “a top-tier mystery writer at the top of her game” (BookPage).

From award-winning author Meg Gardiner, co-author of Michael Mann’s Heat 2 IGNORE THE SCREAMS. IT’S JUST PART OF THE GAME. Autumn wants something special for her twenty-first birthday. She has the sports car, the apartment, and the private college. Now she wants excitement. She’s going to get it. Daddy has signed up Autumn and her friends for the “ultimate urban reality” game: a simulated drug deal, jailbreak, kidnapping, and manhunt. Authorities know all about it. That’s why they’re disregarding the cries for help. How convenient for a gang of players taking it to the next level. They’re playing for real. When forensic psychiatrist Jo Beckett and her partner, Gabe Quintana, are pulled into the game, the stakes are raised. After all, nobody wants to spoil Autumn’s fun. And nobody is leaving this party alive.

From award-winning author Meg Gardiner, co-author of Michael Mann’s Heat 2 Forensic psychiatrist Jo Beckett is called to the scene of a plane inbound from London to San Francisco. A passenger is behaving erratically, offering Jo cryptic clues from a shattered past: something about a missing wife and son...a secret partnership gone horribly wrong...and, most alarming, a deadly biological agent that no one can stop.

Jo Beckett is a forensic psychiatrist who profiles victims' lives to help solve their deaths. On a San Francisco street, she is confronted by a scene of pure carnage: four dead and five injured after a high speed pursuit. In the mangled remains of a BMW lies prosecutor Callie Harding, dead with the word "dirty" written in lipstick on her thigh. Why did Harding run from the police? Why did she crash through a bridge railing? Was it an accident? Suicide? Or murder? Jo is a last resort in difficult cases. But now she's on the front line, because Callie Harding isn't the first high flyer to go down and take others with her.

Née en 1957 dans l'Oklahoma, Meg Gardiner est diplômée de droit de l'Université deStanford, en Californie. Après avoir travaillé en entreprise, puis enseigné le droit, elle a déménagé près de Londres avec son mari et leurs trois enfants. Le dirty secrets club est le premier roman de sa série mettant en scène l'héroïne Jo Beckett. Jo Beckett est " psychiatre post mortem ". Son rôle n'est pas d'autopsier les corps mais de disséquer la vie des défunts pour déterminer les causes de leur décès. Elle est appelée par le lieutenant Tang le jour où Callie Harding, adjointe au procureur fédéral, trouve la mort en jetant sa voiture d'un pont d'autoroute. Tout semble indiquer un suicide. Pourtant, un détail troublant retient leur attention : le mot " dirty " est inscrit au rouge à lèvres sur la cuisse de la victime. Et puis, on se suicide rarement avec une passagère à ses côtés ! Très vite, Jo Beckett est mise sur la piste du mystérieux club fondé par Callie Harding, baptisé dirty secrets club. Un confessionnal virtuel pour personnalités en mal d'excitation et de rédemption, venues expier des actes socialement inavouables en relevant des défis indécents. Rien de très grave jusqu'à ce qu'une " séance " tourne mal... Alors que l'enquête progresse, les meurtres continuent. Quelqu'un cherche à éliminer les adeptes un à un. Et ce quelqu'un voit d'un très mauvais oeil les découvertes de Jo. Sans doute la raison de ce billet qu'elle reçoit. Quelques mots seulement. Implacables. Vous avez tué voter mari. Bienvenue au dirty secrets club.

Evan Delaney has come to terms with the hit-and-run crash that left her boyfriend, Jesse Blackburn, in a wheelchair and killed his best friend. But when she hears that the driver, Franklin Brand, is back in Santa Barbara, she is determined to help Jesse bring him to book for his crime.

From award-winning author Meg Gardiner, co-author of Michael Mann’s Heat 2--When Evan Delaney finds her father’s car at the bottom of a ravine, the police suspect suicide—but there’s no body. Evan’s suspicions of something sinister are confirmed when she receives a call from her father’s kidnappers. The ransom isn’t money, but more of a puzzle—one that Evan has only 72 hours to piece together, as she follows a madman’s trail into the very heart of darkness.

From award-winning author Meg Gardiner, co-author of Michael Mann’s Heat 2--Evan Delaney knew China Lake was a tough place to grow up. But she never knew how tough until now. She returns to the desert military base for her high school reunion, and learns that a number of her classmates have died young. Then, on the first night of the reunion, another one dies, this one savagely butchered. And she’s just the first. Someone has an axe to grind and Evan’s graduating class has something to fear.

From award-winning author Meg Gardiner, co-author of Michael Mann’s Heat 2 After a hit-and-run accident leaves a friend dead, Evan Delaney wants justice. But she underestimates the power of the person responsible. When the witnesses begin dying one by one, Evan is unprepared for the dark places retribution will take her.

From award-winning author Meg Gardiner, co-author of Michael Mann’s Heat 2--A string of high-profile murder-suicides has San Francisco more rattled than the string of recent earthquakes. Hired by the SFPD to shed light on the victims' lives, forensic psychiatrist Jo Beckett makes a shocking discovery: all the suicides belonged to a group of A-listers with lots of money and plenty to hide. And soon Jo finds herself trapped in a nightmare from her past when she gets invited to join the club...

From award-winning author Meg Gardiner, co-author of Michael Mann’s Heat 2 Evan Delaney learns that not only has her ex-sister-in-law joined a religious cult, but the unstable young mother plans to regain custody of her son and disappear with him into the fold of the fanatical group. But when murder raises the stakes, Evan is dragged even deeper into the nightmare.

Review: "Santa Barbara attorney Evan Delaney is gutsy and tough, but she has a tender side, too. She dotes on her nephew, Luke, whos staying with her while his fighter-pilot father, Brian, is deployed overseas. (Brian, whos stationed at the Mojave Desert naval weapons-testing center, China Lake, has been divorced from Lukes mother, Tabitha, for years.) Evans peaceful cohabitation with Luke is thrown into chaos when Tabitha returns to town under the spell of the Remnant, a fundamentalist sect arming itself for the apocalypse with artillery and biological weapons. Tabitha wants Luke backno questions asked. Brian comes home, and when the sects eerie leader is found dead in Brians backyard, the career military man is thrown in jail with little hope of release. Evan and her boyfriend, Jesse, come to Brians defense, prompting a flood of memories for Evan, who grew up in China Lake. Gardiner, an American who lives in Great Britain, renders a cast of compelling characters and a hair-raising plot that never stops. This is her second novel to be published in the States (after The Dirty Secrets Club, earlier this year); happily for readers, four more Evan Delaney mysteries are slated for release this summer and fall. --Allison Block"