The murder of an influencer's family exposes the disturbing secrets behind the facade in a haunting novel of suspense by Joe Hart, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Or Else. Family is content for Kaylee Volk. Her vlogs celebrate a happy home with her husband and their three foster children, Bethany, Mason, and Andrea. Everything is perfect until the day the family's private plane plummets into the ocean. Only Kaylee manages to survive-with a shocking revelation: Andrea did it. This is particularly devastating for Nora McTavish, a child protective services agent who is already familiar with Andrea's troubled history. Given Nora's own traumatic childhood, how could she not have sensed the profound darkness festering within the girl? What did she miss? Could she have stopped Andrea? As Kaylee struggles to cope with the crushing loss, Nora's investigation begins. But her guilt soon turns to unease. Secret by secret, Nora pieces together a Volk family puzzle that's more twisted than anyone saw-one far from the picture-perfect life Kaylee sold to the public. And the closer Nora looks, the more disturbing it gets.

About the Author
Joe Hart is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of more than fifteen novels, including Or Else, The River Is Dark, Obscura, and The Last Girl. When not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising, exploring the great outdoors, and watching movies with his family. For more information on his upcoming novels and access to his blog, visit www.joehartbooks.com.

Reviews
"The tragic crash of a small plane sets an Oregon social worker on the trail of even greater tragedies behind it....A well-paced expose of dark family secrets." -Kirkus Reviews "The plot takes many twists and turns and keeps readers guessing until the surprising end. For fans of Harlan Coben, Riley Sager, and Linwood Barclay." -Library Journal Praise for Or Else "Hart remains a suspense writer to watch." -Publishers Weekly "Or Else is a thriller/suspense tour de force. Joe Hart has knocked it out of the park with a start-to-finish roller coaster ride of perfectly executed twists and expertly timed chills. Deep character development and rich narrative seals Or Else's place as the not-to-be-missed domestic thriller/suspense of the year." -Steven Konkoly, author of the Ryan Decker series and Deep Sleep "The perfect thriller for a rainy afternoon, Or Else draws you into a web of small town secrets, lies, and intrigue and doesn't let you go. Hart's well-rendered setting and characters resonate like people and places you've known. Loved every minute of this absolute page-turner!" -D.M. Pulley, bestselling author of The Dead Key "Joe Hart has written compelling stories before, but it's in Or Else that he shows off just how good he is. This book checks all the boxes for me: a (seemingly) quiet, small town drama-filled with those little quirks and secrets nobody wants to talk about-that quickly blossoms into something big, sinister, and menacing. Hart doesn't pull any punches on some serious issues, either: love, infidelity, family conflict...there's plenty to think about right up to the explosive ending. This is the thriller you'll be recommending for the foreseeable future." -Matthew Iden, author of the Marty Singer series and The Winter Over Praise for Obscura "Joe Hart is a tremendous talent, and with Obscura, he has taken his storytelling to the next level. This is a genius work of science fiction, brimming with thrills, scares, and most importantly, heart. I devoured this book, and you will too." -Blake Crouch, New York Times bestselling author of Dark Matter and the Wayward Pines Series "This gripping book will be a must-read for fans of sf-based mysteries such as John Scalzi's Lock In and Kristine Kathyrn Rusch's Retrieval Artist series, as well as aficionados of stories about science gone wrong, too far, or both." -Library Journal (starred review) "Outstanding...Fans of Blake Crouch's Wayward Pines Series, with its combination of mystery, horror, and science fiction, will find this right up their alley." -Publishers Weekly (starred review) "The pacing is excellent from beginning to end." -Los Angeles Times "Those seeking an off-planet sci-fi thriller with a haunting plotline will devour Joe Hart's Obscura, which reads quick and is jam-packed with terrifying surprises." -The Real Book Spy "For the reader who likes hard science fiction with some mystery and suspense thrown in, Obscura should hit the spot. It's not merely sci-fi, but a thriller wrapped in the deadly solitude of space with a determined heroine who refuses to give up." -New York Journal of Books



Book Information
ISBN 9781662508080
Author Joe Hart
Format Paperback
Page Count 240
Imprint Thomas & Mercer
Publisher Amazon Publishing