Praise for the novels of
New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author Karen Harper
âWill keep you awake until bedtime and beyond.â
âTess Gerritsen on Empty Cradle
âA compelling story ⦠intricate and fascinating details of Amish lifeâ
âTami Hoag on Dark Harvest
âA strong plot, a pair of well-written characters and a genuinely spooky atmosphere add up to yet another sterling effort from Harper. Fast-paced and absorbing, this one will keep readers turning pages far into the night.â
âRT Book Reviews on Deep Down
âThe story is rich ⦠and the tension steadily escalates to a pulse-pounding climax.â
âPublishers Weekly on The Hiding Place
âStrongly plotted and well written, featuring a host of interesting characters, Harperâs latest is a winner.â
âRT Book Reviews on Below the Surface
âKaren Harper proves yet once again why she is on my âauto buyâ list.â
âwww.longandshortreviews.com on Below the Surface
âHarper keeps tension high as the insane villain cleverly evades efforts to capture him. And Harper really shines in the final act, providing readers with a satisfying and exciting denouement.â
âPublishers Weekly on Inferno
âHarper spins an engaging, nerve-wracking yarn, alternating her emphasis between several equally interesting plot strands. More importantly, her red herrings do the jobâthereâs just no guessing who the guilty party might be.â
âRomantic Times on Hurricane
âWell-researched and rich in detail. With its tantalising build-up and well-developed characters, this offering is certain to earn Harper high marks.â
âPublishers Weekly on Dark Angel, winner of the 2005
Mary Higgins Clark Award
New York Times bestselling author KAREN HARPER is a former high school and college English teacher. Winner of the 2005 Mary Higgins Clark Award for her outstanding novel, Dark Angel, Karen is the author of thirteen romantic suspense novels and four historical novels, as well as a series of historical mysteries. Karen and her husband, who divide their time between Columbus, Ohio, and Naples, Florida, love to travel both in the US and abroad. For additional information about Karen and her novels, please visit www.karenharperauthor.com.
Also available from
Karen Harper
DEEP DOWN
DARK ROAD HOME
Coming soon
DARK HARVEST
DARK ANGEL
To the wonderfully independent Alaskans
I met on our trip, and, as ever, to my traveling companion through life, Don.
August 20, 1982
Lisa Vaughn fought to pull her wrist loose from her motherâs strong hand. âNo, Iâm afraid. Iâm going to tell Grandma. No, Mommy, no, nooo!â
They were up on the deck where everyone had done the lifeboat drill but now no one else was around. Eight-year-old Lisa loved the big cruise ship she was on in the middle of the blue sea with Grandma, Mommy and baby Jani. But Grandma was taking a nap in their cabin, and Mommy was crying. So was Lisaâs baby sister, maybe because Mommy was holding her so tight against her chest with only one arm. With the other hand she dragged Lisa toward the back railing of the ship with lots of bubbling white water underneath.
Walking around the deck with Mommy and Jani, Lisa had thought it was pretty at first, all that wild water like when you swished your hand real fast to make lots of bubbles in the bathtub. But Mommy kept saying something about âGetting away just like your father did, just getting away with my girls ⦠peace forever â¦â
Lisa started to cry, too, when her mother put one leg up high over the railing. Still, she didnât let go of Lisaâs wrist, dragging her closer. Jani cried and squirmed. Wet-faced from her own tears, Mommy kissed her little cheek, then looked back at Lisa.
âYou have to come with us, Lisa. Stop struggling!â
She gave Lisa a huge tug, trying to lift her over the rail, scraping her stomach.
âNo!â Lisa shouted as she pulled back and kind of shoved Mommy away at the same time.
Lisa fell hard on the deck, so surprised and scared as Mommy, still holding Jani, fell backward, down. Lisa jumped to her feet in time to see Mommy and Jani drop and disappear, sucked into the sea by the wild white water.
Fighting the Foam
Like the dew on the mountain,
Like the foam on the river,
Like the bubble on the fountain,
Thou art gone, and for ever!
âSir Walter Scott
Duck Lake Lodge
Near Bear Bones, Alaska
August 20, 2008
Despite the calm beauty of Duck Lake ten feet below the pine-tree-lined path, Lisa Vaughn felt compelled to watch the Wild River on the other side of the low ridge where she stood. Because the summer sun had warmed the snow-tipped Talkeetna Mountains for hours, the snowmelt river roared. When the temperature dropped at night, despite the fact the skies barely darkened, the river rumbled like distant thunder. She was amazed by the reddish-colored salmon as they battled the fierce current on their long journey upriver to their breeding grounds. It almost looked as if the river was bleeding.
But mostly the river awed Lisa because, exactly twenty-six years ago, sheâd seen her mother and baby sister drown in the turbulent, foaming wake of a cruise ship. Since then, roiling water mesmerized her. And she had never seen anything like the rapids of the Wild River.