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Peter Swanson

Biography

Peter Swanson

Peter Swanson is the New York Times bestselling author of THE KIND WORTH KILLING, winner of the New England Society Book Award and finalist for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger; HER EVERY FEAR, an NPR book of the year; and EIGHT PERFECT MURDERS, a New York Times bestseller, among others. His books have been translated into 30 languages, and his stories, poetry and features have appeared in Asimov’s Science FictionThe Atlantic MonthlyMeasureThe GuardianThe Strand Magazine and Yankee Magazine. He lives on the North Shore of Massachusetts, where he is at work on his next novel.

Books by Peter Swanson

by Peter Swanson - Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

There was always something slightly dangerous about Joan. So when she turns up at private investigator Henry Kimball’s office asking him to investigate her husband, he can’t help feeling ill at ease. Just the sight of her stirs up a chilling memory: He knew Joan in his previous life as a high school English teacher, when he was at the center of a tragedy. Now Joan needs his help in proving that her husband is cheating. But what should be a simple case of infidelity becomes much more complicated when Kimball finds two bodies in an uninhabited suburban home with a FOR SALE sign out front. Suddenly it feels like the past is repeating itself, and Henry must go back to one of the worst days of his life to uncover the truth.

by Peter Swanson - Fiction, Psychological Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Thriller

Ashley Smith, an American art student in London for her junior year, was planning on spending Christmas alone. But a last-minute invitation from fellow student Emma Chapman brings her to Starvewood Hall, the country residence of the Chapman family. Ashley is mesmerized by the cozy, firelit house, the large family, and the charming village of Clevemoor, but also by Adam Chapman, Emma’s aloof and handsome brother. But Adam is being investigated by the local police over the recent brutal slaying of a girl from the village, and there is a mysterious stranger who haunts the woodland path between Starvewood Hall and the local pub. Ashley begins to wonder what kind of story she is actually inhabiting. Over 30 years later, the events of that horrific week are revisited, along with a diary from that time.

by Peter Swanson - Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller

Nine strangers receive a list with their names on it in the mail. None of them know or have ever met the others on the list. They dismiss it as junk mail, a fluke --- until very, very bad things begin happening to people on the list. A frightening pattern is emerging, but what do these nine people have in common? Their professions range from oncology nurse to aspiring actor, and they’re located all over the country. So why are they all on the list, and who sent it? FBI agent Jessica Winslow, who is on the list herself, is determined to find out. Could there be some dark secret that binds them all together? Or is this the work of a murderous madman?

by Peter Swanson - Fiction, Psychological Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Thriller

Abigail Baskin never thought she’d fall in love with a millionaire. Then she met Bruce Lamb, a stable, level-headed, kind guy. But right before the wedding, Abigail has a drunken one-night stand on her bachelorette weekend. She puts the incident out of her mind and now believes she wants to be with Bruce for the rest of her life. Then the mysterious stranger suddenly appears --- and Abigail’s future life and happiness are turned upside down. He insists that their passionate night was the beginning of something much, much more --- and he’s tracked her down to prove it. To make the situation worse, Abigail sees a terrified woman in the night shadows, and no one at the resort seems to believe anything is amiss…including her perfect new husband.

by Peter Swanson - Fiction, Psychological Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Thriller

Years ago, bookseller and mystery aficionado Malcolm Kershaw compiled a list of the genre’s most unsolvable murders --- which he titled “Eight Perfect Murders” --- chosen from among the best of the best. But no one is more surprised than Mal, now the owner of the Old Devils Bookstore in Boston, when an FBI agent comes looking for information about a series of unsolved murders that look eerily similar to the killings on Mal’s old list. And the FBI agent isn’t the only one interested in this bookseller who spends almost every night at home reading. A killer is out there, watching his every move --- a diabolical threat who knows way too much about Mal’s personal history, especially the secrets he’s never told anyone, even his recently deceased wife.

by Peter Swanson - Fiction, Psychological Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Thriller

Hen and her husband, Lloyd, have settled into a quiet life in a new house outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Hen has found the right meds to control her bipolar disorder, and finally has some stability and peace. But when they meet the neighbors next door, that calm begins to erode as she spots a familiar object displayed on the husband’s office shelf. The sports trophy looks exactly like one that went missing from the home of a young man who was killed two years ago. Could her neighbor, Matthew, be a killer? Or is this the beginning of another psychotic episode like the one she suffered back in college? When she comes face to face with Matthew in a dark parking lot one night, she realizes that this is the beginning of a horrifying nightmare she may not live to escape.

by Peter Swanson - Fiction, Psychological Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Thriller

Days before Harry Ackerson’s college graduation, his stepmother Alice calls with shocking news: his father is dead, and the police think it’s suicide. A devastated Harry returns to his father’s home in Maine, and shortly after his arrival meets a mysterious young woman named Grace McGowan. Though she claims to be new to the area, Harry begins to suspect that Grace may not be a complete stranger to his family. But she isn’t the only attractive woman taking an interest in Harry. The sensual Alice is also growing closer, coming on to him in an enticing, clearly sexual way. Harry becomes disoriented by a growing fear that both women are hiding dangerous --- even deadly --- secrets…and that neither one is telling the truth.

by Peter Swanson - Fiction, Psychological Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Thriller

Growing up, Kate Priddy was always a bit neurotic, experiencing momentary bouts of anxiety that exploded into full-blown panic attacks after an ex-boyfriend kidnapped her and nearly ended her life. When Corbin Dell, a distant cousin in Boston, suggests the two temporarily swap apartments, Kate, an art student in London, agrees, hoping that time away in a new place will help her overcome the recent wreckage of her life. But soon after her arrival at Corbin’s grand apartment on Beacon Hill, Kate makes a shocking discovery: his next-door neighbor, a young woman named Audrey Marshall, has been murdered.

by Peter Swanson - Fiction, Psychological Suspense, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Thriller

On a night flight from London to Boston, Ted Severson meets the stunning and mysterious Lily Kintner. He talks about his marriage that’s going stale and his wife Miranda, who he’s sure is cheating on him. When Ted jokes that he could kill Miranda for what she’s done, Lily calmly states that she would like to help --- and they begin to plot Miranda's demise. Suddenly these co-conspirators are embroiled in a chilling game of cat-and-mouse, one they both cannot survive…with a shrewd and very determined detective on their tail.

by Peter Swanson - Fiction, Suspense, Thriller

George Foss’s comfortable, predictable life is shattered when a beautiful woman who vanished without a trace 20 years ago sits down next to him at a bar. Ex-girlfriend Liana Dector, the first love George couldn’t quite forget, needs his help. Ruthless men believe she stole some money and will do whatever it takes to get it back. George makes a choice that will plunge him into a terrifying whirlpool of lies, secrets, betrayal and murder from which there is no sure escape.