Carlene Thompson - Nowhere to Hide

Praise for Carlene Thompson

You Can Run

A compelling writer who keeps the pace moving, the clues coming, and the outcome hidden until the unexpected conclusion.

Night Owl Romance Reviews

If You Ever Tell

A tenseengaging, romantic suspense thriller.

Harriet Klausner, BookReview.com

Last Seen Alive

This story has plenty of suspense and an excellent mystery.

Romantic Times BOOKreviews

Gripping suspense.

Judith Kelman, bestselling author of Hush Little Darlings

Last Whisper

The characters are so well drawn that the reader will feel like she knows them personally. Thompson offers suspense and an intriguing mystery.

Romantic Times BOOKreviews

Share No Secrets

Intriguingbrims with madness and creepy thrills.

Romantic Times BOOKreviews

Turns and twists make you change your mind about who the killer is and the ending is a real shocker. Get this one quick.

Rendezvous

Thompson knows how to write gripping suspense and keep readers enthralled throughout. A great mystery with thrilling intrigue.

Fresh Fiction

A chilling murder mystery with lots of twists, turns, and unexpected curvesone of the best romantic mysteries I have reada great book that you dont want to miss.

Romance Junkies

A page-turner that will leave you on the edge of your seatanother wonderful thriller from Carlene Thompsona must-read.

A Romance Review

An intriguing tale told in a wonderfully fresh voice. Thompson has a truly unique style that blends beautiful prose with compelling plotsthis novel reads like lightningand has the same effect on the readerThompson has created sharp, smart characters with motives that drive the story along. They are enough to keep the story moving at a quick pace. Her voice has a sense of rhythm and a rustic beauty that lingers in the readers memory.

Romance Divas

An action-filled read with plenty of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end! This story is highly detailed with an array of in-depth characters that are smart, funny, and engaging.

Fallen Angel Reviews

If She Should Die

A gripping suspense filled with romance. Ms. Thompson has the reader solving the mystery early in the novel, then changing that opinion every few chapters. [An] excellent novel.

Rendezvous Review

With engaging characters and intriguing motives, Thompson has created a smart, gripping tale of revenge, anger, and obsession.

Romantic Times BOOKreviews

If She Should Die is a riveting whodunit!

Road to Romance

In the tradition of Tami Hoag or Mary Higgins Clark, Thompson has created a gripping page-turner. The storyline is engaging and the characters lives are multi-dimensional. This is literally a book the reader will be unable to put down.

Old Book Barn Gazette

Black for Remembrance

Loaded with mystery and suspenseMary Higgins Clark fans, take note.

Kirkus Reviews

Bizarre, terrifyingan inventive and forceful psychological thriller.

Publishers Weekly

Gripped me from the first page and held on through its completely unexpected climax. Lock your doors, make sure theres no one behind you, and pick up Black for Remembrance .

William Katz, author of Double Wedding

Thompsons style is richly bleak, her sense of morality complexThompson is a mistress of the thriller parvenu.

Fear

Since Youve Been Gone

This story will keep readers up well into the night.

Huntress Reviews

Dont Close Your Eyes

Dont Close Your Eyes has all the gothic sensibilities of a Victoria Holt novel, combined with the riveting modern suspense of Sharyn McCrumbs The Hangmans Beautiful Daughter . Dont close your eyesand dont miss this one.

Meagan McKinney, author of In the Dark

An exciting romantic suspense novel that will thrill readers with the subplots of a who-done-it and a legendary resident ghost seen only by children. These themes cleverly tie back to the main story line centering on the relationships between Natalie and Nick, and Natalie and the killerThompson fools the audience into thinking they know the murderer early on in the book. The reviewer suggests finishing this terrific tale in one sitting to ascertain how accurate are the readers deductive skills in pinpointing the true villain.

Midwest Book Review

In the Event of My Death

[A] blood-chillingtale of vengeance, madness, and murder.

Romantic Times BOOKreviews

The Way You Look Tonight

Thompsonhas crafted a lively, entertaining readskillfully ratchet[ing] up the tension with each successive chapter.

Charleston Daily Mail

To my mother

Thanks to Anne Bensson, Keith Biggs,
Hilary Rubin, and Jennifer Weis

Contents

Prologue

You think we should go back to the boat now? Marissa Gray said as they leaned against the trunk of a large tulip poplar, its vibrant yellow-green flowers visible even in the dark.

Eric Montgomery traced a line of tiny kisses from behind her earlobe down her neck. I dont want to go back to the boat. Id rather we just set up housekeeping here on the island. After all, its Grays Island. Your great-grandfather bought it.

My great-great- great -grandfather Lucian, the most antisocial leaf on the family tree. His business was in town, but every evening he came back to his domain.

His big house and his own little church andlets seehow many slaves?

Marissa groaned. Too many. Lucian liked using a whip on them. One died from a beating. They got their revenge by burning down his house and their quarters at the end of the Civil War. They spared the family and the church. Marissa frowned. Why are you so curious about Grays Island tonight? Youve heard all about it before.

Not from the horses mouth.

Marissas jaw dropped and her eyes widened. Are you comparing me to a horse ? she spluttered. Why, I never

You never what? Eric asked innocently before they broke into laughter, staggering a bit and clutching each other in the warm summer darkness. Erics arms tightened around her slim midriff covered by a thin T-shirt as her hands slid up his strong arms and clasped behind his neck. They kissed deeply before Eric slowly pulled away.

I love your kisses, but Im supposed to be in charge tonight. Instead, I let you seduce me away from my duties.

Marissa rolled her blue eyes. Your duties? I think you really mean your charges. Youre the cop from Philadelphia home on a summer vacation, and at twenty-five you think were a bunch of kids and you are the man.

Eric looked at her solemnly, frowned, and then said, Youre absolutely right. I am the Manwith a capital M, please.

Oh my! Delusions of grandeur.

Recognition of responsibility.

Youre no fun, Marissa pouted.

Eric kissed her ear and whispered, I can be tons of fun, and you of all people know it.

If you mean what I think you mean, Id better be the only person who knows it, Marissa whispered lazily in return, tilting her head so the ends of her dark blond hair touched Erics hands on her waist, half-closing her eyes, and pressing her lips against his. The kiss was slow and passionate. Marissa felt as if they were all alone in the world and incredibly luckyboth young, healthy, in love, committed.

Then Eric pulled away slightly, looked in her eyes, and groaned. Oh hell. Sometimes I wish I were still a teenager who never heard of the word dependable. He removed his hands from her waist and placed them on her shoulders, gently pushing her back a step. We should have joined the others at least twenty minutes ago, sweetheart, not lolled around by ourselves. Were being rude.