Barbara Freethy - Silent Fall

Praise for the novels of Barbara Freethy

Silent Run

"If you love nail-biting suspense and heartbreaking emotion, Silent Run belongs at the top of your to-be-bought list. Barbara Freethy writes romantic suspense that delivers on all countsa terrific love story and suspense that begins to build on the first page and doesn't let up until the last." Mariah Stewart

Played

"An exciting page-turner.... This top-notch author delivers top-notch thrills." Romantic Times (42 stars)

"The characters are very well developed, and reading this story was almost like going on one of those spooky rides as a kid: You expect something to happen, you think you know where it will occur, and then something jumps out at you from an unexpected area." Mystery News

Taken

"Terrific and twisty intrigue makes this novel choice reading.... An amazingly gripping, fascinating mystery!" Romantic Times (42 stars)

"Another crowd-pleasing page-turner in the first of a tricky romantic suspense series." Publishers Weekly

"Romance sizzles between the wary protagonists in this riveting page-turner." Library Journal

Don't Say a Word

"Barbara Freethy at her best!" Carla Neggers, author of Dark Sky

" Don't Say a Word has made me a Barbara Freethy fan for life!" Diane Chamberlain, author of The Bay at Midnight

"Dark, hidden secrets and stunning betrayal... potent and moving suspense. Freethy's storytelling ability is top-notch." Romantic Times (42 stars)

"Guaranteed to keep readers on the edge of their seats. Very highly recommended."Romance Reviews Today

All She Ever Wanted

"A haunting mystery... I couldn't put it down." Luanne Rice

"A suitably eerie atmosphere." Publishers Weekly

"A gripping tale of romantic suspense.... Barbara Freethy is a master storyteller." Romance Reviews Today

"Sizzling.... Freethy's expertly penned novel is a true page-turner." Romantic Times

Golden Lies

"An absolute treasure, a fabulous, page-turning combination of romance and intrigue. Fans of Nora Roberts and Elizabeth Lowell will love Golden Lies. " Kristin Hannah

"A rich and compelling tale." Library Journal

Summer Secrets

"Barbara Freethy writes with bright assurance, exploring the bonds of sisterhood and the excitement of blue-water sailing. Summer Secrets is a lovely novel." Luanne Rice

"Freethy skillfully keeps the reader on the hook, and her tantalizing and believable tale has it allromance, adventure, and mystery." Booklist (starred review)

"An intriguing, multithreaded plot, this is an emotionally involving story... sure to please Freethy's growing fan base.... Like Kristin Hannah's novels, [it] neatly bridges the gap between romance and traditional women's fiction." Library Journal

Further praise for Barbara Freethy

"In the tradition of LaVyrle Spencer, gifted author Barbara Freethy creates an irresistible tale of family secrets, riveting adventure, and heart-touching romance." Susan Wiggs

"A fresh and exciting voice in women's romantic fiction." Susan Elizabeth Phillips

"Superlative." Debbie Macomber

"Barbara Freethy delivers strong and compelling prose." Publishers Weekly

"If there is one author who knows how to deliver vivid stories that tug on your emotions, it's Barbara Freethy." Romantic Times

Other Novels by Barbara Freethy

Summer Secrets

Golden Lies

All She Ever Wanted

Don't Say a Word

Taken

Played

Silent Run

ONYX Published by New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England Penguin Ireland, 25 St. Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi 110 017, India Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, North Shore 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

First published by Onyx, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Copyright Barbara Freethy, 2008 All rights reserved

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ISBN: 1-4362-0401-1

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

publisher's note

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Many thanks go to my brainstorming pals Candice Hern, Tracy Grant, Carol Culver, Monica McCarty, Jami Alden, Bella Andre, Anne Mallory, Kate Moore, Barbara McMahon, Lynn Hanna, and Diana Dempsey, who are always up for lunch, chocolate, Starbucks, and a good story idea. Thanks also go to my fabulous agents, Andrea Cirillo and Annelise Robey, and everyone at the Jane Rotrosen Agency, who help with all the big and small details. And thanks to Ellen Edwards and NAL for doing such a terrific job editing and publishing my books. And last but not least, thanks to the Fog City Divas and the hottest blog on the Net at www.fogcitydivas.com. For more information on my books, visit my Web site at www.barbarafreethy.com.

Prologue

Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

She was going to die. The terrifying thought made her stumble, her spiked heel catching in a crack in the pavement. She fell forward, breaking her fall with her hands. Tiny pebbles of cement burned into her palms and her knees. For a moment she was tempted to quit. She was so cold and so tired, but if she stopped now he'd catch her, and there would be no tomorrow, no second chance.

Forcing herself back to her feet, she pulled off her broken shoes and headed deeper into the park. The grass was wet beneath her feet, the midnight fingers of fog covering everything within reach with a damp mist. Her hair curled around her face as the wet spray mixed with the tears streaking down her cheeks.

She'd never been a crier, but this was too much. She'd never felt so alone or in such mortal danger.

Everywhere she turned, he followed. She couldn't seem to get away. How did he keep finding her?

Even now she could hear the footsteps behind her, the crack of twigs, the sound of a distant car. Was it him?

She probably should have stayed on the city streets, but she'd thought the tall trees and the thick bushes of the park would offer her protection, a place to hide. Now she realized how desolate the area was at night. There were no phone booths, no people, no businesses to run into. She was completely on her own.