Two murder investigations, decades apart, threaten to expose a cold case agent's darkest secrets in a pulse-pounding thriller by the Edgar Award-nominated author of The Taken Ones.
The bodies of three teenage girls are found in central Minnesota-each with her mouth fixed in a ghoulish grin, smiling at a deadly joke no one can hear. But authorities eventually close and forget the curious case, dubbed the Laughing Dead.
Decades later, cold case agent Evangeline "Van" Reed is called to the scene of a crime where the victim wears that same horror-movie smile. But this time someone seems to be sending a message: Van's police ID has turned up at the scene, making her the prime suspect. It's not that outlandish, considering her secrets-ones she's never even told her partner, forensic scientist Harry Steinbeck.
As she feels others closing in, Van reopens the mystery of the Laughing Dead, hoping to find a connection to clear her name. But the search only gets darker. Because the more Van digs backward in time, the closer she comes to a terrible truth: Everything she has spent her life trying to hide is returning to haunt her.
| ISBN: | 9781662514166 |
| Publication date: | 22nd July 2025 |
| Author: | Jess Lourey |
| Publisher: | Thomas & Mercer an imprint of Amazon Publishing |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Pagination: | 331 pages |
| Series: | Steinbeck and Reed |
| Genres: |
Crime and Mystery Thriller and Suspense |
Two murder investigations, decades apart, threaten to expose a cold case agent's darkest secrets in a pulse-pounding thriller by the Edgar Award-nominated author of The Taken Ones.
The bodies of three teenage girls are found in central Minnesota-each with her mouth fixed in a ghoulish grin, smiling at a deadly joke no one can hear. But authorities eventually close and forget the curious case, dubbed the Laughing Dead.
Decades later, cold case agent Evangeline "Van" Reed is called to the scene of a crime where the victim wears that same horror-movie smile. But this time someone seems to be sending a message: Van's police ID has turned up at the scene, making her the prime suspect. It's not that outlandish, considering her secrets-ones she's never even told her partner, forensic scientist Harry Steinbeck.
As she feels others closing in, Van reopens the mystery of the Laughing Dead, hoping to find a connection to clear her name. But the search only gets darker. Because the more Van digs backward in time, the closer she comes to a terrible truth: Everything she has spent her life trying to hide is returning to haunt her.
The Laughing Dead features in the following genres: Crime and Mystery, Thriller and Suspense
The Laughing Dead is available in Paperback
The Laughing Dead was written by Jess Lourey and published by Thomas & Mercer an imprint of Amazon Publishing
The Laughing Dead has 331 pages
Yes it is part of Steinbeck and Reed series
£8.99