The Dark Door

By Lisa Unger

The exciting new title in the Death Sentences series of mysteries set in the world of books. Lisa Unger explores themes of grief, loss, and mental health in this thrilling novella.

In the weeks after the death of her father, bestselling horror writer Rene Duke, Pip Duke's inner demons have become too much to bear. She hears voices constantly, babbling and contradicting each other from one moment to the next. One voice tells her she deserves to inherit everything from her father's estate; another says she's guilty of his death. One voice tells her that the people with whom her father surrounded himself are nothing but vultures, out for his rare book collection and immense wealth; another says the cops suspect her of his murder.

Overwhelmed by uncontrollable thoughts, Pip has checked herself into Sheltering Oaks, an in-patient therapy center, but the staff there is every bit as suspicious and untrustworthy as the people she hoped to escape. Some people would prefer she stayed in the hospital indefinitely, since her mental incapacity could serve as grounds for relinquishing her inheritance; others – her father's publishers, for example – want Pip released as soon as possible, to lend credibility to the 'lost manuscripts' they hope to produce to keep the cash from the Duke franchise rolling in.

In order to separate the truth from all those whispering lies, Pip will have to untangle her most sordid memories and unlock the dark door in her psyche; only then will she discover long-buried secrets capable of freeing her from her past once and for all.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Head of Zeus -- an Aries Book
• Release date: Dec 8, 2022
• ISBN: 9781804547359

Lisa Unger

LISA UNGER, guest editor, is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of twenty novels, including her latest, Secluded Cabin Sleeps Six. She has been nominated for or won numerous awards, including the Strand Critics, Audie, Macavity, ITW Thriller, and Goodreads Choice Awards as well as the Hammett Prize. In 2019, she received two Edgar Award nominations, an honor held by only a few authors, including Agatha Christie. Lisa is currently copresident of the International Thriller Writers organization.