Rumor of Evil: A Novel

by Gary Braver

Overview

A 16-year-old exchange student accused of witchcraft—dark circumstances and sick rumors lead to her brutal death, a cover-up, and more murders two decades later

Detectives Kirk Lucian and Mandy Wing are charged with investigating a reported suicide of a Cambridge woman in her backyard. The death came as a shock—the woman was considered a pillar of her community and was well-liked by everyone. After further investigation, the hanging appears staged. Once Kirk and Mandy’s suspicions are confirmed, they make a list of suspects.

Clues begin to connect the recent murder to the decades-old mysterious death of a beautiful 16-year-old Romany exchange student who perished when a treehouse she was sleeping in caught fire. The girl, Vadima Lupescu, had done “odd” things among her American peers that stirred up prejudices and suspicions, leading to her brutal death—and cover-up.

As Kirk and Mandy investigate the bizarre rumors—that Vadima had “gypsy powers” and put curses on those around her—they discover a cauldron of dark secrets. Will they uncover the true cause of this tangled web of deaths and horrors before it spirals out of control?

Perfect for fans of Stephen King and Tess Gerritsen

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781608095933
Publisher:	Oceanview Publishing
Publication date:	10/10/2023
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	256,878
Product dimensions:	6.25(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Gary Braver is the best-selling and award-winning author of ten critically acclaimed mysteries and medical thrillers including Elixir, Gray Matter, Choose Me (cowritten with Tess Gerritsen), and Flashback, which is the first thriller to have won a prestigious Massachusetts Book Award. He has taught literature and fiction writing at Northeastern University, as well as at workshops and conferences around the world. Braver’s novels have been translated into 16 languages, and three have been optioned for movies, including Elixir by director Ridley Scott. Rumor of Evil is his latest novel. He lives with his family outside of Boston.

Editorial Reviews

08/28/2023

Braver (Choose Me) skillfully alternates timelines in this unpredictable whodunit set in Cambridge, Mass. When 36-year-old Sylvie Thornton’s landscaper finds her hanging from a tree in her backyard on the third anniversary of her son Devon’s death, detectives Kirk Lucian and Mandy Wing are called to the scene. Shortly after Devon’s death from cancer, Sylvia divorced her husband, and her surviving son went to live with his father. Kirk, who lost his own child in an unsolved hit-and-run, at first suspects that Sylvie took her own life, but an autopsy reveals foul play. The plot thickens when Kirk and Mandy learn that Sylvie attempted to blackmail her ex-husband a year earlier. Flashbacks set 19 years before the main action, concerning the death of a Slovakian exchange student who was classmates with Sylvie, tease potential connections to Sylvie’s murder. When Kirk and Mandy learn of that long-ago death, they unravel some dark truths about contemporary Cambridge. Braver interweaves a convincing police procedural and a character-driven high school drama, bringing both threads to a surprising and satisfying resolution. Here’s hoping Kirk and Mandy are on the case again soon. Agent: Esmond Harmsworth, Aevitas Creative Management. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

"New and excellent—a fine piece of work. Detectives Kirk Lucian and Mandy Wing are up there with the best. Very impressive.” —Lee Child, New York Times best-selling author

“All the right elements combine in this high-stakes drama. A masterful blend of dark and light and all the grays in between. There’s plenty of pulse-pounding jeopardy and classic on-the-run adventure to keep you reading right up to the end.” —Steve Berry, New York Times best-selling author

“Gary Braver is a storytelling master, and he delivers yet again in an expertly crafted novel that uses all the tools of the murder mystery trade—the clues and red herrings, the character motives and impulses, the plot twists and subplots and relentlessly rising tension—all to propel us toward a shocking and deeply satisfying conclusion. Start reading and you won't stop.” —William Martin, New York Times best-selling author

“Rumor of Evil tells a story that is tight with suspense and peopled with characters that engage from the first to the last page.” —Kathy Reichs, author of the Temperance Brennan thrillers, including The Bone Hacker

“Suspenseful and fast paced, with unexpected and shocking twists, this dark story is filled with flawed, all-too-human characters, tense family relationships, and a haunting conclusion. Highly recommended.” —Booklist

“‘Page-turner’ is an overused phrase for books, but then some really do rise to that description. Rumor of Evil undoubtedly is one of those page-turners. The race to the end throws in a few surprises and a result you might not see coming at a breathtaking pace.” —Bookreporter

“Braver skillfully alternates timelines in this unpredictable whodunit . . . Here’s hoping Kirk and Mandy are on the case again soon.” —Publishers Weekly

Praise for Gary Braver

“Gary Braver is one of the best thriller writers in America.” —Tess Gerritsen, New York Times best-selling author

“A fast, colorful suspense-adventure. The story races to a literally explosive climax that is better than [Peter] Benchley [Jaws, The Deep] at his best . . . Atlantis Fire blew me away. This is a fine thriller, seasoned with wit and sensibility.” —Stephen King, New York Times best-selling author

“[The Stone Circle] is a story stripped for action, and action is what it delivers.” —The Boston Globe

* “[Flashback is] an exceptional medical thriller . . . A mystery that is touching and believable.” —Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)

“[Flashback is] a dandy thriller…This elaborately plotted novel offers a potent hit of suspense.” —Entertainment Weekly 

“‘Page-turner’ is an overused phrase for books, but then some really do rise to that description. Rumor of Evil undoubtedly is one of those page-turners. The race to the end throws in a few surprises and a result you might not see coming at a breathtaking pace.” —Bookreporter

From the Publisher