The Wrong Woman: A Novel

by Leanne Kale Sparks

Overview

COLORADO BOOK AWARD 2023 WINNER, BEST THRILLER

The past is never far behind, as a string of murders threatens to unleash long-buried secrets in this pulse-pounding thriller for fans of Melinda Leigh and T. R. Ragan.

The only survivor of Denver’s notorious “Reaper” serial murders, FBI Special Agent Kendall Beck grapples with the ghosts of her past by seeking justice for victims of abuse. She’s neck deep in a particularly ugly case involving the disappearance of five-year-old Emily Williams—but her investigation is derailed when her best friend and roommate, Gwen Tavich, turns up dead floating in a nearby lake.

Devastated by the news of Gwen’s death, Kendall teams up with Denver detective Adam Taylor to find the killer. Gwen’s fiancé, Ty Butler, is being evasive about the last time he saw Gwen, and as the evidence mounts against him, he’s arrested for the murder. With every new clue, Kendall questions how well she really knew her friend. And when Gwen’s dark secrets begin spilling out one by one, she begins to understand the devastating magnitude of her murder. The Reaper has returned to Denver—and he’s not stopping at just one victim.

As the trauma of Kendall’s past comes roaring back, she and Adam have no time to spare before more bodies start piling up. And then Kendall makes a shocking discovery that reveals the horrifying truth behind Emily Williams’s disappearance. Now, Kendall must confront her darkest fears as she and the Reaper face off one more time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781643859422
Publisher:	CROOKED LANE BOOKS
Publication date:	02/08/2022
Series:	A Kendall Beck Thriller
Sold by:	Penguin Random House Publisher Services
Format:	eBook
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	307,382
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

After a brief career in criminal law, Leanne Kale Sparks is returning to her first love—writing about murder and mayhem. Currently, she is working on a new series featuring an FBI agent hunting down her best friend’s murderer. The backdrop is the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, the playground of her youth, and the place that will always be home. When not writing, she and her husband spend time reading, mountain biking, and spoiling their German Shepherd, Zoe. And drinking wine.

Editorial Reviews

Praise for The Wrong Woman:
COLORADO BOOK AWARD 2023 WINNER, BEST THRILLER

“An unsparing professional-grade debut.”
—Kirkus

“A thrilling story with nonstop action and suspense.”
 —Bookreporter

“Intense, spellbinding, and dark. The perfect suspense thriller!”
—Helen Hardt, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“The Wrong Woman is a twisted thriller populated by well-drawn characters you’ll want to see more of in future books from gifted author Leanne Sparks!”
—Debra Webb, Amazon Charts and USA Today bestselling author

"WRONG WOMAN is absolutely fantastic. It's an intense, fast-paced, dynamic thriller with a cast of characters that are authentic and compelling. FBI Agent Kendall Beck is the perfect mix:  compassionate, smart, gritty, empathetic, and fierce. Readers will love her and clamor for more. An enthralling page-turner that will keep you racing through its pages, desperate for more, THE WRONG WOMAN does not disappoint. This novel has everything: pulse-pounding thrills, riveting twists, and heart. I hope we get to see more of Agent Beck! Fans of Karin Slaughter and Lisa Gardner will devour this gripping read."
—Lisa Regan, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author

“Sparks has outdone herself. The Wrong Woman is a page-turning, suspenseful ride from the very first sentence to the final, shocking twist.”
—Melinda Leigh, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Bree Taggert series

“This is a killer of a novel. Fresh, fast, and fascinating.” 
—Kendra Elliot, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Mercy Kilpatrick series

“OMG WOW! The Wrong Woman by Leanne Kale Sparks is a pulse pounding read! Not for the faint hearted, this twisty and gripping crime thriller will grab you by the throat and keep you reading until the very end. An absolute #sleepstealer of a read, I loved it! Really looking forward to reading more from this author.”
—Noelle Holten, author of the Maggie Jamieson series

From the Publisher

2021-11-16
An FBI agent and a Denver homicide detective tackle a pair of sex crimes that keep crisscrossing each other in all the wrong ways.

Ten years ago, Kendall Beck stopped her car to pick up a woman running along the highway. As it turned out, Amy Carrington was fleeing from the serial killer dubbed the Reaper. Her rescue was shockingly short-lived: the Reaper caught up with the pair on the street outside the police station, shot Kendall and left her for dead, then drove off once again with the captive he would shortly torture, rape, and murder. Kendall, who still can’t forget or forgive her failure, has compensated by developing an aggressive profile at the FBI. When Scott Williams, whom she’s about to arrest for sexually abusing his 5-year-old daughter, Emily, attacks her, she beats him so badly that her superior is tempted to put her on administrative leave. Instead, she gets sucked into a completely different case: the disappearance of Gwen Tavich, the friend and roommate who’d borrowed her SUV and vanished. Kendall’s only official status in the case is complainant—in an especially neat touch, she forces the reluctant cops to investigate by reporting her car stolen—but Detective Adam Taylor, who’s working the case, is drawn to her and takes her into his confidence. Once Gwen turns up dead, the leading suspect in her murder is Tyson Butler, her fiance and partner in a successful restaurant, but more and more forensic evidence links her murder to the earlier work of the Reaper. Could Ty really have been killing young blond women for more than 10 years? And if he hasn’t been, who has?

An unsparing professional-grade debut for readers who can take it.

Kirkus Reviews