Seventeen-year-old Selena Bailey longs to flee her uneasy home life. Prepping every spare minute for a college escape, the headstrong, high school senior vows never to be like her alcoholic mom with her string of abusive boyfriends. So when Selena finds her beaten nearly to death, she knows safety is slipping away...

Private Investigator Martina Monroe has no room for grief. Nearly a year after she failed to prevent her husband’s death, a battered woman depends on her for safety. But when she arrives too late and finds the female dead, the tormented detective’s only solace is a deeper relationship with the bottle. Struggling with sobriety and doing her job, Martina still has to protect another client battling a stalker. And if she doesn’t get her act together soon, one more victim may pay the price for her mistakes.

Two days ago, FBI Agent Val Costa came face to face with a serial killer known as the Bear. One of only two women ever to survive, she's forever branded with his signature: a curling “S” carved into her skin. Val knows it’s only a matter of time before he takes another victim. Forced home to recover, Val returns to Red Rose County, California, to be with her son. But the very next day she finds the close-knit community panic-stricken over the disappearance of blonde-haired, freckled-faced local teen, Scarlett Douglas.

Neighbors Gwen, Aimee, and Lisa share more than playdates and coffee mornings on their tranquil street in East Bethesda. They confide their deepest secrets, navigate the challenges of motherhood together, and provide a support system that seems unbreakable. But when Gwen's husband is found murdered after one of their weekly Friday night dinners, the peaceful quiet of their cul-de-sac shatters. The seemingly idyllic world of the three close-knit mom friends becomes a web of deception, betrayal, and revenge.

Allison Smythe is barely clinging to sanity. After blaming and nearly killing an innocent man for her sister’s unsolved kidnapping, she’s ready to consider a fresh start. But just as she’s settled in a new city, she’s horrified to spot the villain who took her sibling residing peacefully on her street. Arguing with the police over the need for more evidence and with her therapist about her deteriorating mental health, Allison grits her teeth and attacks the dangerous problem alone. But the more she digs, the more questions she unearths…