Val Costa

You kissed your daughter goodnight. By morning, she's gone. 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. Defying orders, Val interviews the Douglas family at their farmhouse and uncovers a less-than-idyllic picture. Housebound since a devastating diagnosis, Scarlett's world was crumbling. The sight of Scarlett's unworn prom dress hanging in her room brings a tear to Val's eye. She won't sleep until this sweet girl is home and safe. Val and her team search the nearby towering redwoods for any clue to what happened the morning Scarlett disappeared. But the case takes a sinister turn when a little pink teddy bear is delivered to Val's door. Did the Bear follow her to Red Rose County? Is her family now in terrible danger? Could Scarlett be his latest victim? Working around the clock, Val begins to question if the Douglases are the loving parents they claim to be. With the time running out to save Scarlett's life, and the truth just within her reach, will Val once again come face to face with the Bear? And who will, if anyone, will survive? A totally addictive and pulse-pounding crime thriller for fans of Lisa Regan, Mary Stone and Willow Rose. You won't be able to put this page-turner down!

Our eyes lock, and I know my life is about to end. The desperation and determination in their face sends a shiver down my spine. But it's not until I see the glint of the blade, that I realize how quickly it will all be over… When beloved local teacher and devoted mother, Claire Nelson, is discovered murdered in her kitchen, stab wounds covering her delicate pale skin, FBI Special Agent Val Costa is drawn out of retirement. Claire's two children are in pieces, and Val won't rest until they have the justice they deserve. Battling nightmares about the serial killer she escaped just weeks ago, Val has her work cut out for her. A church regular, Claire was adored by her neighbours and spent her spare time helping the homeless. Who would want to hurt this beautiful soul? The killer took Claire's car and wallet, and left traces of blood at the scene, but Val's instincts tell her the attack wasn't random. Interviewing Claire's students and the people she helped at the shelter, Val thinks she's hit another wall. Until DNA results from the blood at the crime scene turn the entire case on its head; Val's assailant was a woman. Who is she, and why would she do this? With more questions than answers, Val battles one of the toughest cases of her career. But when the trail leads her to a monster hiding right in front of her all along, will she catch them before another precious life is taken? An absolutely gripping crime thriller perfect for fans of Mary Stone, Kate Gable, L.T. Ryan and C.R. Gray. Readers love H.K Christie: 'Fabu-licious read! What a thrilling rollercoaster of a fast page-turner. Hot darn, couldn't put this book down for the life of me.' Goodreads reviewer, ????? 'Explosive thriller, grabbed me from the first chapter.' Goodreads reviewer, ????? 'I finished this book in less than a day, if that tells y'all anything.' Goodreads reviewer, ????? 'Positively SENSATIONAL!!' Goodreads reviewer, ????? 'Amazing, astounding and awesome.' Goodreads reviewer, ?????

The table is set for family dinner; roast chicken, wine for them and juice for their darling boy, a vase of fresh daisies from the garden for decoration. But the food is cold, and the flowers are wilting. You might think they were sleeping in the next room, if it wasn't for the blood dripping crimson onto the carpet… FBI Agent Val Costa is drawn out of retirement once again when the Cramer family are found dead in their home in Red Rose County. She falls to her knees in despair at the sight of little Michael Jr., curled up on the couch. What monster would take the life of an innocent child? Val vows to find justice for the mother, Stephanie Cramer, who survived the attack but is fighting for her life in hospital. Interviewing neighbors uncovers no leads, but Val knows there's a message in the way Mike Cramer's body was left, tied to chair, stab wounds all over his body. It seems mother and son were collateral, and Mike was the real target. But why? Working in an auto shop between taking his boy to karate class, Michael was a perfect family man. There are no signs of a robbery, and all Val has to work with are small-town whispers about the age gap between him and his wife. A break in the case comes when a secret phone is found hidden in Mike's car and GPS reveals he'd been making late-night trips out of town for weeks before his family was attacked. Her team are quick to suspect an affair, but Val's instincts tell her it's something far more sinister. As more cracks in the perfect Cramer family picture begin to show-arguments, money troubles-Val must work around the clock to stop this twisted individual in their tracks. But does she know someone is watching her every move? And when a dark secret in Mike's past surfaces, can Val stay ahead of her stalker long enough to catch the killer before another precious life is taken? An absolutely pulse-pounding crime thriller with unputdownable suspense, perfect for fans of Mary Stone, Kate Gable and L.T. Ryan. Readers love H.K. Christie: 'Fabu-licious read! What a thrilling rollercoaster of a fast page-turner. Hot darn, couldn't put this book down for the life of me.' Goodreads reviewer, ????? 'Explosive thriller, grabbed me from the first chapter.' Goodreads reviewer, ????? 'I finished this book in less than a day, if that tells y'all anything.' Goodreads reviewer, ????? 'Positively SENSATIONAL!!' Goodreads reviewer, ????? 'Amazing, astounding and awesome.' Goodreads reviewer, ????? 'This is a brilliant read.' Goodreads reviewer, ????? 'Amazing book, kept me on the edge of my seat and sleep-deprived.' Goodreads reviewer, ?????

She glances in the rearview mirror as the stranger walks towards her broken-down car. The wicked look on his face sends a chill up her spine and she knows he's not here to help. She doesn't have time to scream before she falls to the ground, and the darkening sky goes black. When the lifeless body of a young girl is discovered at an abandoned warehouse close to Red Rose County, FBI Agent Val Costa races to investigate. Setting eyes on the victim, Val's heart stops as she spots the jagged letter S carved into her ice-cold chest. Slowly, she runs her fingers across her own identical scar. She's been waiting for the Bear to leave his mark again, and now he finally has. Determined to catch the man who's haunted her dreams for years, Val promises to end his killing spree once and for all, but when more bodies are found bearing the same deadly carving, she fears she may already be too late. And then Val receives a call that turns her blood to ice-her best friend Sally is missing, and the killer has left a note addressed to her. Follow these rules and she lives. Desperate to find Sally, Val faces her biggest challenge yet. Will she need to defy orders and track down the Bear alone before it's too late? Fans of Lisa Regan, L.T. Ryan and Mary Stone won't be able to put down this totally heart-racing crime thriller. What readers are saying about H.K. Christie: 'Absolutely page-turning, heart-racing read… Incredible… Had me hooked from the first page… Absolutely everything that you can ask for and much, much more!! I absolutely devoured this fantastic and explosive page-turner in one sitting… Amazing book that will keep you glued to the pages… Absolutely PERFECT… CLEAR YOUR SCHEDULES BEFORE TURNING A SINGLE PAGE OF THIS 'ABSOLUTELY ADDICTIVE BOOK AS YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO PUT IT DOWN!!' bookwormwhitlock86, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'WOW! This was such a fannnnntastic read!… Had me from the beginning and I could not put it down! Packed full of thrills and chills! I loved this!' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'I am completely sleep deprived because I couldn't put the book down and even after I finished reading my mind was still processing everything that happened. I absolutely LOVE this!' leannebookstragram, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Gripping and addictive. I was pulled in and unwilling to put this down… Devoured the book in just one sitting. This was everything I had hoped for… This is brilliant!… Definitely unputdownable.' Littlemissbooklover87, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Wowza. This was absolutely unputdownable… Fast, twisty and edge-of-your-seat.' Bitchcanwriteabook, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Fast-paced thriller that keeps the suspense at an all-time high… Gripping… Addictive… Keeps you on the edge of your seat… A thrilling binge-read!' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐