Julia Heaberlin

"Heaberlin's work calls to mind that of Gillian Flynn." --The Washington Post* A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BUZZ PICK * BEING DEVELOPED BY FOX TELEVISION AS A TV SERIES * KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST FICTION BOOKS OF THE YEAR * STARRED PUBLISHERS WEEKLY REVIEW * LONG-LISTED FOR THE UK's GOLD DAGGER AWARD * In the new thriller from the author of the bestselling We Are All the Same in the Dark, a brilliant young astrophysicist with an uncanny gift is asked to find a girl who vanished. Their story will make you examine everything you believe. Vivvy Bouchet was only ten when she saved a boy's life by making an impossible prediction. She doesn't want to explain it. A wunderkind scientist, she just wants to be left in peace to scan the desert Texas sky with her telescopes in one of the darkest places on earth. But when the boy she saved, now a Fort Worth cop, begs for her help on a cold case, she can't turn him down. In the past decade, Lizzie Solomon and the Victorian mansion where she disappeared have taken on almost mythic status. Conspiracy theorists feed the frenzy that Lizzie is still buried in the crumbling walls while her mother, who sits in prison convicted of killing her, loudly proclaims her innocence. Paired with a skeptical detective, Vivvy falls deeper into the mystery of why Lizzie has never been found. When a vicious podcaster takes aim at Vivvy's own secrets--and those of the vanished girl--Vivvy's life unravels like the mysterious galaxies she chases. Julia Heaberlin delivers a resilient and unforgettable heroine in Vivvy Bouchet, a woman who walks the line between evidence-based science and unexplained phenomenon. Sharply relevant, Night Will Find You explores the mysterious nature of belief―in science, in conspiracies, in a higher power―and the delicate dance with the things we can't know.

THE ATMOSPHERIC AND HAUNTING THRILLER FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE BESTSELLING BLACK-EYED SUSANS**LONGLISTED FOR THE CWA GOLD DAGGER 2024**'Haunting, heartfelt, chilling and beautifully told' CHRIS WHITAKER---------------Three-year-old Lizzie Solomon vanishedfrom her Texas home eleven years ago.She was never found.Her mother remains in prison,still proclaiming her innocence.Now the police have called in Vivvy Bouchet.She's no detective, but the daughter of a psychic,and her own 'intuition' once saved a life'.Sceptic detective Jesse Sharp is also working the case.He doesn’t trust her gifts.Everyone is watching Vivvy.Some want her to succeed – others need her to fail.But Vivvy fears this case will drag her back into her past –and a darkness that might consume her . . .--------------*** Being developed as a TV series by FOX Network ***PRAISE FOR JULIA HEABERLIN'Tense, darkly atmospheric...takes your breath away' DAILY MAIL'Terrific, superbly paced' THE TIMES'Breathtakingly, heart-stoppingly brilliant' SOPHIE HANNAH'A thriller to make you remember why you love thrillers' OBSERVER

"Heaberlin's work calls to mind that of Gillian Flynn." --The Washington Post* A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BUZZ PICK * BEING DEVELOPED BY FOX TELEVISION AS A TV SERIES * KIRKUS REVIEWS BEST FICTION BOOKS OF THE YEAR * STARRED PUBLISHERS WEEKLY REVIEW * LONG-LISTED FOR THE UK's GOLD DAGGER AWARD * In the new thriller from the author of the bestselling We Are All the Same in the Dark, a brilliant young astrophysicist with an uncanny gift is asked to find a girl who vanished. Their story will make you examine everything you believe. Vivvy Bouchet was only ten when she saved a boy's life by making an impossible prediction. She doesn't want to explain it. A wunderkind scientist, she just wants to be left in peace to scan the desert Texas sky with her telescopes in one of the darkest places on earth. But when the boy she saved, now a Fort Worth cop, begs for her help on a cold case, she can't turn him down. In the past decade, Lizzie Solomon and the Victorian mansion where she disappeared have taken on almost mythic status. Conspiracy theorists feed the frenzy that Lizzie is still buried in the crumbling walls while her mother, who sits in prison convicted of killing her, loudly proclaims her innocence. Paired with a skeptical detective, Vivvy falls deeper into the mystery of why Lizzie has never been found. When a vicious podcaster takes aim at Vivvy's own secrets--and those of the vanished girl--Vivvy's life unravels like the mysterious galaxies she chases. Julia Heaberlin delivers a resilient and unforgettable heroine in Vivvy Bouchet, a woman who walks the line between evidence-based science and unexplained phenomenon. Sharply relevant, Night Will Find You explores the mysterious nature of belief―in science, in conspiracies, in a higher power―and the delicate dance with the things we can't know.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER - PEOPLE PICK - OPTIONED BY SISTER PICTURES FOR TELEVISION - The discovery of a girl abandoned by the side of the road threatens to unearth the long-buried secrets of a Texas town's legendary cold case in this superb, atmospheric novel from the internationally bestselling author of Black-Eyed Susans "If you only read one thriller this year, let it be this one. Psychologically absorbing, original and atmospheric. I could not turn the pages fast enough."--Elin Hilderbrand, #1 New York Times bestselling author of 28 Summers It's been a decade since Trumanell Branson disappeared, leaving only a bloody handprint behind. Her pretty face still hangs like a watchful queen on the posters on the walls of the town's Baptist church, the police station, and in the high school. They all promise the same thing: We will find you. Meanwhile, Tru's brother, Wyatt, lives as a pariah in the desolation of the old family house, cleared of wrongdoing by the police but tried and sentenced in the court of public opinion and in a new documentary about the crime. When Wyatt finds a lost girl dumped in a field of dandelions, making silent wishes, he believes she is a sign. The town's youngest cop, Odette Tucker, believes she is a catalyst that will ignite a seething town still waiting for its own missing girl to come home. But Odette can't look away. She shares a wound that won't close with the mute, one-eyed mystery girl. And she is haunted by her own history with the missing Tru. Desperate to solve both cases, Odette fights to save the lost girl in the present and to dig up the shocking truth about a fateful night in the past--the night her friend disappeared, the night that inspired her to become a cop, the night that wrote them all a role in the town's dark, violent mythology. In this twisty psychological thriller, Julia Heaberlin paints unforgettable portraits of a woman and a girl who redefine perceptions of physical beauty and strength. Praise for We Are All the Same in the Dark "This chilling tale of buried sins is relentlessly unpredictable."--The Times (South Africa) " Julia] Heaberlin knows how to build to a truly shocking twist, how to break a reader's heart and then begin mending it. 'What's coming is always unimaginable, ' Odette's one-time therapist tells her, 'and by that, I mean just that. It cannot be imagined. What's coming never acts or behaves the way we think it will.' That's true for this novel, too."--The Dallas Morning News

Rendered famous as the only survivor of a serial killer twenty years earlier, Tessa discovers clues that the wrong person was convicted and that the true killer is preparing to finish what he started.

A Texas map marked with three red dots like drops of blood. A serial killer who claims to have dementia. A mysterious young woman who wants answers. What could go wrong?FINALIST FOR THE ITW THRILLER AWARD - "Fast and furious . . . You'll never see what's coming."--The Washington Post Years ago, her sister Rachel vanished. Now she is almost certain the man who took Rachel sits in the passenger seat beside her. He claims to have dementia and no memory of murdering girls across Texas in a string of places where he shot eerie pictures. To find the truth, she proposes a dangerous idea: a ten-day road trip with a possible serial killer to examine cold cases linked to his haunting photographs. Is he a liar or a broken old man? Is he a pathological con artist--or is she? You won't see the final, terrifying twist spinning your way until the very last mile. Praise for Paper Ghosts "Paper Ghosts is a riveting summer read that shows Texas in a powerfully intimate light." --The Austin Chronicle " An] artful and elegiac psychological thriller . . . riveting."--Publishers Weekly (starred review) " Paper Ghosts] elevates the often tawdry genre of the serial killer novel to a work of art."--Sunday Express (UK) "Texas has yet again bred a major American noir writer."--D Magazine " Heaberlin has] developed a distinctive literary voice, one that is on full display in Paper Ghosts."--Houston Chronicle "Entertainingly unnerving."--The Dallas Morning News "Strong characterisation, haunting images, a wonderful sense of place, and some dark comedy make this travelogue-cum-psychological thriller well worth the read."--The Guardian

The unputdownable thriller from the bestselling author of Black-Eyed Susans. 'Gripping' The Times____________Long ago, Carl Feldman was acquitted of murder.Now he's an old man, living alone with his fading memories.His daughter has come to see him, to take him on a trip. Only she's not his daughter, and if she has her way, he's not coming back . . . This woman is sure Carl's a murderer, and that he's killed others - including her sister Rachel. And she will stop at nothing to find out the truth. ____________'Wonderful . . . creepy . . . a work of art' Sunday Express'A beautifully written and extraordinary book' Sophie Hannah'Strong characterisation, haunting images, a wonderful sense of place . . . well worth the read' Guardian

Tessa var sytten år gammel da hun som eneste offer slapp unna en seriemorder. I media ble hun kjent som Solhatt-piken, siden hun ble funnet i en eng med gule solhattblomster. Takket være hennes vitneerklæring ble gjerningsmannen tatt og satt bak lås og slå. I alle fall var det det man trodde. Nå er det snart tjue år siden det skjedde, og drapsmannen skal snart henrettes etter å ha sittet på dødscelle i alle disse årene. Men Tessa er i tvil om han er den rette mannen, for noen har nemlig begynt å plante gule solhattblomster utenfor soveromsvinduet hennes. Betyr dette at det er en annen som er drapsmannen? Eller er det bare den traumatiserte hjernen hennes som spiller henne et puss? Og snart skal en mann som kanskje kan være uskyldig, dø i fengsel ...

'I never told anyone about the letters. It was another of my secrets, one that would . . . lead to places I don't want to go again.' When Emily and her husband move to Clairmont, Texas, they believe that it's the perfect place to build a new life. At a prestigious party, she meets a group of rich and influential housewives, but soon she begins to suspect that there is more to them than meets the eye. Then local doyenne Caroline disappears and Emily receives a host of threatening letters. Is Emily's troubled past coming back to haunt her, or is something sinister happening in this peaceful town?

'Dear Tommie . . . I've spent most of my life searching for you. I believe you are my daughter.' Just after her father's death, Tommie receives a letter from a stranger. The woman claims that Tommie is her biological daughter, kidnapped as a baby over thirty years ago. Then she is approached by a journalist who claims to know about her past. But can she trust him? Unsure what to believe, Tommie sets out to discover the truth about her identity. As explosive secrets emerge, she realises it's not just her life that's in danger . . .

TOP 5 SUNDAY TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLER - For fans of Laura Lippman and Gillian Flynn comes an electrifying novel of stunning psychological suspense. "My book of the year so far . . . breathtakingly, heart-stoppingly brilliant."--Sophie Hannah, New York Times bestselling author of The Monogram Murders I am the star of screaming headlines and campfire ghost stories. I am one of the four Black-Eyed Susans. The lucky one. As a sixteen-year-old, Tessa Cartwright was found in a Texas field, barely alive amid a scattering of bones, with only fragments of memory as to how she got there. Ever since, the press has pursued her as the lone surviving "Black-Eyed Susan," the nickname given to the murder victims because of the yellow carpet of wildflowers that flourished above their shared grave. Tessa's testimony about those tragic hours put a man on death row. Now, almost two decades later, Tessa is an artist and single mother. In the desolate cold of February, she is shocked to discover a freshly planted patch of black-eyed susans--a summertime bloom--just outside her bedroom window. Terrified at the implications--that she sent the wrong man to prison and the real killer remains at large--Tessa turns to the lawyers working to exonerate the man awaiting execution. But the flowers alone are not proof enough, and the forensic investigation of the still-unidentified bones is progressing too slowly. An innocent life hangs in the balance. The legal team appeals to Tessa to undergo hypnosis to retrieve lost memories--and to share the drawings she produced as part of an experimental therapy shortly after her rescue. What they don't know is that Tessa and the scared, fragile girl she was have built a fortress of secrets. As the clock ticks toward the execution, Tessa fears for her sanity, but even more for the safety of her teenaged daughter. Is a serial killer still roaming free, taunting Tessa with a trail of clues? She has no choice but to confront old ghosts and lingering nightmares to finally discover what really happened that night. Shocking, intense, and utterly original, Black-Eyed Susans is a dazzling psychological thriller, seamlessly weaving past and present in a searing tale of a young woman whose harrowing memories remain in a field of flowers--as a killer makes a chilling return to his garden. Praise for Black-Eyed Susans "A masterful thriller that shouldn't be missed . . . brilliantly conceived, beautifully executed . . . Julia] Heaberlin's work calls to mind that of Gillian Flynn. Both writers published impressive early novels that were largely overlooked, and then one that couldn't be: Flynn's Gone Girl and now Heaberlin's Black-Eyed Susans. Don't miss it."--The Washington Post " A] gem of a novel . . . richly textured, beautifully written . . . Tension builds, and the plot twists feel earned as well as genuinely surprising."--The Boston Globe "A tense, slow-burning, beautifully written novel of survival and hope. Highly recommended."--William Landay, New York Times bestselling author of Defending Jacob "Deliciously twisty and eerie, Heaberlin's third psychological suspense novel is intricately layered and instantly compelling."--Library Journal (starred review) "Brilliant . . . a breakout book."--Fort Worth Star-Telegram

**THE TOP 5 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER**'My book of the year so far. Breathtakingly, heart-stoppingly brilliant... A beautifully written, gripping, intelligent, unpredictable crime novel that obsessed me from start to finish' Awarded Crime Novel of the Year by Sophie Hannah, internationally bestselling author of The Narrow BedA chilling new thriller that gets into the heart and mind of the killer, and the victim . . .Seventeen-year-old Tessa, dubbed a 'Black-Eyed Susan' by the media, became famous for being the only victim to survive the vicious attack of a serial killer. Her testimony helped to put a dangerous criminal behind bars - or so she thought. Now, decades later the black-eyed susans planted outside Tessa's bedroom window seem to be a message from a killer who should be safely in prison. Haunted by fragmented memories of the night she was attacked and terrified for her own teenage daughter's safety, can Tessa uncover the truth about the killer before it's too late?Praise for Black-Eyed Susans'It's a terrific plot, matched by the quality of the writing and superbly paced tension' The Times Book of the Month'Black Eyed Susans is a compelling read, especially for Serial fans' Cosmopolitan'Creepy and compelling, Black-Eyed Susans is a shadowy and crooked journey to a very dark place indeed, a twisty fairytale that deceives you just when you think you've cracked it and a thriller to make you remember why you love thrillers. Don't miss it' Observer, Thriller of the Month'One of the classiest thrillers you'll read this year' Charlotte Heathcote of Daily Express and Sunday Express'Mesmerising . . . In a crowded field, Heaberlin is something special, and clearly an author to whom close attention must be paid' Barry Forshaw, Crime Time'About as good an example of Grip Lit as you could read' Sunday Independent'Sophisticated, disturbing and with plenty of red herrings' Woman and Home'We can't remember the last time a thriller burrowed under our skin like this. Sparkling characters, authentic emotion, and an unpredictable plot makes this a terrific read from start to end' iBooks, Books of the Month'The assured telling of this chiller combines to create a very modern Gothic horror that will keep you up way past your bedtime' Sunday Mirror'A sophisticated take on the serial killer novel' Good Housekeeping'Black Eyed Susans is haunting, intense and original - it'll keep you guessing till the last page' Closer 'A masterful thriller that shouldn't be missed. Heaberlin's work calls to mind that of Gillian Flynn. Both writers published impressive early novels that were largely overlooked, and then one that couldn't be: Flynn's Gone Girl and now Heaberlin's Black-Eyed Susans. Don't miss it' Washington Post'A fascinating, twisted book' Koethi Zan, author of Richard and Judy-selected THE NEVER LIST'This is a deftly organised, impeccably paced psychological suspense thriller that nods to Daphne du Maurier and, like all Heaberlin's fiction, boasts purr-inducing prose ' Sunday Times, Culture Magazine'Tense, pacy and compelling, Black-Eyed Susans is a taut psychological thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Julia Haeberlin masterfully ramps up the suspense gradually, building to an explosive denouement that you won't see coming. Quite simply, the best thriller you'll read this year - perhaps decade. Miss it at your peril. Keep Calm and Read a Book Reviews

A New Town Clairmont, Texas is home to some of the South's most wealthy and established families. When Emily Page and her husband Mike move there from New York City, so Mike can become the new sheriff, they believe that it's a place where they can build a new life for themselves. A New Start Pregnant Emily is soon invited to a prestigious lunch hosted by local doyenne Caroline Warwick. There she meets Clairmont's rich housewives, but soon discovers that under the veneer of respectability lies shifting loyalties and dangerous secrets. A Troubled Past When Caroline Warwick disappears, Emily wonders if any of the well-bred Southern ladies in Caroline's circle could have wanted her harmed. What was the hold that Caroline had over them and what was Caroline herself trying to hide? As Emily begins to search for clues about Caroline's disappearance, secrets from her own troubled past start to come to light. Have her problems followed her to Clairmont, or is there something more sinister going on closer to home?

In the tradition of Lisa Unger's Beautiful Lies and Nancy Pickard's The Scent of Rain and Lightning comes a twisting, riveting novel of shifting trust and shattered lives. Lie Still delves deep into the heart of an opulent Southern town, where gossip is currency and secrets kill. When Emily Page and her husband move from Manhattan to the wealthy enclave of Clairmont, Texas, she hopes she can finally escape her haunted past--and outrun the nameless stalker who has been taunting her for years. Pregnant with her first child, Emily just wants to start over. But as she is drawn into a nest of secretive Texas women--and into the unnerving company of their queen, Caroline Warwick--Emily finds that acceptance is a very dangerous game. It isn't long before Caroline mysteriously disappears and Emily is facing a rash of anonymous threats. Are they linked to the missing Caroline? Or to Emily's terrifying encounter in college, years earlier? As the dark truth about Caroline emerges, Emily realizes that some secrets are impossible to hide--and that whoever came for Caroline is now coming for her. Praise for Lie Still "In this engrossing novel of suspense . . . Heaberlin] expertly spins out a tale of lies and deceit that will keep the reader guessing."--Publishers Weekly "Heaberlin's depiction of one tight-knit Texas community is both culturally savvy and politically astute. . . . A carefully wrapped package of Texas soap opera, social and political expos , and well-paced thriller."--Booklist "Heaberlin combines a culturally pertinent suspense story (the plot revolves around the main character's struggles with the repercussions of an unreported date rape) with satirical observations about Texas' moneyed suburban elite."--The New York Times "Lie Still mixes serious discussion about 'the last frontier in crime' with a twisty-turny mystery plot and a cast of eccentric characters."--Fort Worth Star-Telegram "Reading a book by Julia Heaberlin is like hearing your best friend tell you a particularly thorny story, filled with secrets and intrigue and human hopes and failures. Lie Still is a book you want to curl up with for a good long while but, more important, Julia Heaberlin is an author you want to get to know."--Jenny Milchman "Julia Heaberlin weaves an intricate tapestry of secrets and suspense, lies and betrayals that kept me reading late into the night. Lie Still is a thriller par excellence and a page-turner, true--but it's also a moving story of one woman's unlikely path toward healing, and another's lifelong search for redemption. I challenge you to visit Claremont, Texas--where nothing is quite as it seems and no one is quite who they claim--and leave unchanged."--Emily Colin "Julia Heaberlin deceives the reader in the most deliciously chilling way in Lie Still With gorgeous prose and sterling character work, she takes us on a deeply felt and wonderfully composed thrill ride. Layer after layer of secrets, longing, and deception is peeled away and we begin to dread the twisted kernel at the heart, never guessing what Heaberlin has in store for us."--Sophie Littlefield, bestselling author of Garden of Stones

The Letter: A few weeks after her father's death, Tommie McCloud receives a letter in the post from a stranger. The woman claims that Tommie is her biological daughter, kidnapped from her as a baby over thirty years ago. The Lies: Tommie is approached by journalist Jack Smith, who claims to know about her past. But is he really who he says he is? The Truth: Not sure who to trust or what to believe, Tommie sets out to discover the truth about her identity and in doing so uncovers explosive secrets that threaten not only her life, but also the lives of those she holds dear. A riveting debut novel from a thrilling new voice, PLAYING DEAD is a mesmerizing story of family, identity and secrets that can kill.

"A compelling family mystery that kept me turning the pages. Highly recommended."--Margaret Maron, New York Times bestselling author of Three Day Town "Dear Tommie: Have you ever wondered about who you are?" The letter that turns Tommie McCloud's world upside down arrives from a stranger only days after her father's death. The woman who wrote it claims that Tommie is her daughter--and that she was kidnapped as a baby thirty-one years ago. Tommie wants to believe it's all a hoax, but suddenly a girl who grew up on a Texas ranch finds herself linked to a horrific past: the slaughter of a family in Chicago, the murder of an Oklahoma beauty queen, and the kidnapping of a little girl named Adriana. Tommie races along a twisting, nightmarish path while an unseen stalker is determined to keep old secrets locked inside the dementia-battered brain of the woman who Tommie always thought was her real mother. With everything she has ever believed in question, and no one she can trust, Tommie must discover the truth about the girl who vanished--and the very real threats that still remain. " Julia Heaberlin's] voice is pitch perfect, and her story of one woman's fierce struggle to reconcile her past with her present is gripping and powerful. An outstanding debut."--Carla Buckley, author of Invisible