She thought she’d escaped her poisonous past…
Thirteen years ago, Maggie Ellis left her small town and vowed to never return. In her rearview mirror were two men she loved and an ominous secret that would forever haunt her.
Now, tragedy has brought her back, and she’s determined to forget that fateful night. But in a town like Myers, with familiar faces and chilling memories lurking around every corner, moving on is easier said than done.
Before the ink can dry on the closing documents for her new residence, Maggie begins to feel unsettled. In every room, there’s the unmistakable sensation she’s being watched. The strange sounds, odd smells, and bizarre occurrences only add to her paranoia.
There’s something sinister about her new home…
When she discovers the devastating truth about the house and its grim history, Maggie’s worst fears are realized. In order to survive, she must unearth the secrets she’d always planned to keep buried.
After all, they say that home is where the heart is, but as Maggie knows, home is also where the skeletons lie.
Seamlessly blurring the edges between psychological thriller and romantic suspense, million-copy bestselling author Kiersten Modglin brings us a dark and twisted romantic thriller, perfect for fans of Verity, Tell Me Lies, The Ghost Writer, and YOU.
From the Publisher

Kiersten Modglin, two million copy bestselling author

PRAISE FOR KIERSTEN MODGLIN:
“Plan to lose sleep…”
“Dark, twisted, and deliciously addictive!”
“Modglin writes the best psychological thrillers out there.”
“I have never found a more clever author than Modglin.”
“…one of the very best authors of our time!”
“Twists and turns everywhere you look…”
“…epically unexpected.”
“Modglin’s books sink their claws into you.”
“…dark, tantalizing and OHHH SO scandalous.”
“…one of the best, most unpredictable twists I’ve ever read.”
Welcome to the KMod Squad…
KIERSTEN MODGLIN is a #1 bestselling author of psychological thrillers.
Her books have sold over two million copies and have been translated into multiple languages. Kiersten is a recipient of ThrillerFix’s Best Psych Thriller Award, Suspense Magazine’s Best Book of 2021, and a Silver Falchion for Best Book of 2021. Kiersten’s readers across the world call her “KMod.” A binge-watching expert and indoor enthusiast, Kiersten enjoys days spent with her favorite people and evenings with her nose in a book.
Not sure where to start? Try one of these reader favorites:
The Arrangement Trilogy Hemlock The Missing The Reunion The Mother-in-Law My Husband’s Secret Do Not Open The Family Secret
ASIN : B0CGJJ2N82
Publisher : Kiersten Modglin
Accessibility : Learn more
Publication date : August 31, 2023
Language : English
File size : 2.5 MB
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 404 pages
Page Flip : Enabled
Best Sellers Rank: #1,902 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store) #71 in Domestic Thrillers (Kindle Store) #83 in Domestic Thrillers (Books) #94 in Romantic Suspense (Kindle Store)
Customer Reviews: 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars (12,564) var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });


Traci Hines –
5000 stars!!
Wow. Just wow. The twists in this book were so shocking. I Could not put it down. Beautifully written, perfect ending. There is not enough praise to justify how much I loved this book.
Susan Roberts –
Hemlock
This book is advertised as suspense but I’d say it’s more romance and chick lit. Sure there is some suspense regarding the house that Maggie moved into but most of the story is taken up by the love triangle between Maggie – her high school boyfriend and her new boyfriend who only pretended to be interested to make the high school boyfriend jealous until he really was interested. Maggie can’t seem to make up her mind between her loser old boyfriend and the new guy who treats her like a queen. I wanted to yell at her to open her eyes several times and pick the guy who treats her best.The story is told in two timelines — one thirteen years ago when she was in high school and as soon as she graduated, she left and planned to never return. The second time line is modern day when she ends up back in the small town buying a house that she had always loved. The suspense involves her new home on Hemlock Street. She feels like she’s being watched in every room The strange sounds, odd smells, and bizarre occurrences only add to her paranoia. She tries to ignore the other worldly occurrences but they continue to get more threatening. Is the house really haunted or is there something else going on?So this love triangle. Her high school boyfriend was Clayton who left town after graduation to try his luck in Nashville. He has now returned back to the small town to write music because his recording contract didn’t really work out. He kind of pursues Maggie but he runs hot and cold plus he has a fiancée/writing partner. Then we have Tucker, the bartender at a local club who pretend dates Maggie to help make Clayton jealous. Tucker actually lives next door and is a contractor so he is helping Maggie do repairs on the house. His pretend boyfriend deal quickly changes from pretend to having strong feelings for Maggie. Who will she choose? Can she live in the haunted house? Both questions are answered in the story.A lot of the reviews say that this book is a real departure from this author’s normal suspense stories. I enjoyed this book but need to try another one to see if the reviews are correct.
K.McBride –
Save For a Day When You Don’t Want to Sleep…
I’m not big on romance novels, but this novel is so much more than that. I don’t give out five star reviews lightly, but I could not put this down. It, has steamy sex scenes, romantic triangles, a scary house, complex yet relatable characters, and more twists and turns than a Texas tornado. I cannot recommend it highly enough. If you loved Verity (and who didn’t), you will soak this up page by page, chapter by chapter, un il you realize that is it a most over but you don’t want it to be. Maggie, the protagonist, is a flawed and sometimes lost soul who is torn between two loves and between the past an the present. She is terrified of her own home and of the prospect of losing one of the two people she loves most in the world, each of whom have their own demons and their own reason for wanting to be her everything. This will be a hard book to follow!
Amethyst Goff –
⭐️ 4.9/5
This book was a nice surprise! It wasn’t quite a 5 star for me & I can’t pinpoint why, but it was damn close. It has romance, thriller, mystery, paranormal, & dark themes, which were all woven together perfectly! The jump from “then” to “now” throughout the book kept me guessing & it was super exciting to read!
GGmom –
A cute story
This book reads more of a YA story then adult. It definitely has a nice twist to it but it’s somewhat predictable. I have to say when all was finally revealed to the FMC – Maggie, it reminded me of a Rolling Stones song “You can’t always get what you want, but sometimes you get what you need”. So, the story begins with Maggie present day rushing to her house that’s burning down. She’s reminiscing about how she ended up where she is. She thinks she lost someone and then the story begins from her past to present throughout most of the book. There are 2 main men in her life, one is Clayton who’s her “best friend” and boy she’s been in love with her whole life. Next is Tucker who the one she’s confused about. Clayton breaks her heart multiple times. He’s a budding country star who is in love with…..himself. Reading about how much she loved him and the lengths she was willing to go for him, and the feelings not be reciprocated broke my heart for her. A lot of us have experienced this kind of push pull, maybe he really cares and then he pulls away only to let you down yet again relationship at some point in life. Usually late teens, early 20’s. And sure enough Maggie was only 22/23. Personally, I had a relationship similar to this when I was 20 years old. The pain I felt reading this had me crying for her bc she was so blind as was I. I’m happily married 2 kids but ugh, when you fall for a narcissist who keeps you around for their own ego, it hurts worse when you wake up and realize you were only ever a pawn for them. Not really a human with feelings. The one thing I did not like about the story is she waited so many years to go back. It was boring at times and she was way too naive. Anyway, not a bad book. Just not as thrilling as I’d personally prefer. I think the author must know a guy like Clayton. They are never what they seem.
Ashley Ziegler –
kept me interested!!
I’m not sure how to describe this book. Was this a romance or a thriller or what? I really enjoyed the characters, the love story & the twists ! They kept coming and I didn’t feel like they were super unrealistic. Book kept me engaged & I look forward to checking out other books by Kiersten.
Kindle Customer –
Hemlock
This has to be the best book by Kiersten Modglin I’ve read! I couldn’t put it down, read it in a day.
Lisa –
I loved it!
It had me hooked from the first chapter I loved the then and now chapters and the suspense! Must read!
Jade Crosby –
I’ve been on a Kiersten kick for a bit now and I’m obsessed with her books. This one was no exception. Absolutely phenomenal. Unseen twist & tied together so perfectly. What a talented author! READ IT. You won’t be disappointed.
Nicole –
I’ve been having a bit of a reading lull recently, but this book grabbed me by the forearm and wrenched me out of my literary-less hole.It was fast-paced, juicy and kept me guessing all the way through. Modglin’s characters stayed on my mind, even when I had to put the book down; I just could not stop thinking about any of it. Theories – from the paranormal to hot neighbours who might not be quite as hot as I originally thought – cropped up in my head at meal times, at the supermarket, during conversations when I really should have been listening… The protagonist, Maggie, and her life were a total obsession for a long while, even after I had finished the book.Modglin is a master of turning everything you think you know on its head with just a simple suggestion. I thought I knew everything there was to know about Maggie… Nope. I thought I knew her love interests inside out (I had, after all, analysed them in my head over dinner, whilst shopping, etc.)… But oh wow, no!Let me set the scene for you:Maggie is heartbroken about her childhood best friend turned love of her life, Clayton, as he moves out of town, becomes a country singer and gets engaged to a woman who (you guessed it) is not Maggie.Enter: Tucker! Snarky bartender with a heart of gold who is willing to let Maggie use him to make the country star jealous.This is a great story in itself, as this kind of plot always gets emotionally messy. But add in an ostensibly haunted house and murky pasts that Modglin only torturously and tantalisingly hints at, and you’ve got yourself a storyline more addictive than chocolate.The dual timeline is a great way to muddy the narrative even further. I was trying to remember every little detail to work out what was going on so that I could marry the timelines together. But Modglin lets the past keep its secrets right until the big reveal… at which moment I gasped out loud.The past complicates the present; the present mystifies the past. Nobody is who they seem! Take that literally, seriously: nobody!
Kelly W –
A great romantic thriller. I’ve read this author before but this was the first I’d seen advertised as a romantic thriller. I enjoyed the romance elements as much as the suspense parts. This book reminded me why this author is so great and made me want to go back and read more of her works. This was by far my favorite book of hers.
Shelley –
I really enjoyed this book. Although I did figure it out beforehand, I liked how it all came together. I definitely recommend this book.
katie –
My second book by this author I am enjoying her book they keep me on the edge of seat guessing who done it look forward to reading more of her books