{"product_id":"the-laughing-dead-9781662514166","title":"The Laughing Dead","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTwo murder investigations, decades apart, threaten to expose a cold case agent's darkest secrets in a pulse-pounding thriller by the Edgar Award-nominated author of \u003ci\u003eThe Taken Ones\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe bodies of three teenage girls are found in central Minnesota--each with her mouth fixed in a ghoulish grin, smiling at a deadly joke no one can hear. But authorities eventually close and forget the curious case, dubbed the Laughing Dead.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDecades later, cold case agent Evangeline \"Van\" Reed is called to the scene of a crime where the victim wears that same horror-movie smile. But this time someone seems to be sending a message: Van's police ID has turned up at the scene, making her the prime suspect. It's not that outlandish, considering her secrets--ones she's never even told her partner, forensic scientist Harry Steinbeck.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs she feels others closing in, Van reopens the mystery of the Laughing Dead, hoping to find a connection to clear her name. But the search only gets darker. Because the more Van digs backward in time, the closer she comes to a terrible truth: Everything she has spent her life trying to hide is returning to haunt her.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eLourey, Jess:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003eJess Lourey is the Amazon Charts bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Quarry Girls\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eUnspeakable Things\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eLitani\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eBloodline\u003c\/i\u003e, as well as the Reed and Steinbeck thrillers, the Salem's Cipher novels, and the Murder by Month rom-com mysteries. Lourey writes about secrets, fosters kittens, and travels. She's surpassed a million readers; been short-listed for the Goodreads Choice Awards and the Edgar Award twice each; and won the International Thriller, Anthony, and Minnesota Book Awards. She also has an active reader group on Facebook called Lourey's Literati. For more information, including a link to her TEDx Talk, in which she discusses the surprising inspiration behind her writing career, visit www.jesslourey.com.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Thomas \u0026 Mercer","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51475484573970,"sku":"9781662514166","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_28596974-6265-4964-a62b-ab918528b933.jpg?v=1752595561","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-laughing-dead-9781662514166","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}