When a young girl seeks out sanctuary with a total stranger, a nightmare follows in this riveting novel of suspense by Jenny Milchman, the USA Today bestselling author of The Usual Silence.

Author Kara Parsons is at a book signing in the town where she was raised. Before it’s over, a young girl approaches with a copy of Kara’s book containing a handwritten inscription: I am a missing child.

Most people would alert the police, but Kara knows what happens to the young and vulnerable when the system fails them. She turns to her former therapist, Arles Shepherd, who’s recovering from injuries and staying off the grid. But even Arles, who’s seen everything, finds something off about this girl who refuses to reveal her own name. What is she running from? And how much of what she says can be believed?

When a man with a gun manages to locate Arles’s remote wilderness home, the true threat is revealed, and Arles and Kara go on the run. But fleeing only gets them so far. To save this child, Arles must allow her to be found. And that’s when the real danger begins.

Jenny Milchman is the Mary Higgins Clark Award–winning and USA Today bestselling author of the psychological thrillers Cover of Snow, Ruin Falls, As Night Falls, Wicked River, and The Second Mother, and now the Arles Shepherd series, starting with The Usual Silence. Jenny’s work has received praise from The New York Times, San Francisco Journal, and many others; earned spots on Top 10 lists, including Suspense Magazine and The Strand Magazine; made Best Of lists ranging from PopSugar to PureWow; and garnered starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, Library Journal, and Shelf Awareness, in addition to numerous other mentions. Before turning to fiction, Jenny earned a graduate degree in clinical psychology and practiced at a rural community mental health center for more than a decade. She lives in the Catskill Mountains with her family. For more information, visit www.jennymilchman.com.