When her niece disappears, a K-9 officer returns to the home of her own childhood trauma to track down a killer who hunts women like prey—and face the past that continues to haunt her.

Officer Kate Marino has a complicated relationship with her hometown. But there’s one thing that could bring her back: Her seventeen-year-old niece Alice disappeared two days ago. And she’s not the only woman who’s gone missing.

With police dogs Nero and Bella (now retired) in tow, Kate returns to her childhood home and the ghosts that inhabit it. It’s not just the looming presence of her father, however, that hinders Kate’s investigation. Something even more sinister awaits her there.

Dead bodies confirm the missing women are the work of a serial killer who hunts his prey through the New Hampshire wilderness. With time running out, Kate’s determined to find Alice before she becomes his next victim.

Alongside Deputy Sheriff Roy Hoover, Kate and her loyal dogs scour the area for clues, motive, and the secrets harbored by each victim. Kate ran away from Cooperton once before—but this time, she’ll stay and face its demons…

© 2026 by Michael Omer, all rights reserved.

Mike Omer has been a journalist, a game developer, and the CEO of Loadingames, but he can currently be found penning his next thriller. He loves to write about two things: real people who could be the perpetrators or victims of crimes…and funny stuff. He mixes these two loves quite passionately in his suspenseful and often macabre mysteries. Mike is married to a woman who diligently forces him to live out his dream, and he’s a father to an angel, a pixie, and a gremlin.