Her billionaire husband built an empire by destroying lives. Now one of his victims is coming for hers.

Lainey McKay turned the pain of her abusive childhood into a promising acting career. When she met Mark Conway, she traded the spotlight for the only thing she’d ever wanted: a man who would love and protect her.

But holding on to him came at a cost. For seventeen years, she turned a blind eye to the destruction caused by Mark’s greed and zero-sum “winner-take-all” philosophy.

His sins—and her silence—could now cost Lainey everything.

When a malfunction traps the estranged couple inside their high-tech Malibu mansion, neither panics. That changes when an anonymous text from one of Mark’s countless victims reveals the truth: They’re not trapped; they’re prisoners. When a livestream link shows their nine-year-old daughter held in an unknown location, they realize the clock has started on the ultimate zero-sum game. If they lose, their daughter dies.

The doors are locked, and the clock is ticking. Before time runs out, someone must decide: Is love a game worth dying for?

What happens when the people closest to you are keeping the biggest secrets?

Ruthless is a fast-paced mystery-thriller packed with red herrings, shocking reversals, and a final twist you simply will not see coming. Fair warning: the clues are right in front of you, so you’ll kick yourself for missing them.

Ruthless weaves together two timelines. The Day of the Fire follows an estranged, uber-wealthy couple. Imprisoned in their Malibu mansion, they must race against time to save their young daughter from a hidden killer seeking revenge. The Day After the Fire follows two detectives as they piece together what happened and scramble to locate the missing family.

Beneath the action and suspense, Ruthless explores the abuse of wealth and power, greed, and unconditional love.

If you love domestic suspense, puzzle-box mysteries, and thrillers that grab hold and don’t let go—James Patterson, Freida McFadden, and Eliza Jane Brazier—then you’ll devour this gripping debut by JM Spratner.

Can you win a deadly game against a hidden killer watching your every move?