Chris Loken

One sub-zero New Year's Eve, Linda Lou Craig is, according to her fiancée Bill Ray Brown, dropped off at her house after their date. The next morning her mother discovers her bed has not been slept in, Linda has vanished. The police can find no trace of her. They suspect she's been murdered and the signs all seem to lead back to Bill. Yet Bill Ray, who steadfastly maintains his innocence, is a quiet, well-mannered young man whose Christian family and behavior make him a highly unlikely suspect. The police are frustrated, the investigation stalemated until other young women disappear, most vanishing with the same eerie suddenness as Linda. After the body of one is found brutally and ritualistically slain, the police realize they are dealing with a psychosexual serial killer. The final dramatic confrontation between the accused and a tough prison psychologist is as chilling as the crimes themselves.

THE BOY NEXT DOOR is a riveting suspense novel, part compelling police procedural, part haunting portrait of the mind of a murderer.