The Dark Before Dawn by Laurie Stevens

High in the Santa Monica Mountains grisly murders are taking place. On each of the victim’s bodies a note is left for L.A. Sheriff’s detective, Gabriel McRay. The killer’s identity is locked in the suppressed memory of a horrifying trauma from Gabriel’s own childhood. Teamed with his forensic pathologist girlfriend and his psychiatrist, Gabriel runs two parallel investigations. The first: a dark journey into the terrifying recollections of his past and the second: the hunt for a serial killer who seems to know more about Gabriel… than he knows himself.

THE DARK BEFORE DAWN is available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

*****

“Stevens sets the stage for graphic sensory details and a fast-paced, tantalizing mystery that utilizes her passion and research in forensics and psychology… Readers will relate to the San Francisco and Los Angeles settings, and Stevens’ allusions to “Cask of Amontillado” and Frankenstein craft a story immersed in theater, disguise and secrecy… Memorable characters, macabre scenes and a dazzling portrayal of reality will leave readers anxious for book two in the Gabriel McCray series.” Kirkus Reviews

“The hardest truth to find is one you don’t want to find. The Dark Before Dawn is a mystery as Detective Gabriel McRay tries to understand the patterns of a vicious serial killer, fearing that he just may know the answer… He must search and understand himself to understand the place of the mystery. The Dark Before Dawn should keep readers guessing, recommended. ”
Midwest Book Review

Kirkus Star Recipient

Named to Kirkus Review’s Best of 2011

*****

Laurie is a novelist, screenwriter, and playwright. A graduate of UCLA Theater/Film/Television, she started her career working in sales and marketing for Columbia Records. Laurie has written for television and for film. Her stage play, “Follow Your Dreams”, co-written with writer/director Ronald Jacobs, ran for eight weeks to great reviews (www.followyourdreamstheplay.com). Laurie’s articles and short stories have appeared in numerous national and online publications, and her new novel “The Dark Before Dawn,” is the first in a psycho-thriller/detective series based in the Santa Monica Mountains near Los Angeles. Psychology and forensics interest Laurie so the book is rich with both. Married, with two children, Laurie has been known to sneak into the county morgue and her favorite research is to pick the brains of therapists! (How’s that for a twist?)