Contemporary Thrillers Till She Was Done by R. Barri Flowers

Twenty years after a high school student’s bullying driven suicide, former students at Landen Creek High are being systematically shot to death in the town of Landen Creek, Oregon.

Homicide detectives Paige Lombard and Garrison Stanton investigate the crimes and search for the killers or a possible serial killer. The case becomes personal for Paige as she attended the high school and knew the victims, including being once romantically involved with the first victim, Ben Huxley.

Lily Aberdeen is Paige’s best friend and a bestselling author, who is leading a double life. Having been the victim of high school bullying that escalated into a sexual assault, Lily is out to settle some scores and no one will stop her till she made them all pay.

The spinetingling twists and turns leads up to the Landen Creek High twenty-year class reunion and a never saw coming conclusion in this psychological thriller.

“With his amazing background and varied stories, Flowers’s tales of crime in paradise will pull the reader right in.” — Karen Harper, New York Times bestselling author

“Flowers may be a new voice in modern mystery writing, but he is already one of its best voices.” — Statesman Journal

“R. Barri Flowers is among the best of them.” — John Lutz, Edgar winning, bestselling mystery author

“R. Barri Flowers writes with the passion and knowledge of someone who truly knows his craft.” — Allison Leotta, former federal prosecutor and crime novelist

“Vivid details of police procedure one would expect from an author who is also a top criminologist.” — Douglas Preston, bestselling mystery writer

“Gripping writing, wonderfully rounded characters you really care about, and vivid locations.” — Peter James, bestselling mystery author

“Flowers once again has written a page-turner legal thriller that begins with a bang and rapidly moves along to its final page.”–Midwest Book Review

“Flowers always relates an engrossing story in a hard-hitting and fast-paced manner.” –Robert Scott, true crime author

R. Barri Flowers recently spent some time with The Big Thrill discussing his latest thriller, TILL SHE WAS DONE.

Can you pinpoint a moment or incident that sparked the idea for this book?
Having written about bullying as a criminologist in nonfiction books triggered the notion for writing a novel with bullying being a focal point in the plot.

R. Barri Flowers

A novel is such a major undertaking; there’s the writing of it, of course, then you’re spending months and months revising, polishing, and then promoting it. How did you know this was the book you wanted to spend the next couple of years on?
The storyline just captured my fancy as something I felt I had a handle on and would make for a terrific novel of psychological suspense.

When you first created your protagonist for this book, did you see an empty space in crime lit that you wanted to fill? What can you share about the inspiration for that character?
My inspiration for the protagonist was creating someone who was likeable, smart, strong, even tempered, unpredictable, and determined to finish what was started.

In addition to a great read, what do you hope readers will take away from this story?
That bullying is not just child’s play in school — but can stick with the victim for a lifetime. As such, bully should be confronted early on by other students, teachers, and family, so victimization can stop sooner than later. Or be prevented altogether.

What can you share about what you’re working on next?
My next standalone thriller for Level Best Books is about the secrets — some deadly — within a guard gated community — and how these are dealt with by those caught up in. Look for this novel to hit the market in early 2024.

R. Barri Flowers is an award-winning criminologist and bestselling author of psychological, legal, mystery, suspense, thriller, and crime fiction; along with criminology and true crime books. He has also edited several mystery and true crime anthologies. As an expert on criminal behavior, violent offenders and serial killers, Flowers has appeared on the Biography Channel, Investigation Discovery, and Oxygen true crime documentary series. The author is a graduate of Michigan State University’s renowned School of Criminal Justice and a recipient of its esteemed Wall of Fame Award. In his thriller novels, Flowers strives to bring verisimilitude to the characters and stories in using his expertise to go with creative juices and a vivid imagination to create gripping and realistic fiction.

To learn more about the author and his work, please visit his website.