One more person dead. One more chapter done. What will Alice do to become a famous writer? Anything.

Serial killers and murder are what make Laura Drake’s novels bestsellers. Twelve years ago, she came to Castlebay to write Murder, the first book of her Black Shadow series. But a terrifying experience with Regina Tate made her too frightened to return to write the sequel.

Now, Laura is finally back in Castlebay.

Mayhem begins where Murder ended in fictional Shadylake with serial killer Alice Crain. Alice has just murdered Eve Collins and stolen her manuscript. Willing to do anything to become a famous mystery writer, she decides to write what she knows best—murder. Alice’s plan—one murder equals a new chapter.

When Laura Drake completes Mayhem, a last-minute decision leads her to visit an old woman in Bear Ridge. With each strange signpost, she’s pulled into her own mystery of black shadows.

Serial killer Alice Crain is a character in Laura’s books.

But who is Laura Drake, the writer who created Alice?

What makes Laura so adept at writing about murder and mayhem?