#Review - Lost in the Dark by Debra Webb #Suspense #Thriller

Series: Standalone 
Format: 367 pages, Paperback
Release Date: June 9, 2026
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Source: Publisher
Genre: Thriller, Suspense

The brutal murder of her sister draws a woman back to her hometown and all its dark secrets in a gripping novel of suspense by USA Today bestselling author Debra Webb.

Dr. CJ Patterson returns to her Alabama hometown when her estranged sister, Shelley, is found murdered in the woods. For CJ it means diving headfirst into a painful life she left behind.

CJ reluctantly partners with Detective Kevin Braddock, and the complicated romantic history they share is far from over. They soon zero in on Shelley’s abusive ex-boyfriend and a local crime boss who controls the struggling mill village’s illicit enterprises. But anyone is suspect in a town with so many secrets. Even Shelley died with a few of her own.

As the investigation continues, so do the murders. One by one they’re leading CJ into a past she desperately fled from. CJ knows her hometown all too well. And that her search for the truth, and for a killer, will only get darker.

Lost in the Dark is Debra Webb’s 2026 revised edition of her 2009 novel Everywhere She Turns. The story is a dark small-town investigative thriller with romantic-suspense elements. The official premise is straightforward: Dr. CJ Patterson, an emergency-medicine resident in Baltimore, returns to her struggling Alabama mill-village hometown of Huntsville, Alabama, after her estranged sister Shelley is found murdered in the woods. She is pulled back into a world of poverty, drugs, prostitution, and buried family secrets she fled years earlier. 

CJ reluctantly works the case with Detective Kevin Braddock, a former romantic interest whose history with her is far from settled. Early suspects include Shelley’s abusive ex, Ricky Banks, and a local crime boss who treats the village as his personal fiefdom. Additional murders follow, each one dragging CJ deeper into the past she tried to escape. The story uses multiple points of view, with CJ’s as the primary lens. The setup is classic Webb territory: a protagonist forced to confront the place and people that shaped her, while a killer who seems to know her too well stays one step ahead. 

Once the body count rises and the investigation tightens, the suspense and sense of danger increase and several twists appear. CJ is driven, professionally capable, and carrying a heavy load of grief and unresolved family trauma. She is not always likable. Grief, guilt, and the investigation explain some of her sharper edges, but her choices—especially the speed with which the old attraction to Braddock reignites—have been a sticking point for some readers. One detailed review noted that the physical reunion happens very soon after she sees her sister’s body in the morgue, which undercut the emotional weight of the opening for that reader. 

Braddock functions as both professional partner and romantic counterpart. The supporting cast—family members, the crime boss’s circle, Shelley’s world—is populated by people who almost all have hidden agendas. Few characters are purely sympathetic, which fits the grim setting but can make the book feel emotionally chilly. The Alabama mill-village atmosphere—economic decline, illicit economies, the way everyone knows everyone else’s business—is convincingly drawn. 

The investigation structure gives the story forward momentum once it hits its stride, and the later chapters deliver the rising danger and twists that thriller readers expect. A dark, readable hometown-murder thriller with a complicated heroine and a polarizing romance. Recommended for Webb fans and readers who like their suspense dirty and their secrets ugly; approach with the expectation of graphic violence and an early physical reunion between the leads.

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#Review - The Ten Year Lie by Debra Webb #Thriller #Suspense

Series: Dark and Dangerous # 1
Format: 331 pages, Paperback
Release Date: March 17, 2026
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Source: Publisher
Genre: Thriller, Suspense

A wrongfully convicted man and the key witness against him join forces to figure out who framed him for murder in a riveting novel of small-town secrets by USA Today bestselling author Debra Webb.

Every person in Pine Bluff, Alabama, stood behind Emily Wallace when she testified against Clint Austin. After all, Emily knows what she saw that terrible night: Clint, covered in blood, holding the body of her best friend Heather.

But Clint has always maintained his innocence, and now, after a successful appeal, he has come home to prove it.

The whole town is furious about his return, and Emily becomes obsessed with sending Clint back to prison—until her father reveals a devastating secret that casts doubt on the whole trial. What if she was wrong?

When another person with a connection to Heather turns up dead, Clint and Emily embark on a desperate search to find the truth. Because ten years ago, they were both betrayed by someone they know. So who, in a town full of liars, is getting away with murder?

Revised edition: Previously published as Traceless, this edition of The Ten Year Lie includes editorial revisions.

The Ten Year Lie, by Debra Webb, was previously published as Traceless. The book includes editorial revisions and is the first installment in what the author calls Dark and Dangerous. The book alternates between two main characters: Clint Austin, who spent 10 years in prison for a crime he did not commit, and Emily Wallace, the woman whose testimony helped put Clint in prison. Other chapters also feature people who know the truth; some want to cover it up, and some believe that if the truth comes out, the town will destroy itself. 

In the fictional town of Pine Bluff, Alabama, Emily Wallace’s testimony was pivotal in convicting Clint Austin of murdering her best friend Heather. Emily is certain of what she saw that night: Clint covered in blood, holding Heather’s body. Clint has always maintained his innocence. After a successful appeal (tied to the Exoneration Project in some accounts), he returns home determined to clear his name. 

The town reacts with fury and hostility; Emily is initially obsessed with seeing him returned to prison. A devastating secret her father reveals begins to crack her certainty. When another person connected to Heather turns up dead, the two former lovers are forced into a reluctant partnership to uncover the truth. Ten years earlier, both were betrayed by someone they knew—in a community full of liars, who is still getting away with murder? 

Webb leans into the atmospheric strengths of a close-knit Southern town where everyone knows everyone and secrets fester. The setting feels claustrophobic and authentic, with the interconnected lives of lifelong residents, local power dynamics, and simmering resentments amplifying the tension. Clint emerges as a hardened yet driven figure shaped by a decade of wrongful imprisonment—bitter, focused on justice, and still carrying residual feelings for Emily. 

Emily is more conflicted: guilt over the past, determination that curdles into doubt, and a gradual reevaluation of everything she believed. Their enemies-to-reluctant-allies dynamic (with rekindled attraction) drives much of the emotional core. Supporting characters populate the town with potential motives and hidden agendas, contributing to the layered mystery of corruption, blackmail, abuse of power, and long-buried truths. 

The novel balances suspense with romantic elements. Action and investigation escalate once new threats surface, and the central mystery benefits from misdirection. Readers who enjoy small-town thrillers with personal stakes and steamy romantic tension will find familiar pleasures. Complaints: The first half feels slow or repetitive as it establishes the town’s hostility toward Clint and the characters’ entrenched positions. The romance, while charged, is, at times, poorly timed or insufficiently convincing amid the trauma and danger. The large cast can occasionally feel overwhelming, and the resolution feels abrupt or incomplete (understandable as series groundwork). 

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#Review - Deep Dark Truth by Debra Webb #Thriller #Suspense

Series: Standalone
Format: 378 pages, Kindle Edition

Release Date: April 14, 2026
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Genre: Suspense, Thriller

A reporter must keep her past hidden as she hunts a killer terrorizing a small town in Maine in a blood-freezing novel of suspense by USA Today bestselling author Debra Webb.

Investigative reporter Sarah Newton specializes in debunking myths and superstitions—especially when they’re used to cover up horrific crimes.

When a teenage girl is ritualistically murdered and another girl goes missing, Sarah heads to the coastal village of Youngstown, Maine, to find her next story. The locals are convinced these events are the work of a legendary curse. After all, no human in this close-knit community could do something so dreadful. But Sarah knows the truth—one of their own is a cold-blooded killer.

As Sarah starts to unravel the mysteries of Youngstown with the help of a sympathetic councilman, she finds herself at the center of a vicious game. Somebody in town knows too much about her own dark secrets…Can she connect all the dots before the killer strikes again?

Revised edition: Previously published as Find Me, this edition of Deep Dark Truth includes editorial revisions.

Deep Dark Truth by Debra Webb is a gripping, atmospheric suspense thriller (revised and reissued edition of her earlier novel Find Me, with editorial updates) that blends small-town secrets, supernatural folklore, and cold-blooded murder. Investigative reporter Sarah Newton specializes in debunking myths and superstitions that often mask horrific crimes. She travels to the isolated coastal village of Youngstown, Maine, after a teenage girl is found ritualistically murdered in a chapel and another girl goes missing. 

The tight-knit community clings to an old legend of a curse—after all, how could one of their own commit such atrocities? Sarah knows better: a human killer is at work. As she digs in, Sarah partners (uneasily at first) with Kale Conner, a sympathetic local councilman and lobsterman tasked with managing the fallout and keeping her in check. The deeper she probes, the more she uncovers layers of secrets, betrayals, and long-buried town sins. 

Meanwhile, someone in Youngstown knows far too much about Sarah’s dark past, turning the investigation into a dangerous cat-and-mouse game in which her personal vulnerabilities could cost lives. The story unfolds against a frozen, windswept Maine backdrop that amplifies the isolation and dread. Webb excels at evoking a place where everyone knows everyone—and no one trusts the outsider poking at old wounds. Webb’s research (she reportedly lived in Maine while writing the original) shines through in vivid, sensory details. 

The novel builds steadily, layering red herrings, town gossip, and escalating threats. Twists feel earned rather than cheap, and the final revelations deliver a satisfying (and reportedly “off-the-charts creepy”) payoff. Sarah is a prickly, flawed protagonist—abrasive, haunted by her past, and unapologetically dedicated to truth over popularity. She’s not instantly likable, but her growth and vulnerability make her compelling. Kale provides a strong counterbalance: grounded, empathetic, and increasingly torn between loyalty to his town and the mounting evidence. 

Their chemistry adds emotional depth without overshadowing the mystery. Webb explores how communities protect their own, the dangers of folklore as a shield for evil, and the personal cost of seeking justice. It’s darker and more gruesome in spots than some cozies, with ritualistic violence that heightens the horror. Deep Dark Truth is a solid, entertaining thriller that showcases Debra Webb’s strengths in romantic suspense and psychological tension. It’s ideal for fans of authors like Lisa Jackson, Karen Rose, or early Tami Hoag—think isolated towns, buried secrets, and strong-willed heroines facing personal and professional demons. 

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#Review - The Drowning Season by Debra Webb #Mystery #Suspense

Series: Standalone
Format: 315 pages, Paperback
Release Date: May 12, 2026
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Source: Publisher
Genre: Mystery, Suspense

Revised edition: Previously published as Anywhere She Runs, this edition of The Drowning Season includes editorial revisions.

To find two missing women, a detective must dive into the secrets of her past in a blood-freezing novel of suspense by USA Today bestselling author Debra Webb.

Detective Adeline Cooper swore she’d never return to Mississippi, where her corrupt family rules through fear and her career was upended by betrayal. But then she receives a photograph of a local woman who has gone missing, along with a cryptic, chilling message: Pretty, pretty princess. See her smile…see her die.

Soon after Adeline arrives in her hometown, a second woman is kidnapped, and there are disturbing connections between the two victims and the detective. Both women bear an eerie resemblance to Adeline and share her fear of water. A new message makes the kidnapper’s game terrifyingly clear: You’re next.

When past and present collide at the river’s edge, Adeline will finally understand why she’s been dreaming of drowning her whole life.

The Drowning Season by Debra Webb is a gripping Southern Gothic-tinged psychological thriller. It’s a revised and re-edited edition of her earlier novel Anywhere She Runs. Detective Adeline “Addi” Cooper has built a life far from her Mississippi hometown, a place she swore she’d never return to. Her powerful, corrupt family rules through fear and intimidation, and a devastating betrayal years earlier shattered her career and heart. 

But when she receives a chilling photo of a missing local woman—accompanied by the taunting message “Pretty, pretty princess. See her smile…see her die”—Addi is pulled back into the nightmare. Soon, a second woman vanishes. Both victims eerily resemble Addi (blond hair, blue eyes) and share her deep-seated fear of water. As the kidnapper’s messages escalate, Addi teams up with Wyatt Henderson, the local sheriff and her former love, to unravel the case. 

The investigation forces her to confront long-buried family secrets, generational trauma, and the reason she’s been plagued by dreams of drowning her entire life. The river that runs through the town becomes both a literal and symbolic force—beautiful, dangerous, and unforgiving. Webb excels at making the Mississippi river town feel like a character itself. The humid, swampy vibe, the looming family estates, and the constant presence of water create a claustrophobic, moody backdrop that amplifies the dread. 

The drowning motif is woven throughout masterfully—psychologically, thematically, and plot-wise. For the most part, Adeline is a flawed lead—tenacious, angry, guarded, and carrying heavy emotional baggage. Her personal stakes make the thriller intensely personal rather than just procedural. The book moves quickly with cryptic clues, escalating danger, and plenty of twists. The book explores betrayal (familial and romantic), the weight of the past, and the depravity hidden behind respectable facades. 

The “pretty princess” taunts add an eerie, personal creep factor. The rekindled relationship with Wyatt adds emotional layers and tension, but can feel secondary or distracting for readers who prefer pure thrillers without romance. If you enjoy thrillers where the protagonist’s return home unearths more than just a case—where the past literally tries to drown the present—this one will keep you up at night.

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#Review - Secrets You Can't Keep by Debra Webb #Mystery #Suspense

Series: Vera Boyett (#3)
Format: 319 pages, Paperback
Release Date: December 9, 2025
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Source: Publisher
Genre: Mystery, Suspense

From USA Today bestselling author Debra Webb comes crime analyst Vera Boyett’s next case—a triple homicide that tears a small town apart…and an accident that could do worse to her family.

A cabin in the woods. Three dead, one in critical condition. Property owned by not just any Tennessee local, but one of the richest men in the country.

Vera Boyett isn’t quite sure what it means. But that’s why Sheriff Gray “Bent” Benton called her: to figure it out. Criminal analysis is what she does best. Even when the town is in panicked shambles, even when the case is more delicate than most…and even when it’s not the only case on her plate.

Vera’s family is caught in a deadly mess of its own. And while her pregnant sister seems an unlikely culprit, each new detail seems to point to her guilt. Desperate to protect her, Vera vows to find out what really happened.

As evidence emerges in both cases, Vera and Bent work to unravel a dangerous web of secrets to get to the truth. But their investigations reveal more than they ever expected…

Secrets You Can't Keep is the third installment in author Debra Webb's Vera Boyett series. The book introduces the two storylines: one of the multiple murders at the cabin of the area’s local billionaire and the second, the death of the mother-in-law of Vera’s little sister, Luna. Vera, now a Crime Scene Analyst Consultant in Tennessee, works with Sheriff Bent on the murder investigation of Thomas Wilton and two of his guests. The story is told through the eyes of Vera, Bent, Luna, and a fourth character I won't spoil. 

Upon arriving at the scene of the murder of Thomas Wilton and two other guests, Vera discovers that Alicia is still alive (even though she will spend most of the novel in a coma and as a suspect, since a murder weapon was found under her body). The death toll and the number of suspects grow the deeper Bent and Vera get into the investigation, and the more twisted the story becomes. Vera, who is very intuitive, knows she's being played and ends up getting hurt. 

Simultaneously, Vera soon discovers that she has another death on her hands when she learns that her younger sister Luna found her husband's mother, Jackie, dead at the bottom of the stairs when Luna returned from the store. Her sister, Luna, is very pregnant with her first child and the innocent sister in the Boyett family. Allegedly, Jackie attacked Luna, who managed to survive with a few bruises. To make matters more twisted, Luna's father-in-law had a massive heart attack at the time of Jackie's murder. 

Vera, Eve, and Luna have been hounded by something that happened many years ago, while Luna seems to be the only sister untouched by those events, Vera and Eve know the community knows they don't have clean hands. We also have the deepening relationship between Vera and Bent, which ends up in a comfortable position by the time the story ends. Like Bent, I have said this before, and I will say it again, Vera always seems to put her own life on the line, and sometimes ends up hurt. Lastly, I am not sure if this is the last in the series, which it appears to be, but one of the storylines wasn't finished as far as I am concerned, and no, I am not going to spoil what happens. 

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#Review - Closer Than You Know by Debra Webb #Mystery

Series: Vera Boyett # 2
Format: Paperback, 317 pages
Release Date: May 6, 2025
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Source: Publisher
Genre: Mystery

From USA Today bestselling author Debra Webb comes the riveting return of crime analyst Vera Boyett, fighting for justice—and her life—amid her Tennessee roots.

Vera Boyett is a master at cracking a case.

After tragedy destroyed her career as deputy police chief, she felt lost. Moving back home near her sisters, she put her skills back to use as a crime analyst, and now her star is finally back on the rise. Vera’s work really begins to heat up after the local sheriff, Gray “Bent” Benton, calls to ask her for assistance with a pressing case.

Pushing aside their complicated past, Vera agrees to help Bent search for a missing reporter. But their investigation uncovers an improbable connection to the Messenger, a serial killer she put behind bars twelve years ago. The killer, who is dying of cancer, wants his final revenge. And the reporter is merely a distraction—Vera is his true target.

When the Messenger pulls her sister Eve into his twisted game, Vera vows to stop him for good. But can she find Eve and the reporter before it’s too late?

Debra Webb's Closer Than You Know is the second installment in the author's gripping Vera Boyett series. This mystery-thriller saga blends intense police procedural elements with emotionally charged family dynamics. It takes place mostly in the State of Tennessee. Closer Than You Know follows crime analyst Vera Boyett, a former deputy police chief whose career was derailed by tragedy. After returning to her small-town Tennessee roots in Deeper Than the Dead, Vera is now carving out a new path as a crime analyst, leveraging her sharp investigative skills. 

The story starts when local sheriff Gray “Bent” Benton, a figure from Vera’s past, enlists her help in investigating the disappearance of a reporter named Nolan Baker. Baker is the son of Vera's high school bully, Elizabeth. Baker thinks he is on the trail of the Time Thief, who has been taking people and returning them a few days later. What begins as a seemingly straightforward missing-persons case spirals into a labyrinthine mystery with ties to the Messenger, a serial killer Vera put behind bars twelve years ago. 

Now dying of cancer, the Messenger is orchestrating a final act of revenge, with Vera as his primary target. After all, Vera stumbled upon uncovering who the Messenger is 12 years ago and stopped him from killing another innocent woman. The investigation uncovers dark secrets, unexpected connections, and a web of deception that keeps readers guessing until the final pages. Vera’s journey is as much about confronting her own demons—professional failures, fractured relationships, and unresolved trauma—as it is about solving the case. 

The novel explores the ripple effects of choices made in desperation, a theme introduced in Deeper Than the Dead with the discovery of bodies in a cave on Vera’s family land. The emotional depth of the narrative is amplified by Vera’s relationships, particularly with her sisters, Eve and Luna, and her complicated history with Bent. The theme of revenge is personified in the Messenger, whose terminal illness fuels a chilling determination to settle old scores. His presence looms large, even from behind bars, making him a formidable antagonist whose psychological warfare tests Vera’s resilience. 

Vera's journey from disgraced deputy chief to crime analyst reflects a woman reclaiming her agency while grappling with self-doubt. Vera’s rekindled connection with Bent, her high school sweetheart turned sheriff, adds a romantic subplot that feels organic rather than forced. Bent is a grounded counterpoint to Vera, his steady demeanor masking his own unresolved feelings. The sisters, Eve and Luna, bring depth to the family dynamic, each wrestling with their roles in the events that shaped their childhood. 

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#Review - Can't Go Back by Debra Webb #Myster #Suspense

Series: Devlin & Falco # 3
Format: Kindle, 317 pages
Release Date: December 14, 2021
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Source: Kindle Unlimited
Genre: Mystery / Suspense

The past and the present collide in the final installment of USA Today bestselling author Debra Webb’s Devlin & Falco series, threatening everything these two detectives care about.

Birmingham detectives Kerri Devlin and Luke Falco arrive at the scene of a double homicide to discover that nothing makes sense. A woman and her child are dead, and though the husband says he killed them, the evidence says otherwise. Why would a man confess to unspeakable murders he didn’t commit?

What starts as an open-and-shut case explodes into a web of new leads. Devlin and Falco get to work tracking down every single one—including a disturbing connection between the murders and Falco’s dark past.

Falco knows the incident from eight years ago will jeopardize the partnership he’s built with Devlin, both on and off the job. If he could go back, he would—but what happened happened, and there’s a murderer on the loose. Devlin and Falco must slog through the pain to get to the truth; and so far the only truth they know is that everyone is lying.

Can't Go Back, by Debra Webb, is the third and final installment in the author's Devlin & Falco trilogy. Detectives Kerri Devlin and Luke Falco of Birmingham's Major Investigation Division, are about to face one of the toughest cases of their time as partners. The police chief calls them to be in charge of a case where the victims are his friends and need their expertise. This is a case of a former undercover cop's wife and child dying in a fire that is obviously arson and personal.

Several people need to be interviewed, but no one is really talking. They arrive at the scene of a double homicide to discover that nothing makes sense. A woman and her child are dead, and though the husband says he killed them, the evidence says otherwise. Why would a man, who was a former cop, confess to unspeakable murders he didn’t commit? What starts as an open-and-shut case explodes into a web of new leads that ends up bring back bad memories from Falco's past and his former Lieutenant. 

There are buckets of secrets, hidden motives, misdirection, lies and cover-ups in this twisted family drama. Many lives are impacted by the house fire and deaths and the suspect list is a long one including the distraught husband, Logan; Jana Scott, Allison's mother; a helpful elderly neighbor, Phileas Crandall. Devlin and Falco get to work tracking down every single one—including a disturbing connection between the murders and Falco’s dark past. 

A past that cost him his wife, and son who he all but allowed another man to become his parent. Falco knows the incident from eight years ago will jeopardize the partnership he’s built with Devlin, both on and off the job, and she know that there are people who may be aware of their growing feelings for each other. But Falco has become the best partner that she's ever had and she refuses to allow him to take the fall. If he could go back, he would but what happened happened, and there’s a murderer on the loose in the present who must be caught before anyone else dies. 

*With rogue cops and creepy grandmothers, this book has a lot of red herrings and tons of false trails that will keep you guessing right to the very end. If you follow the bread crumbs the author gives you, you will likely discover the villains long before they are revealed. The author, who has become one of my favorites, did a masterful job of weaving a realistic story that kept me engrossed and wanting more. When all is said and done, Kerri is a marvelous character who is brilliant at her job, and Falco has turned into someone she can reliably allow not only watch her back, but to get close to her daughter. 

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