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From the twisted mind behind mega hit My Lovely Wife comes the story of a family - not unlike your own - just with a few more violent tendencies thrown in....
Beth, Portia, and Eddie Morgan haven't all been together in years. And for very good reasons—we'll get to those later. But when their wealthy grandfather dies and leaves a cryptic final message in his wake, the siblings and their respective partners must come together for a cross-country road trip to fulfill his final wish and—more importantly—secure their inheritance.
But time with your family can be tough. It is for everyone.
It's even harder when you're all keeping secrets and trying to forget a memory, a missing person, an act of revenge, the man in the black truck who won't stop following your car—and especially when at least one of you is a killer and there's a body in the trunk. Just to name a few reasons.
But money is a powerful motivator. It is for everyone.
"With our need to know ramped up through a series of teasers offering more to come, this tale is virtually impossible to put down." - Booklist (starred review)
"Will everyone make it to the end? Readers will be turning the pages to find out. Buckle up and settle in for one diabolically fun road trip." - Kirkus Reviews
"Those with a taste for suspense with a wicked kick will be rewarded." - Publishers Weekly
"Wholly original. Scarily clever. Completely mesmerizing. You will never look at family road trips the same way again." - Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"A twisty, sneaking tale of greed, lies and betrayal, with each character as conniving as the next and an ending that will make your heart stop. This one needs to be on the top of everyone's to-read list!" - Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Girl and The Other Mrs.
"A thrill ride through the darkest parts of the American landscape —funny, scary and twisted until the explosive final page." - Michele Campbell, internationally bestselling author of A Stranger on the Beach
"My Lovely Wife was one of my top books of 2019. He Started It is even better! Following a dysfunctional—to put it mildly—bunch of siblings on a bizarre and deadly road trip with their grandfather's ashes, He Started It is deliciously twisted, laced with Downing's trademark black humor and packed with one grisly twist after another. I loved it. All hail the new Queen of the psycho thriller!!" - C.J. Tudor, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Chalk Man
"Downing ups her game in this deliciously twisted tale of family deception. He Started It has layers upon layers of clever, shocking twists that begin in the first chapter and never let up. Breathless pacing and terse, impeccable writing create a phenomenal reading experience. I am obsessed!" - Wendy Walker, USA Today bestselling author of The Night Before
"A wicked-fun read with razor-sharp wit and a killer twist, He Started It is compelling, captivating, and deliciously dark. Samantha Downing writes with a wry, sparse elegance that steadily entangles you until you're utterly addicted." - Christina McDonald, USA Today bestselling author of The Night Olivia Fell
"A diabolical drive into a dysfunctional family's past. The story is chillingly twisted, perfectly paced. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down." - Kaira Rouda, USA Today bestselling author of Best Day Ever
"I absolutely loved it: whip-smart, lean, deliciously dark and addictive. One of the best thrillers I've read in a long time" - Ali Land, bestselling author of Good Me, Bad Me
"He Started It is a dark, twisting road trip into hell with a family you wouldn't want to live next door to. I've never read anything like it!" - Mark Edwards, bestselling author of Here to Stay
"Sibling rivalry reaches new and downright despicable heights...Creepy, unnerving and deliciously evil, Samantha Downing is one of the boldest authors I know. A must read!" - Hannah Mary McKinnon, national bestselling author of Her Secret Son, and The Neighbors.
"Samantha Downing is an absolute genius at creating twisted characters you're desperate to follow...A psychological thriller like none other, this addictive read is impossible to put down." - Samantha M. Bailey, author of forthcoming Woman on the Edge
"Samantha Downing has done it again! With her second novel, He Started It, this master of sarcasm and suspense brings us a story that is impossible not to relate to. Initiated by a dead grandfather's will, we find ourselves trapped in a car journey with siblings that loathe each other's presence. As the miles pass, secrets and deceptions abound, and we are kept guessing until the very last line. Downing's style remains in a league of its own, with to-the-point crisp language and snappy dialogue readers are taken on a gripping and edgy adventure." - Maureen Joyce Connolly, author of Little Lovely Things
This information about He Started It was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
photo: Jacqueline Dallimore
Samantha Downing currently lives in New Orleans, where she is furiously typing away on her next thrilling standalone. My Lovely Wife is her first novel.
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