-
Access Our
Best Book Club
Books of 2025!
A Thriller
by Joe Hart
A secret love becomes a fatal affair in a twisting novel of suspense by Wall Street Journal bestselling author Joe Hart.
When novelist Andy Drake returns to his hometown to care for his ailing father, a reconnection with his childhood friend Rachel escalates into a secret love affair. For Rachel, struggling to maintain the facade of a picture-perfect life, it's an escape from an emotionally abusive marriage. Then Andy receives an anonymous note warning him to end the affair. Or else.
Whoever's been watching is going to make Andy pay. Weeks later, Rachel's husband, David, is shot to death. Rachel and her two young sons vanish without a trace. One misstep, one careless reveal, and Andy could look as guilty as sin. Clue by clue, as his investigation into the mystery unfolds, Andy discovers that he and Rachel weren't the only ones keeping secrets.
Nothing in this quiet neighborhood is as it seems. No one peeking from behind the curtains of their homes can be trusted. And the worst is yet to come. Because David isn't the only one who will die.
Edgar Awards, 2023
"Hart remains a suspense writer to watch." ―Publishers Weekly
"Or Else is a thriller/suspense tour de force. Joe Hart has knocked it out of the park with a start-to-finish roller coaster ride of perfectly executed twists and expertly timed chills. Deep character development and rich narrative seals Or Else's place as the not-to-be-missed domestic thriller/suspense of the year." ―Steven Konkoly, author of the Ryan Decker series and Deep Sleep
"The perfect thriller for a rainy afternoon, Or Else draws you into a web of small town secrets, lies, and intrigue and doesn't let you go. Hart's well-rendered setting and characters resonate like people and places you've known. Loved every minute of this absolute page-turner!" ―D.M. Pulley, bestselling author of The Dead Key
"Joe Hart has written compelling stories before, but it's in Or Else that he shows off just how good he is. This book checks all the boxes for me: a (seemingly) quiet, small town drama―filled with those little quirks and secrets nobody wants to talk about―that quickly blossoms into something big, sinister, and menacing. Hart doesn't pull any punches on some serious issues, either: love, infidelity, family conflict…there's plenty to think about right up to the explosive ending. THIS is the thriller you'll be recommending for the foreseeable future." ―Matthew Iden, author of the Marty Singer series and The Winter Over
This information about Or Else 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.
Joe Hart is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of fourteen novels, including The River Is Dark, Obscura, The Last Girl, and We Sang in the Dark. When not writing, he enjoys reading, exercising, exploring the great outdoors, and watching movies with his family. For more information on his upcoming novels and access to his blog, visit www.joehartbooks.com
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
.gif)