Best Seller
Best Seller
Susan May
Contents
About Best Seller
Thank you to my early readers
Dedication nobody gets
Dedication everybody gets
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
From the Imagination Vault
Thank you
Dear reader, a favor …
To the hawk-eyes
Stay in touch with Susan May
The Troubles Keeper Preview
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
About Susan May
Also by Susan May
About Best Seller
JEALOUSY IS A GREEN-EYED MONSTER AND HIS NAME IS WILLIAM BARNES
A girl with power over luck. An obsessed author consumed by envy. Two nemeses drawn down a path from which only one will return.
After witnessing her mother's brutal murder, ten-year-old Nem's life seems destined for tragedy. Then she discovers an old journal which holds an incredible secret. Nem now possesses the ability to control the fortunes of others. It is said luck is probability taken personally, and she’s about to get personal with her own brand of justice.
Decades later, the literary world hails William Barnes’ debut as a masterpiece. His best seller success, though, doesn't survive his next two books. Readers abandon him, his publisher cancels his contract, and his agent isn't returning his calls.
Meanwhile his undeserving protégé, Orelia Mason, enjoys a meteoric rise in the charts, coinciding suspiciously with his fall. So William embarks on a plan to win back the life he’s certain she has stolen. If people die along the way, well, that's their problem. He'll discover though, that battling fate when luck is not on your side can be a deadly game.
This is A Star is Born meets A Portrait of Dorian Gray and the consequences are not pretty. In fact, they're darn well bloody.
From the international best selling author readers call the new Stephen King, comes a dark and twisted tale of jealousy, revenge and a very special power.
Thank you to my early readers
Thank you to my wonderful early readers and reviewers. I can’t do this crazy thing without you. You are my lucky charms!
If you only read one thriller this year, do yourself a favor and make sure it's Best Seller! April (USA)
… likening Susan May to Dean Koontz, Stephen King, or Robin Cook, I realized is a false concept. She steps outside any known author and creates a voice all her own. Lisa Ensign (USA)
After reading horror for over 50 years I’m excited by Susan May’s book as I haven’t been since I read Stephen King’s The Stand. Michelle Hummer-Kindig (USA)
It’s absolutely brilliant and I couldn’t put it down! Amanda (USA)
Susan May now ranks right up there with Stephen King and Brandon Massey on my list of fave thriller/horror authors! Shannon Gray (USA)
This book just kept getting better and better. Jane Culwell (USA)
This is a suspense filled thriller with a Holy S*%^ great ending! Diane Lynch (Bookmeetsgirlblog USA)
Few authors successfully make the leap from short story to novels as fluid as King, Jackson and Poe. But, damn May did it again and she keeps getting better. Judy Clay (USA)
A twisted story of jealousy and greed and paranormal happenstance plays off into a thrilling finale that will have you gasping in surprise. Manie Kilian (South Africa)
I’ve read almost all of Susan’s books and for me this one is the best. Faouzia (Germany)
Susan May brings a fresh perspective to supernatural speculative fiction by mixing reality with subtle hints of otherworldliness. Madelon Wilson (USA)
She’s been said to be the next Stephen King, which certainly shows in her newest novel, Best Seller. Victoria Schwimley (UK)
What a fun and fulfilling read! Walter Scott (USA)
I love the premise of this book duffythewriterblog (Australia)
I just finished reading Best Seller, boy what a ride! Craig R. Newberry (USA)
…the pace was breathtakingly fast which had me finishing the almost 500 page book in two sittings. Kim By Hook or by Book (USA)
This is one of those books that you end up finishing late at night (in my case it was 12:28am). Cathy Weber (USA)
With twists and turns that keep you captivated from start to finish. Kaye (USA)
… you may read way past your bedtime and not even know it. Shannon Gardner (USA)
I was like an addict waiting for their next fix, and became quite resentful of those annoying little things like eating and sleeping as they interfered with my reading! Debbie Hauser (USA)
This book blew me completely away. Just couldn't stop reading. Angela (USA)
I felt like this could have been written by Dean Koontz in the early 2000's … more like the mature King, as in "Duma Key" and not "Carrie" or "Pet Cemetery”. Bill Schmidt (Holey One) (USA)
"Best Seller" is the ultimate page turner that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Sue May (Australia)
This was a really good read, with some truly heart pounding moments. Another winner for Susan May. Maureen (United Kingdom)
Susan May really has really written a Best Seller! Anyone who reads it will not be disappointed. Debra (Canada)
You can get whiplash keeping up with all the twists and turns that are slowly revealed throughout the plot. Debbie Hauser (USA)
Best Seller is Susan May’s best work to date and there aren't enough positive adjectives to describe how much I enjoyed this novel. Peg McDaniels (USA)
Another great book by Susan May! The end was a surprise; I didn't see that coming. Alicia Maryweather (USA)
It's like Hitchcock meets the Twilight Zone. John Filar (USA)
This is a book you don't want to put down. You have to see what is going to happen next. Sharon (USA)
I can honestly say if it were possible to give 10 stars I would! Possibly the best suspense novel I have read in a year. Doreen Keele (USA)
I love this author, although her mind and creativity scares me a little bit, I do understand why her style has been referenced as similar to Steven King. Teri (USA)
The story is fast paced yet full of detail. Bill Craig (USA)
One to read & highly recommended. Joy Rockey (Australia)
The storyline was imaginative, intriguing and, at times, heart-stopping. Paula (USA)
It has a story line that kept me reading late into the night. Kandy (USA)
I didn't want to go to sleep because I didn't want to put it down. Sandy (USA)
What an amazing story. Jackie (USA)
A book I found difficult to put down, full of twists and turns. You won’t be disappointed… Richard Tamer (USA)
Susan really knows how to tell a great, gripping, page turning story. Mike Rice (UK)
I really did enjoy this story and… I read it in one sitting. Peter Rouse (UK)
Susan May has created some more characters you love to hate! Diane Lybbert (USA)
This is a very intriguing novel with a surprise ending. Kenneth Lingenfelter (USA)
… a fascinating look into the publishing world. Carol Sidoti (USA)
I was hooked by this book. Ola Adamska (Poland)
Like revenge? Dislike vengeance? Enjoy a little Twilight Zone? Read this one! Steve Peterson (USA)
Well done, Susan May. Very well done! Beenish Arif (USA)
I loved reading it and hated for the reading to end! Beth Baskett (USA)
A truly exceptional story that I highly recommend. James Phillips (USA)
What an insane read! It was unputdownable! Mandie (USA)
I enjoyed every page of this novel and need to read it again.
Ashok (India)
Susan May keep writing the best suspenseful books I have read, and this is just another proof of that. Claudia (Argentina)
… at its core seriously creepy. Anne Kasaba (USA)
Great book, hard to put it down. Cheryl Behrens (USA)
… truly enjoyed the story from beginning to end. Carrie (USA)
… a fascinating tale that has more twists and turns (and is twisted) than you can imagine. Ami (USA)
A marvelous piece of writing for a book group, it raises questions of cause and effect. Barbara Harrison (USA)
I had to remind myself that I had work the next day and needed to sleep. Robyn Lee (USA)
Solid storytelling, good plot, interesting characters which contributed making a fantasy novel a believable thriller. Jean-Charles Garaud (Canada)
Very absorbing storyline. Pamela Fries (USA)
I wanted to continue reading late into the night in order to get to the end. And what an ending! Camille Macchia (USA)
AWESOME book. Nicole Burns (USA)
… definitely a unique & imaginative story as are all of Susan May’s books. Loretta (Canada)
I don't usually read books with paranormal elements but I really enjoyed this one. Shari Gross (Canada)
This book kept me riveted from the opening page to the last page. David Place Jr. (USA)
… deep and dark… Cath McTernan (USA)
It's been a while since I've read a thriller, and this book reminded me of how much I love them. Meghann (USA)
A truly exceptional well written story that I highly recommend. Jim Phillips (USA)
Towards the end I didn't want to put it down. Sherry Martin (USA)
Another great read from a great author. Dominic Lagonigro (USA)
I haven't read a book I enjoyed this much in a long time. Heather Hackett (USA)
Susan May's incredibly taut thriller keeps the action going fast enough to take your breath away Rosemary Kenny (Wales)
Loved the book. A great read...well done. Suzanne SingletonBrown (Australia)
Dedication nobody gets
O, beware, my lord, of jealousy;
It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock
The meat it feeds on; that cuckold lives in bliss
Who, certain of his fate, loves not his wronger.
William Shakespeare from Othello
Dedication everybody gets
To my husband, who always told me I'd write a best seller.
Honey, you were right!
1
Nem had named the kitten Patch even before she knew whether or not she could keep him. The black mark surrounding the little creature's right eye reminded her of a pirate, and she liked the idea of sailing away on a ship looking for treasure.
Earlier that day, on the way home from school, she'd found the tiny animal in a shadowed alley. The kitten's mewling stopped her. She squinted into the scattered-garbage scene, as Patch appeared from behind a dumpster. He crept toward her as if they were old friends, pausing at her feet, before curling his body around her ankles.
"Oh, you cutie!"
She picked him up, delighting in his softness as she ran her fingertips along his fur. How could she leave the darling little thing? Without food or someone to care for him, he might die. No, Patch needed to come home with her, and that was that.
* * *
Nem had hidden Patch in a box in her bedroom. She feared her mom might take him away before she had a chance to convince her having a pet was a great idea. But her mom wasn't easy to persuade. Nem should have listened and then what was to come may have been avoided. Instead, they stood in the kitchen arguing, neither backing down.
"You must take him back where you found him. It might even have a disease." Her mom sighed. "Besides, the building superintendent won't allow animals."
"Mrs. Klein, the lady in Apartment Fourteen, has a dog."
She begged some more, and though her mom seemed to soften, it became clear she may not get what she wanted without bringing in the tears. Her mom always said she hated to see Nem sad.
She'd just worked herself up to crying, when the smack came from nowhere. This caused her to jump in surprise and she knocked a glass from the table which shattered on the floor. Her hand went straight to the side of her face, patting at the stinging skin and the throb of her right ear, which had caught most of the force.
The slap didn't come from her mom. She had never hit Nem; barely even raised her voice to her daughter. Alan, her mom's boyfriend, was a completely different case. She'd grown accustomed to slaps here and there when her mother wasn't around.
But what was he doing here in the afternoon? His normal routine was to leave early in the morning to return well after eight. She hadn't heard him re-enter their small apartment today.
He'd been in their lives for six months. At first, he was a great addition to what was already the best school year so far. Grade Four was when she found her confidence in reading and had fallen in love with stories. Her mom had collected books to give her since before her birth.
But the book she wanted still wasn't hers yet.
The beautiful green-covered wonder would be hers one day. At least that's what she'd been promised. "Only when you're old enough,” her mom had said.
What age old enough might be drove Nem crazy.
Her heart's desire lay hidden in a locked closet in her mom's room. On occasion she'd spy her mother looking through the mysterious book, with its ornate gold-etched design on the cover and spine.
Whenever she asked to see the contents, she received the same answer. "There're secrets inside these pages. And magical words."
Despite Nem's pleas, her mom always replied with a smile, "Ah-ah, it's only yours if you study hard at school."
She hadn't seen the book in a long time, not since Alan had arrived. He was okay at first and theirs was a happier household than it had been in forever. Her father died when she was a baby, but she knew her mom missed him. Missed him very much.
Before Alan came, Nem's mother cried at night and talked to somebody who wasn't there. Through the thin walls she caught snatches of words.
"You're to blame. You killed something, something… danger… something."
When she slipped into her mom's room though and climbed into her bed to offer comfort, there was nobody.
"Who were you talking to?"
Her mom had wiped the tears from her own eyes and kissed Nem's cheek. She'd make an excuse of exhaustion, from looking after them both. Without a dad, life was hard.
When Alan arrived in their lives, Nem felt happy at first. He smiled and shook her hand. "Aren't you the cute little one? You look like your mom and she's a cute big one."